Without a doubt, your personal health and mind are the most important aspects of living a fulfilling and happy lifestyle. They determine how you function physically, mentally and act in day-to-day life.
If your health and mind are not up to sufficient standards, this can be damaging to your lifestyle, which is why you must invest in it constantly.
In other words, health is wealth and we must value it incredibly highly.
And while this may seem very obvious, poor health and mental wellbeing are severely overlooked and fall under the question – What are some of the most critical concerns we face in the 21st century?
Well, just to get an idea, Statistics by the World Health Organisation (WHO) show that approximately 280 million people worldwide suffer from depression as of the 31st March 2023. This all stems down to how much we care for our health and mind!
In fact, given many circumstances such as the Covid pandemic from a few years back which impacted our mindsets, motivation, health and lifestyles in general, it is out of the question that we could really do with some tips and advice to invest in our health and mind!
And remember, while all these circumstances, events and depressing times that we face may bog us down, we must understand that it is never impossible to turn things around.
There is always a way to unlock joy and happiness in our lives. Whether it’s personal goals, where we are financially, our achievements or our relationships with the people around us, all these things come down to how well we treat our health and mind.
Here are 6 ways to invest in your health and mind and be able to work your way to a successful lifestyle:
These days, everywhere we look, we cannot seem to get away from fast food, takeaways, sweets and highly processed foods.
They are a leading factor to why many people experience depression and anxiety as well as lower levels of testosterone particularly in men.
It can be so bad that it can lead to a disengagement for many people in society from the outside world as they lose confidence from their high levels of anxiety and intense feelings of embarrassment to meet new people and raise their own social awareness to others.
There are a huge number of substitutes for unhealthy foods and they are certainly some of the best products to add to your life for health benefits.
For example, instead of milk chocolate or white chocolate, dark chocolate is an incredible substitute, as it contains flavonoids, which are antioxidants that can help protect the brain against oxidative stress and inflammation.
In fact, some research has linked dark chocolate consumption to improved cognitive function.
Whole grains, such as oatmeal, quinoa, are rich in fibre and nutrients such as vitamin E and folate. These are perfect substitutes for white rice and bread which are leading causes of high blood sugar levels that can also cause fatigue and symptoms of depression.
In fact, they have been linked to improved cognitive function and reduced risk of cognitive decline. This makes whole grain meals highly beneficial for your brain function health!
Fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines, and tuna, are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for brain health. Omega-3s help support brain function, improve mood, and reduce inflammation in the brain.
These foods can be as tasty as popular red meats such as beef, lamb and pork as they offer highly versatile recipes (i.e sushi, curry, pasta…).
Foods like these are very easy to incorporate together as well. For example salmon meals and whole grain meals can involve the mix of salmon and brown rice with different recipes that can be created (For example, salmon curry).
Overall, it’s important to understand that healthy foods can be as tasty as popular unhealthy foods; you just need to know what options are out there!
Exercise is generally the best way to invest your mind because of its benefits to your function health. During exercise, your body releases endorphins which are chemicals that can trigger the feeling of positivity.
This is highly valuable for productivity and is great for avoiding negative thoughts, stress and depression in general.
Exercise can come in many forms. However, and it can be understandable to see that it may be difficult for people to get into certain routines, especially when it comes to the gym which can be highly chaotic, expensive and overwhelming.
You can click here to check out some amazing alternatives to exercise without going to the gym.
Regular exercise can improve physical health, boost mood, and reduce stress. In short, exercise can be seen as a way to counteract the side affects of unhealthy eating, laziness and negative thinking.
Many people see it as a way of taking a break from the stressful world and having fun or as a way of promoting motivation and encouragement in their lives towards a daily goals.
Whether it’s a sport such as swimming, cricket, football or basketball or a simple jog, run or cycle in the park, there can be a plethora of ways to approach exercise. Try to aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week and you will not regret it!
Adequate sleep is crucial for physical and mental health. In fact it has a considerable significant link to procrastination and productivity.
This is because low energy levels prevent you from the encouragement required to do any work.
A lack of sleep is also linked to a number of chronic diseases such as obesity, heart and kidney disease and high blood pressure all of which can also revolve around depression.
Metabolism can also be affected as not enough sleep can generally increase hunger due to the production of leptin and ghrelin hormones, all of which could potentially lead to obesity and weight-gain related symptoms.
So ask yourself, are you sleeping properly?
Generally, you should aim for 7-8 hours of sleep per night, and establish a consistent sleep routine. In doing so, you’ll have sufficient energy and concentration whenever you wake up.
Ever since technology and screens became a predominant part of our lives, it has become part of the question that is “What are some of the most critical concerns we face in the 21st century?”.
Phones, tablets, computers and videogames have impacted social life by becoming a major digital distraction for this generation and it’s a major reason for why people are not taking care of their health and mind.
This is why it’s better to reduce our Youtube screentime and focus on talking to the people around you!
Whether it’s talking to our family more, keeping in touch with your friends more often or even meeting new people, either through social events or meet-ups, simply interacting with people in the real-world can greatly minimise depression as we are not overwhelmed by stressful thoughts when we are alone.
It allows us to learn from people and get a glimpse of the real-world, whilst reducing our anxiety around people and can also help us to speak our mind.
This is because speaking to others can help us to sympathise and potentially relate to them, allowing for any negative or worrying thoughts to be freed.
In general, finding an opportunity to socialise can greatly improve your quality of life as Social connections and relationships can provide a sense of purpose and meaning in life.
So get off your phone, and work on your social life. There are even many tools and tips to help you become a more social individual, whether it’s books to help you socialise better or even the internet!
Being stressed out is something that can greatly impact your health. Stress can contribute to the development of mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression.
Chronic stress can also worsen existing mental health conditions as well as increase chances of heart diseases, diabetes and certain cancers.
With the very stressful world that we live in, stress can be very easy to accumulate in our minds, which is why it is important to focus on our mental health as much as possible.
There are many ways to manage your stress, and they are much easier to manage than you think. For example, time management can play a crucial role in our stress levels.
This is because not managing certain tasks throughout our day can cause us to worry and overthink about those tasks.
By performing certain tasks and things that we need to complete as early as we can or on a timetable, we are able to get those tasks out of our way and prevent us from having to think about doing them at the end of the day.
This is especially the case when it comes to homework, coursework and general schoolwork, which are major influences on teenager’s mental health.
Doing exercise is also an effective way to overcome stress through the release of endorphins. After exercise, we forget about certain overwhelming thoughts and feel accomplished and happy. This makes exercise a perfect cure for being stressed!
