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In recent years, the conversation surrounding mental health continues to evolve. More people are grasping the importance of prioritizing mental health. While therapy is an excellent resource, that’s not where mental health maintenance starts and stops. In fact, there are so many factors to consider when you’re looking to improve your mental health. As you look to build a holistic and comprehensive approach to build your mental health regimen, include these natural options in 2021.

Exercise

There are numerous studies that show a direct link between exercise and mental health. There are plenty of people who love exercising after work because it helps them to relieve the stress from that day. Even if you exercise in the morning, make it a habit of doing something physical to relieve any stress that you potentially picked up during the day. Even an activity as simple as 100 jumping jacks, a 30-minute walk or 15 minutes of yoga can make a major difference in the quality of your mental health. 

If you’re not used to exercising on a daily basis, the key is to start. Take a walk in your neighborhood each day. Turn on a high-energy playlist, and dance around your living room until you sweat. Find a great workout video on YouTube. Do a few strength-training exercises that solely require your own body weight.

Supplements

Ideally, it’d be nice to get all of your nutrients from a healthy and balanced diet. Truthfully, it can be challenging to measure and plan for it all. This is why supplements are such powerful additions to any individual’s lifestyle. When you’re dealing with your mental health, stress is a constant factor to be mindful of. Thankfully, there are supplements that directly provide a sense of calm and relief from stress. Ingredients such as melatonin, ashwagandha and glycine are known to provide relief. As cannabidiol (CBD) continues to grow in popularity, there’s more research connecting mental health benefits and CBD consumption. 

If you’re hesitant because it’s derived from the marijuana plant, know that you won’t experience the psychoactive effects that you’d experience if you were smoking dried cannabis that contains THC. Because there are numerous CBD products for sale online, you can take them in various forms: oils, gels, pills, etc.

Rest

If you’re not getting a good amount of quality rest each night, this will impede your ability to think clearly, feel good and maintain a healthy mind. Treat your sleeping experience like a science experiment. Start by figuring out how many hours of rest you need each night in order to feel good. Then, discover what time you need to be in bed in order to feel alive and alert the next day. Don’t be afraid to include non-addictive sleeping supplements in order to help yourself experience deeper sleep. 

If you need to invest in a new mattress, new sheets or a more comfortable pillow, don’t underestimate how powerful those elements can be in getting better rest. It’s also great to consider the temperature of your bedroom. If it’s hot, it’s going to be harder to fall asleep. Whether you use a cooling fan or turn the thermostat down a few notches, create a cool environment before it’s time to head to bed.

Diet

Research proves that there’s a brain-gut connection, which showcases how important it is to feed your body healthy foods. When your digestive system is in good condition, your brain will benefit. If you’re not already getting the recommended daily amount of fiber in your diet, that’s the perfect place to start. Green, leafy vegetables, legumes and berries will serve as some of the best sources of fiber for a daily diet. Drink lots of water. Decrease your intake of sugar, sodium and processed food sources. It’s also great to include probiotics such as yogurt, kimchi and kombucha for a healthy gut.

Conclusion

One of the worst things you can do is attempt to include all of these practices at once. You’ll end up overwhelming yourself. Instead, focus on gradually incorporating these practices, one at a time. Yes, taking a supplement is an easy step that you don’t have to really think about. However, revamping your diet isn’t easy. It’ll take effort, time and intention. Make small steps on a daily basis. Small, consistent changes over the long haul will lead to long-lasting results.