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
Spending 20 to 30 minutes in an outdoor setting where people feel they are interacting with nature can lower stress hormone levels.
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Nonsurgical brain stimulation techniques use electrical current or magnets to stimulate the brain areas affected by depression. It’s thought that the changes in brain activity the treatments prompt help relieve symptoms of depression. A new study found that these treatments can be an effective alternative or additional therapy for people with medication-resistant severe depression.
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A study published online March 18, 2019, by Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that behavioral therapy is more effective than medication or neuromodulation for stress incontinence and urge incontinence.
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A single bout of moderate-intensity exercise can help improve memory, but in order for the effect to last, people need to exercise on a regular basis and at a similar intensity level.
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Soft skills people used during their earlier work career, such as making decisions, being a good listener, and having a positive attitude can help older adults with everyday memory tasks like following directions and solving problems. One way to improve soft skills is to practice the three Ms: mindfulness, meditation, and mantras. These can help strengthen the weaker parts of a person’s soft skills and help improve memory.
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Older adults who interacted more with people beyond their usual social circle of family and close friends were more likely to have higher levels of physical activity, greater positive moods, and fewer negative feelings.
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Listening to music can disrupt a person’s verbal working memory—the ability to remember information to complete a task—while silence or listening to normal background sounds has no effect.
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A booming number of meditation apps reflect growing interest in the technique, which research shows can help with a number of conditions, including anxiety, depression, and high blood pressure. But app quality may vary, so a dose of caution is warranted. People new to meditation may want to combine an app with a class to learn how to meditate effectively.
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People who are under stress often gain weight because of biological reactions, including an increase in the hormone cortisol. Taking steps to reduce stress can help people avoid weight gain. These might include getting a good night’s sleep, planning ahead during stressful times and seeking out help from your doctor or a specialist.
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Almost everyone has experienced being wronged by a person or group. Dwelling on those events and reliving them over and over can fill a person’s mind with negative thoughts. The REACH method can help a person practice forgiveness, thereby reducing levels of stress and anxiety and increasing self-esteem and feelings of optimism.
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