Zones of Mental Health By Dr Tamara Dickson ND Integrative Health Expert, Naturopathic Physician The challenges of 2020 have thrust the importance of mental health into our collective awareness. While we all face obstacles in life that we cannot control or change, there are countless things that you can do to protect and improve the state of your mental health. Over decades, researchers have allowed us to learn a lot about the components of human resilience, happiness, personal empowerment, and longevity. To simplify the many complex approaches, I divide the mental health therapies into three zones with consideration for people’s varying access to resources: tools you already have, external support within reach, and treatment that you invest in. ISSUE 02
INTERNAL TOOLS Just by being human, we are born with powerful internal mechanisms for healing and balance that often just need some focused attention. Working on these things alone can improve or eliminate symptoms. Get adequate rest. Give yourself recovery time after stressful activity. Set a consistent sleep and wake time. Soak up some light in the morning and darken your home after dinner. Avoid caffeine 4-6 hours before bed and plan 1-2 hours off screen-free time before bed. Make sure your sleep environment is dark, quiet, and cool.
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Move your body. There is overwhelming evidence on the connection between movement and mental health. Traditional forms of exercise, like playing sports, running, cycling, weight lifting are fine but you can also walk more, do yoga, take the stairs, clean your home, garden, or dance. Get your blood moving and heart rate up any way you can to boost your endorphins, happy neurotransmitters, and ability to focus. Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is available to everyone everywhere. Mindfulness is not meditation; it is an attitude, a way of living. It is a foundation for meditation. Focusing your WWW.THE-BNA.CO.UK