Mind & Mood
Your mood and your mental health affect every aspect of your life, from how you feel about yourself to your relationships with others and your physical health. There's a strong link between good mental health and good physical health, and vice versa. In the other direction, depression and other mental health issues can contribute to digestive disorders, trouble sleeping, lack of energy, heart disease, and other health issues.
There are many ways to keep your mind and mood in optimal shape. Exercise, healthy eating, and stress reduction techniques like meditation or mindfulness can keep your brain — and your body — in tip-top shape.
When mood and mental health slip, doing something about it as early as possible can keep the change from getting worse or becoming permanent. Treating conditions like depression and anxiety improve quality of life. Learning to manage stress makes for more satisfying and productive days.
Mind & Mood Articles
The emotional side of grieving can affect the whole body and all organ systems, and maybe even the immune system. Grief is associated with stress; heart problems; depression; and depression-related symptoms such as insomnia, social withdrawal, and a loss of appetite. Though it may feel difficult, it’s important to maintain healthy habits during a period of grief, such as eating right and exercising. Social connections—seeing friends and family—are also crucial for good health, even when grieving.
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While antidepressants can relieve and control symptoms of mild or moderate depression, they are not the only option. Fortunately, many nondrug options are available to help manage depression symptoms and prevent future episodes, such as exercising regularly, avoiding unhealthy foods, expressing gratitude, and staying socially active.
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Omega-3 fatty acid supplements may help ease anxiety symptoms in people diagnosed with a range of physical and mental health problems. But additional research is needed to confirm this possible benefit.
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Older adults who struggle with regular daytime sleepiness were three times more likely to have beta-amyloid buildup in their brains, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s, compared with people who did not report daytime sleepiness.
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Evidence suggests that alcohol hangovers impair concentration, memory, and psychomotor speed. It’s unclear, however, if hangovers cause lasting brain damage.
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Occasional memory lapses are upsetting, but unfortunately are a natural part of aging. These changes can slow certain cognitive processes, which makes it more difficult at times to learn and recall new and existing information. These minor memory lapses are often not a sign of Alzheimer’s disease, and there are ways for older adults to sharpen their everyday memory to help retain just-learned information.
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Writing a letter of gratitude to someone can increase positive feelings for both the letter writer and recipient.
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Eating disorders can affect people at any age, not just teenagers.
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Ketamine is a treatment option for people with depression whose condition has not responded to other medications. Use of the drug, however, remains somewhat controversial, and not everyone is a candidate. Providers should conduct an assessment to determine if the medication is appropriate for the individual, and conduct monitoring and follow-up to ensure safety.
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Resistance training exercises aren’t just good for your body and your cardiovascular system. They might also boost mood, according to a new study. People who participated in resistance training between two or more days a week had fewer symptoms of depression than those who did not.
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