Picture this: Your mental health hasn’t been the best the past few weeks. You have no energy and resort to fast, pre-packaged foods for convenience and short happiness bursts. In return, you feel worse and feel stuck in what seems like a never-ending time warp. People perceive you as lazy, but you’re struggling to keep it together.
The Stigma of Mental Health
When we think of mental health, we normally do not associate it with the health of our body. You head to the doctor when you’re feeling under the weather and typically go home to rest and recover. Meanwhile, when your mental health declines, you push it off resulting in spiraling issues and thoughts. It’s even common to experience physical illness if you suffer from depression such as being more susceptible to attracting a virus, excessive fatigue or migraines. It can increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Your brain is an organ controlling many areas that regulate your body. So why don’t we take care of our brain like we do our body?
The Science Behind Depression
When you enter a state of depression, basic care can feel unattainable. This is due to a frontal lobe dysfunction. Symptoms can include attention difficulty, lack of emotional control, loss of memory and critical thinking. The thing is our brains are quite adaptable and will achieve a healthy level again once shown the opportunity to do so. Starting off small is the key.
Let’s Get Physical
This is where physical health comes in, and we don’t necessarily mean going for a run. Diet plays an important role in depression and how we react to certain situations. When experiencing depression, it’s common to experience extreme eating tendencies, like binging sugary comfort foods or not having an appetite at all. These extremes may make you feel even worse. This can be due to your brain producing less of a chemical that aids in memory formation called brain-derived neurotrophic factor or BDNF. It also contributes to why getting out of a depressive episode may seem harder than it looks.
How Can I Reduce Triggering Stressors? Easy Does It.
Simplicity is key. Having healthy foods like fruits and veggies on hand will make it easier to reach for when your mind and body won’t allow you to exert extra energy. Our Natural Recovery Greens supplement helps keep these tasks simple while being able to drink a guilt free smoothie. With our specialized blend of herbs, fruits and veggies, NRG may be your new routine best friend.
Think of mental health like going to the gym. You go each day and don’t see much progress right away, but you stick it out because you have a goal. Over time, your hard work and the results you’ve been waiting for start to show. The same goes for your brain. Each day you find one small way to improve. Gradually, your brain will adapt to new, healthy levels.
Help Is Healthy
As we know, there will be inevitable bumps in the road, but they don’t have to hinder your progress. Asking for help from close family or friends can help get you out of a rut. Resources outside of your circle may also benefit you in more ways than one. Routine visits with a mental health therapist or even journaling may help to analyze your situation better. Overall, mental health is challenging, but it is never impossible. Making small changes each day will eventually have you blossoming with a new perspective.