The topic of how to boost mental health has been swirling since the rise of social media. Whether talking about how to manifest your emotions or let go of things that don't serve us, we can all agree that mental health is essential to finding fulfillment in life.

The term "mental health" encompasses our emotional, social, and psychological well-being. Our mental health affects every aspect of our life, including how we sleep, interact with others, handle stress, and ultimately make life choices.

Several factors can contribute to our overall mental health and well-being, including past traumas, mental health pre-dispositions, genetics, social isolation, severe stress, and other life circumstances. Adverse mental health may manifest as anxiety disorders, mood disorders, psychotic disorders, or eating disorders.

How to Boost Mental Health Before and After Bariatric Surgery

Although bariatric surgery helps patients lose weight and regain their health, it does not fix the mental issues that existed before their surgery. Therefore, it is important to focus just as much on how to boost mental health as it is to focus on your physical health.

Meditation 

When we think about mental health, we often think about meditation and mindfulness practice. Meditation is considered a form of mind-body therapy that intends to create a deep state of relaxation. Mediation works to focus your attention on your breath while eliminating the thoughts and emotions that are crowding your mind and causing anxiety. 

Studies have found that meditation can reduce feelings of anxiety and depression in patients. Meditation lowers cortisol levels (aka the stress hormone), which helps you feel more relaxed and at ease. 

Meditation focuses on mindfulness, or the ability to control your emotions when faced with stressful situations. Meditation practice helps you gain a different, more positive perspective on stressful situations and equips you with the mental and emotional tools to help you better manage stress. Through meditation practice, you can increase self-awareness and tolerance of stress while eliminating negative emotions. 

There are several ways to practice meditation, including guided meditation, mindful meditation, mantra meditation, and yoga. All forms of meditation are beneficial in improving your mental health. 

Exercise 

Studies have found that regular physical activity can improve mental health by promoting relaxation, reducing anxiety, boosting energy, and improving self-esteem. By engaging in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise several times a week, you can positively transform your mood and outlook on life.  

When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, the "feel good" hormone. Endorphins can help relieve pain, reduce stress, lower anxiety, and improve your sense of well-being. Studies have reported that regular exercise reduces low self-esteem and social withdrawal. 

Similarly, exercise is linked to better sleep, which helps you manage your mood and have more mental clarity throughout your day. Regular physical activity can improve the ability to cope and the sense of emotional control during stressful situations. Exercise can also be an outlet for pent-up frustrations in your home or work life. 

Thirty minutes of moderate-intensity exercises, such as a brisk walk, is enough to get mental health benefits. Moreover, the 30 minutes do not need to be continuous; three 10-minute walks are equally valuable as one 30-minute walk.

Get Better Sleep 

Getting a good night’s rest is essential to achieving overall wellness and functions as a time for your body and brain to heal and repair. According to the Sleep Foundation, a restful night can improve mental and emotional health and lower the risk of depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. 

While you sleep, your body cycles through four stages known as non-REM and REM sleep. REM stands for rapid eye movement and is the time at night when your eyes move around quickly yet don’t send any visual information to the brain. REM is vital to stimulating your brain to help you learn and retain information.

During non-REM sleep, your muscles will relax, your blood pressure and breathing will lower, and you have the deepest sleep. Non-REM is the period in which your body and brain will repair themselves. The ability of the body to cycle through the stages of non-REM and REM sleep is vital for a restful night and overall health. 

Research has found that sleep-related brain activity directly correlates to your emotional and mental well-being. A lack of sleep can harm our brain’s positive emotional feedback. This can influence mood and emotional reactivity during wakeful hours and lead to mental health disorders. 

Eat Healthy 

There is a strong connection between nutrition and our mental health. The gastrointestinal tract houses billions of bacteria that influence the production of neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters are chemicals that deliver messages from the gut to the brain. 

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate your mood and sleep. With 95% of serotonin produced in the GI tract, it is understandable that your nutrition and mental health are directly correlated. 

An unhealthy diet causes inflammation in the gut, preventing the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin. On the contrary, proper nutrition promotes the growth of “good” bacteria that impacts the production of these neurotransmitters. When there is a positive production of these chemicals, your brain will receive messages, ultimately affecting your mental health. 

Similarly, eating healthy can also promote more energy and positive self-esteem. In general, a healthy diet is low in processed and sugary foods and focuses on the consumption of whole foods. 

Practice Gratitude

Gratitude practice is an observational practice that focuses on finding the positive in life situations. It is a mindful approach to acknowledging the good in our lives, small or large. The key to practicing gratitude is recognizing and appreciating what we have. 

Studies have indicated that a life full of gratitude can improve mental health by making us happier and fostering more emotionally mature relationships. Gratitude can also enhance self-esteem and your overall outlook on life. 

Expressing gratitude for all the blessings in your life can change the chemical make-up of your brain. Gratitude has been shown to boost dopamine and serotonin production, ultimately improving positive feelings of pleasure, happiness, and overall well-being. 

The more you practice gratitude, the stronger those neural pathways become, eventually strengthening your positive mentality and creating a more grateful approach to life.