Top ways to help with mental well-being

Mental Health is important especially in the agricultural industry, so in honour of #AgMentalHealthWeek, here are some quick hints and handy tips to improve your mental health in minutes :

1. Exercise. Going for a run or lifting weights stimulates the brain into releasing serotonin and dopamine, otherwise known as the brain’s “reward chemicals”. These chemicals provide feelings of happiness similar to eating chocolate. Running in particular has been found to alleviate chronic stress.
2. Get into nature. We’re naturally over-stimulated when flicking between screens, so turning off your phone and take a walk – even for just ten minutes – and this will act as a ‘reset button’ for your mind.
3. Get mindful. Although it seems a bit cliche to recommend meditation, the clinical benefits are well-documented: one study found spending 10 minutes a day on a mindfulness app, for three months, reduced feelings of anxiety by up to a massive 57%.
4. Unburden yourself. Not everyone has the opportunity to go to a formal therapy session, but even confiding to a close friend over a coffee or a beer has been found to have beneficial therapeutic effects.
5. Eat well. Scoffing junk foods high in sugar, salt and starch will lead to you feeling hungry and experiencing low moods more often, because the energy it provides is quickly used up by the body, causing you to “crash”. Opt for foods high in protein and full of whole grains, which releases energy slowly rather than dumping it all at once.
6. Drink Water. One study found men who lost 1.5% of their body weight in water had increased feelings of tension and anxiety. A cold glass of water will keep you cool in more ways than one.

Thanks to Fit & Well for the mental health tips, for more advice visit: https://www.fitandwell.com/mindfulness