4 Mental Health Wellness Activities. As of late, mental wellness has been at the forefront as a surge of social media influencers highlight anxiety, stress, and depression brought on by creative burnout. In a recent study, it was found that 3.1 million young people between the ages of 12 and 17 have experienced at least one major depressive episode in the past year in the United States.

Close to 16 million US adults live with lingering depression while suicide is the 10^th leading cause of death. The consequences of a poor emotional state are deteriorated appetite, lack of concentration, irregular sleep patterns, and reduced auto-immune conditions. With such stats and adverse impacts, learning to cope with emotional issues before the onset of major signs occurs has become imperative.

The path to self-improvement in emotional health requires a considerable effort and with a plethora of interesting activities below, it is possible to gradually bring joy back into life.

 

Break the Monotony

All work and no play make Jack a dull boy – and science proves it. Regular exercise works just as well as anti-depressants on the brain. Adding outdoor physical activities to your daily routine exerts the body and concurrently heals the mind. Some interesting outdoor activities to combat stress are hiking, jogging, kayaking, swimming, and running.

Additionally, there are activities you can take up indoors, such as joining a gym or learning how to dance. If staying motivated is a challenge, use apps to track daily workouts, boost motivation, and stick to a routine. About 90 percent of users of health and fitness app users report improvements in motivation towards staying mentally, and emotionally healthy.

 

Mindful Meditation

For those with lower physical endurance, indulging in mindful meditation helps lower unsteady activity in the amygdala, creating better mental resistance to emotionally damaging content. Meditation is an effective method to envision negative stressors into positive feelings and its benefits include lowered blood pressure, reduced inflammatory chemicals like cytokines, steady breathing, and a decrease in depression. So sit back, focus; breathe deep and exhale.

 

Build a Skill

Hobbies occupy time otherwise wasted on negative thoughts. Investing time and effort in building creative skills you find fun can flow out triggering emotions, reducing stress-causing hormone cortisol and improving mental disposition. Activities like reading, painting, writing, gardening, knitting, singing, dancing and photography are some resourceful outlets to unwind your emotional buildup in a positive way. Recent trends in managing mental health are adult coloring books, which work similar to meditation in unplugging jarring thoughts and promoting a better psychosocial state.

 

Keep a Wellness Journal

Goals are not only an important word in Soccer, but they are also important in overhauling your emotional state too. Make wellness goals and a concise mental wellness plan that strategizes identifying triggers negatively impacting your health. Logging in a day-to-day planner is a holistic yet simple management tool to achieve wellness goals, control stress and manage behavior. Jotting down introspective thoughts daily in a journal or through the aid of clinically viable self-tracking apps tracks patterns will inspire change in the long run.

Although it may seem overwhelming at first, taking control of your mental health is as imperative as it is possible with gradual changes to your lifestyle.