Health & Fitness

Ways to Naturally Elevate Your Mental Health in 2021

In order to avoid negative side effects, it is best to stick with natural ways of elevating your mental health. Here are a few of the best.

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There is no shame in admitting that you could use a little mental help. At the same time, many people are suspicious of established psychiatry/psychology practices. There are good reasons behind some of these suspicions, as mental health professionals will often prescribe dangerous mood-altering drugs. In order to avoid negative side effects, it is best to stick with natural ways of elevating your mental health. Here are a few of the best.

1. Meditation

This is an old method that is often connected to religious practices. However, you don’t necessarily have to practice any particular religion to enjoy the benefits of meditation. That being said, the Buddhist and Hindu faiths seem to have developed this tool a lot more than others. As such, their writings are a great source for meditation techniques and ideas. In many ways, meditation comes down to a combination of mental focus and rhythmic breathing.

Because meditation works at a deep mental level, it has the potential to help with many personal problems. For instance, there was a study that attempted to quantify and measure the benefits of meditation. While it is inherently difficult to measure such things, they noticed that substance usage (i.e., drugs and alcohol) decreased among the test subjects. It also had a noticeable benefit for those suffering from muscle and joint problems. This latter benefit is probably derived from the relaxing nature of the meditative state.

2. Get A Little Exercise

It seems like “get more exercise” is a piece of catch-all medical advice. Exercise helps with so many things that it is almost a universal remedy. However, there is a specific reason that we mention exercising in the context of mental health. You see, exercise causes your body to release certain hormones called “endorphins.” These chemicals tend to make you feel good, which can only help your mental state.

The brain also tends to release endorphins when performing pleasurable activities. In fact, they use some of the same receptors that are used by opiate drugs. Of course, the effect of endorphins is not the same as that of opiate drugs (which is a very good thing!). Still, they both activate the “pleasure centers” of the brain. The difference is that exercise allows you to get a milder, more natural euphoria with no negative side effects.

3. A CBD Supplement

CBD (Cannabidiol) is a natural substance derived from the Cannabis plant. However, it does not have any of the intoxicating effects for which that plant is known. CBD simply acts as a mild relaxant and mood elevation agent. If you’re going to take a substance to help with your mental health, broad spectrum CBD oil is your best choice. It’s best to use broad-spectrum oil because it contains other substances from the Cannabis plant as well. These cannabinoid substances are meant to work together and they are known to work better in unison. This is sometimes referred to as the “entourage effect.”

4. Socialize A Little Bit More

Whether we like to admit it or not, human beings are inherently social animals. We need to interact with our own kind, just as all other pack animals do. Thus, your mental woes could be a simple problem of isolation. Being alone for too long will make anyone start to question their sanity. It is worth noting that prolonged isolation has been used as a method of torture. It has literally been proven to drive people insane. One of the best methods is to seek out a group that shares your interests. That way, you will already have something in common with every member of the group.

Conclusion

There is simply no need to waste your time with unnatural solutions when so many natural ones exist. If you find that you are unhappy, it is probably an issue with your lifestyle. While all of the above methods will help you to deal with the problem, we encourage you to always seek and address the root of your problem. In most cases, unhappiness is just the universe’s way of telling us that something needs to change.

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