1. Eating patterns

It’s no secret that eating habits are related to mood – people tend to eat when they are sad or depressed for example. Things like poor nutrition, a failure to eat on an appropriate schedule and other factors are common to both.

2. Low carbohydrate diet

Certain diets have a discernible impact on mood and mental health. The popular low carbohydrate diets that are often vaunted as a great means of promoting weight loss, for instance, may increase the risk of depression. This is because foods rich in carbohydrates tell the body to produce chemicals including tryptophan and serotonin. These substances create a sense of well being in a person and their absence can have a dramatic impact on mood.

3. You are what you eat
As with most oft-repeated phrases, its popularity is largely based on its accuracy. What we take into our body does have a profound impact on how well it functions. Although we often tend to think of mental health problems as being divorced from the physical realm, they do originate in the body. It only makes sense to consider how various nutrients and dietary habits may affect depression and other mental health concerns.

4. Vitamins

Certain vitamins also seem to be linked with depression. The B vitamin group, in particular, is often mentioned alongside depression. This is because B vitamins are key to the functioning of our nervous systems. Vitamin B6 is one example. Research has demonstrated that those suffering from depression often have very low levels of Vitamin B6 in their systems (as well as low levels of the aforementioned seratonin). Although most citizens living in industrialized nations generally to manage sufficient dietary impact of B6, certain medications (including birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy drugs) actually interfere with B6 ingestion.

5.Overhaul your diet

Far too many people eat out. It might shock you to actually discover how many calories are in a single hamburger these days. Eating a healthy and well-rounded diet consistent with recognized nutritional recommendations may be a good way of battling depression. A failure to restrict your diet to healthy choices may make you fat, and being fat might make you more depressed – being depressed makes you eat, and the vicious cycle continues.

Psychiatrist Stanislav Grof used the term “Spiritual emergency” in describing the state of mental illness while psychiatrist Peter Breggin coined the term “psychospiritual overwhelm”. Both phrases take the mystery out of the diagnosis by describing a process. It connotes an experience, not a stigmatized label that can last a lifetime.
If psychosis is not a life-long condition but a temporary response similar to a runny nose when we have a cold, then there is something we can do to empower those people who are undergoing mental distress.

If we can learn to read the warning signs of an impending cold, then we can learn to interpret the deeper cause and meaning of psychological overwhelm. By taking time to explore our feelings instead of reacting to them, we can definitely make some headway.

There is nothing to be afraid of emotions. Feelings shouldn’t be denied. There’s a reason why such feelings or emotions exist. By deciphering them early on we have the chance to negate their snowballing effect.

The body and the mind will always try to find balance or regain equilibrium no matter how filled with emotion a person is. But often we need prodding to grapple with uncomfortable feelings, to get to their root. Deep emotion is not something we understand well in this society. It is reserved for poets and artists.

Parents of mentally ill patients often say that “she was too sensitive” or “he gets so emotional”, implying as if either of these qualities was a bad thing. However, the human mind thrives on rhythm, imagination and metaphors. The subconscious feeds on dreams to create, to solve problems, and to come to terms with what is in the waking world.
In order to unravel the meaning of your emotions, an extraordinary yet relatively simple process known as Tracking is developed by psychologist Dr Vern Woolf which makes use of the imagination and senses (sight, sound, colour, texture and smell) to understand the positive intent of uncomfortable feelings. It can be used to make decipher the “voices” heard in episodes of schizophrenia.

When we are feeling down, or we had a bad day, creative approaches, such as music, art, visualization or tracking can help channel emotion and the senses into a realm we can easily understand. Not only do they take the pressure off of a potentially explosive and disempowering personal experience, but they can also be used to discover our own uniqueness. They enable us to know ourselves in ways we never thought possible and ultimately, to make us stronger in what is often an alienating and stress-inducing world.

Prayer or meditation can be very relaxing. Take time out in the morning and in the evening to practice rituals that soothe your soul. Nature can have some powerful healing qualities as well. Visit a local park or lake or take a hike in the country. Take your dog along with you too. Pets can be very soothing, and studies have shown that they can bring a person’s anxiety level down.

Take it easy on yourself

This isn’t the time to beat yourself up. Many people are in the same boat, through no fault of their own. Be careful about the self-disparaging remarks, the one thing you can control is your attitude. Practice positive thinking to encourage your self every day.

Spend time with friends

Healthy positive relationships with friends and family can go a long way towards chasing away the blues. Human beings are social, and we require good relationships to be at our best. That doesn’t mean chatting with someone via e-mail or text message, we need personal contact with one another. So call up a friend or family member you have not seen in a while and make plans to get together.

Volunteering can be another way to get more social interaction. When you volunteer not only will you be helping yourself, you will get the good feeling of helping others.

Exercise

Exercise can invigorate you and make you feel better about yourself. Especially if you see a few extra pounds coming off in the process. Exercise is also a great stress reliever, so don’t let your exercise routine slip during this time. Try to find some activity that you enjoy so that your exercise routine can be fun as well. If your old routine is getting boring, sign-up for some classes, try yoga or tai chi for example.

Eat a healthy diet

Find out what the correct calorie intake is for your age, height and sex and try to eat the right amount of calories each day. Fill up first on healthy fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Save the high calorie sweets for last and remember to drink plenty of water.

Get your rest

Get plenty of sleep. Getting a sufficient amount of sleep goes a long way towards improving mental health. Most people need around eight hours a night, some more and some less. Having an evening routine can help you to gear-down and get to sleep at night and avoid any caffeine after 2:00 p.m.

Seek help

If you have followed these tips and are still having difficulty coping, seek out professional help. Talk to your clergy or a trusted friend or seek out a qualified mental health professional. If finances are a problem, look for a local area mental health center where they have a sliding fee schedule.