By Megan Ford, MSW, LSW, Therapist, Relief Mental Health in Rockford

As a professional therapist who helps people manage distressing and difficult emotions every day, I’m committed to finding new ways to support my patients on their journey toward total health and wellbeing. ​People with a clinical mental health diagnosis often need support from someone trained in evidence-based therapeutic techniques, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and

acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Some people benefit from new approaches like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), SPRAVATO®, or IV ketamine.

​People with a clinical mental health diagnosis often need support from someone trained in evidence-based therapeutic techniques, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Some people benefit from new approaches like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), SPRAVATO®, or IV ketamine.

And sometimes, people with or without a clinical diagnosis simply need to add healthy habits to their daily routine. If you’re in treatment, healthy daily habits support and augment your treatment plan. If you aren’t in treatment, healthy daily habits can help you maintain a good mood, a positive attitude, and improve your overall sense of wellbeing.

I’ve listed my top six tips below. I encourage you to give them a try – and see what happens!

Daily Habit #1: Good Food, Good Mood
First, you want to examine your diet. There is a reason that your doctor wants you to eat fruits and vegetables that goes beyond physical health. Eating nutritiously can help us feel better overall. Even though you might feel like sitting down with a big bowl of ice cream and wallowing, that may make you feel worse in the long run.
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Here’s the most up-to-date advice on the foods that not only improve physical health, but improve mood, as well:

Plenty of fresh fruits.
For optimal physical and mental health, experts advise eating 2-3 servings of fresh fruit every day. A serving of fruit equals about one medium-sized fruit roughly the size of your fist, like an apple, half cup of frozen or canned fruit, a quarter cup of dried fruit, or a quarter cup of fruit juice.

Plenty of fresh vegetables.
For optimal physical and mental health, experts advise eating five servings of fresh vegetables every day. A serving of fresh vegetables equals one cup of raw leafy greens, such as spinach, half a cup of fresh, frozen, or canned vegetable such as peas or carrots, or half a cup of vegetable juice.

Whole grain products.
There are two types of grains products: whole and refined. Whole grains contain the entire grain, including the healthiest parts: bran, germ, and endosperm. The process of refining grains removes the bran and the germ, which removes nutrients, including B-vitamins, iron, and fiber. Whole grains include: popcorn (yay!), brown rice, wild rice, quinoas, rolled or steel-cut oatmeal, and whole wheat, oats, barley, and farro.

Healthy protein.
Healthy proteins include protein from plant sources like legumes (beans) and nuts, low-fat dairy products, and lean meats. Experts recommend consuming the equivalent of 5 ½ ounces of lean protein per day, to include nuts, seeds, and/or beans, and the leanest meat possible – preferably fish.

Healthy oils/fats.
Healthy oils and fats include liquid plant oils such as canola, corn, olive, soybean, and safflower. Experts recommend these oils over coconut oil and palm oil, for instance. Also, liquid plant oils are preferable to animal fats such as lard and butter, and preferable to partially hydrogenated fats. Experts recommend three tablespoons of healthy oil or fat per day.

Minimize processed food when possible.
Processed foods are easy to spot: they come inside some type of packaging. Rule of thumb: the more ingredients on a label, the more processed the food is.

Minimize salt and processed sugar.
This is self-explanatory. I’m not telling you completely stop adding salt to your food or sugar to your coffee or tea, but rather, be mindful of your consumption.

Minimize alcohol intake.
This is also self-explanatory. Recent research shows that even moderate alcohol intake has negative consequences for physical health. Another thing about alcohol and mood: alcohol is considered a central nervous system depressant. If you want to improve low/depressed mood, eliminating the depressant.

Daily Habit #2: Keep it Moving
You also want to look at your daily movement. Movement is a great way to boost your mood naturally. Even going for a walk for 20 minutes at the end of the workday is better than not doing anything at all. Exercise can release feel-good chemicals in our brain that boost our mood.

Here are the latest recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on the levels of exercise and activity required to experience the physical, emotional, and psychological benefits of exercise:

Moderate-intensity aerobic activity:
2.5 to 5 hours per week of moderate swimming, walking, or running.

Vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity:
1.25 to 2.5 hours per week of vigorous swimming, walking, or running.

Strength-building physical activity:
Adults should do muscle-strengthening activities such as weightlifting or functional weight-exercises (pushups, squats, etc.) of moderate or greater intensity that use all major muscle groups.
If you can exercise outdoors, that's even better!
Speaking of…

Daily Habit #3: The Great Outdoors
Getting outside regularly can also help improve your mood. Vitamin D from the sun is a natural mood enhancer. Studies on greenspace show that a short trip to a local park, or even having houseplants can contribute to wellbeing. Studies on living or spending time near water  show the same thing: even in small amounts, spending time near water can improve mood.

Daily Habit #4: Music, Art, Expression
Another thing you can do to boost your mood is easy: you can listen to uplifting music. Listening to music from a happier time in your life can help bring your mood back to baseline – or even better. In addition to listening to music, consider:

Visiting a museum Creating visual art Writing/journaling Reading fun books Playing music Watching live music Taking any course or class in an artistic discipline/pursuit You can also go back and pick up any artistic hobbies from happier times. For instance, if you used to play a musical instrument, draw, or participate in theater – in a happier time – think about taking up those hobbies again.

Daily Habit #5: Four-Legged Friends
If you have pets in your life, spending time with them is also a great way to boost your mood. Animals can be very receptive to how we're feeling. If you are not doing your best, you may have noticed that your dog pays a little extra attention to you: honor that and spend time with them.

Taking your pets out and about is a great way to combine three things I recommend here: spending time with your pets, getting some exercise, and getting out in nature. Take your dog for a nice long walk in a park with a lake or stream: you get exercise, you get nature, your get companionship.

Daily Habit #6: Listen to Yourself, Honor Yourself, Help Your Self
Finally, give yourself some grace and let yourself do what feels like the best decision for you and your mental health. You get to choose how you relax, unwind and practice self-care. On one Friday, you might think the after-work happy hour meet-up sounds perfect. But the next Friday, that might sound like literal torture, and what you really need is a bath at home followed by hours of the most guilty-pleasure Netflix show you can find. 

Sometimes we feel pressured by others to "go out and have fun" when we feel down. For some people, this might not be restorative at all. Some people prefer recharging on their own. That’s what I mean when I say you get to choose how you relax and unwind.

If you’re not sure which you are – a go out and blow off steam person or a chill solo at home person – then after a long day at work, ask yourself this question:

Would you rather go out to blow off steam with friends or lay low at home?

How To Make New Habits Stick
I realize I shared quite a bit of information – and advice – in the six tips above.

Don’t let all of that overwhelm you!

Once you decide on the habits you want to develop, the best way to make them stick is to start slow, be consistent, and build them up over time. Avoid making habits feel like obligations. A great example is exercise: I suggest that taking a 20-minute walk is a great way to get yourself moving, because it’s a low-commitment, easy activity anyone can perform. Use that template with the rest of my suggestions, and you’re on the right track. Pick something realistic, that you’ll actually do, then start slow, build with consistency over time, and before you know it, you’ll have a healthy habit that you can’t imagine living without!

Relief Mental Health is an outpatient provider of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), psychedelic therapy (SPRAVATO® esketamine), traditional psychiatry services (medication management) and talk therapy for the treatment of depression, OCD, anxiety and other mental health diagnoses. For more information, call 855-205-4764, email info@reliefmh.com or visit www.reliefmh.com.

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