When you are mentally healthy, you are more likely to live a happy life. Everybody wants to be happy. But, why is it so important to us? It is simple! When you are happy, you can live up to full potential so you can excel in every aspect of your life, be it your career, your relationship, your friendship and etc. Yet, if your mental health is at risk, you will be more likely to develop mental illness, such as depression. Not only doest it affect your mood, it is also harmful to your physical wellbeing. We figure out 4 habits you are probably doing that hurt your mental health!
1. You have too much simple carbs
We crave for sweetness when you are in a bad mood. Yes, it provides you energy and increases your level of serotonin in your brain right away. But, it is a just a flash effect. You have to choose what to eat carefully as some of your favorite sweet stuff like cakes, candies and processed food are simple carbohydrates. Why? As they are easy to break down by our body, it causes rapid fluctuations of your blood sugar. As a result, your mood will go up and down like a roller coaster! So, next time when you are craving for sweetness to boost your mood, choose food like fruits, nuts, and dark chocolate! They are good for your mental health!
2. You don’t go for exercise
Not everybody is an endorphin junkie, you don’t have to do exercise daily. But, everybody knows that doing exercise is good for your physical fitness. According to research, the risk of being depressed decreased 19% if you are doing exercise 3 times a week. When it comes to exercise, you don’t really have to run on a treadmill or train on weightlifting. It can be as simple as having a walk and walking upstairs would make a difference!
3. You are sleep deprived
I believe everybody has this experience: if you have a bad sleep, your mood will be terribly bad in the next morning! Why is this? It is because sleep deprivation would cause more activity in our part of brain, amygdala which plays a big role in our emotion. When our amygdala is overloaded, our brain will not function well. Not only do we lose our attention easily, but we are also more likely to focus on negative things. Now, you can imagine how a series of the sleep-deprived night would hurt your mental health!
4. You are “fear of missing out”
We are living in decades full of social obligation, you are fearful of missing out within your social circles, such as family, friends, and networking. When your schedule is packed with all this meeting, you are more likely to feel anxious or depressed. Why not spend some quality time with yourself? Spending some “me time” indulges with a bubble bath, facial mask and a cup of green tea would be a good choice!
