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Does listening to an uplifting song make you feel calm? Or smelling ground coffee or a favorite scent? Or maybe squeezing a stress ball works quickly to make you feel centered? Everyone responds to sensory input a little differently , so start experimenting now to find what works best for you.

Once you discover how your nervous system responds to sensory input, you'll be able to quickly calm yourself no matter where or when stress hits. Make leisure time a priority. Partake in your favorite activities for no reason other than that they make you feel good.

Go to a funny movie, take a walk on the beach, listen to music, read a good book, or talk to a friend. Doing things just because they are fun is no indulgence. Play is an emotional and mental health necessity. Make time for contemplation and appreciation.

Think about the things you're grateful for. Mediate, pray, enjoy the sunset, or simply take a moment to pay attention to what is good, positive, and beautiful as you go about your day. Take up a relaxation practice. While sensory input can relieve stress in the moment, relaxation techniques can help reduce your overall levels of stress—although they're likely to take more time to learn effectively.

Yoga, mindfulness meditation, deep breathing, or progressive muscle relaxation can put the brakes on stress and bring your mind and body back into a state of balance. Understanding and accepting your emotions—especially those unpleasant ones many of us try to ignore—can make a huge difference in your ability to manage stress and balance your moods.

HelpGuide's free Emotional Intelligence Toolkit can show you how. Unless you've tried to change your diet in the past, you may not be aware how much of what you eat—and don't eat—affects the way you think and feel.

An unhealthy diet can take a toll on your brain and mood, disrupt your sleep, sap your energy, and weaken your immune system. Conversely, switching to a wholesome diet , low in sugar and rich in healthy fats, can give you more energy, improve your sleep and mood, and help you to look and feel your best.

People respond slightly differently to certain foods, depending on genetics and other health factors, so experiment with how the food you include in—or cut from—your diet changes the way you feel. If you lead a busy life, cutting back on sleep may seem like a smart move.

But when it comes to your mental health, getting enough sleep is a necessity, not a luxury. Skipping even a few hours here and there can take a toll on your mood, energy, mental sharpness, and ability to handle stress.

And over the long-term, chronic sleep loss can wreak havoc on your health and outlook. While adults should aim for seven to nine hours of quality sleep each night, it's often unrealistic to expect sleep to come the moment you lay down and close your eyes. Your brain needs time to unwind at the end of the day.

That means taking a break from the stimulation of screens—TV, phone, tablet, computer—in the two hours before bedtime, putting aside work, and postponing arguments, worrying, or brainstorming until the next day.

Everyone derives meaning and purpose in different ways that involve benefitting others, as well as yourself. You may think of it as a way to feel needed, feel good about yourself, a purpose that drives you on, or simply a reason to get out of bed in the morning. In biological terms, finding meaning and purpose is essential to brain health as it can help generate new cells and create new neural pathways in the brain.

It can also strengthen your immune system, alleviate pain, relieve stress, and keep you motivated to pursue the other steps to improve mental and emotional health. However you derive meaning and purpose in life, it's important to do it every day.

Engaging work that provides meaning to yourself and others. Partake in activities that challenge your creativity and make you feel productive, whether or not you get paid for them.

Some ideas are gardening, drawing, writing, playing an instrument, or building something in your workshop. Spending quality time where you give of yourself to people who matter to you, whether they're friends, grandkids, or elderly relatives, can support both your health and theirs, while also providing a sense of purpose.

Caring for a pet. Yes, pets are a responsibility, but caring for one makes you feel needed and loved. There's no love quite as unconditional as the love a pet can give.

Animals can also get you out of the house for exercise and expose you to new people and places. Just as we're hard-wired to be social, we're also hard-wired to give to others. The meaning and purpose derived from helping others or the community can enrich and expand your life—and make you happier.

There's no limit to the individual and group volunteer opportunities you can explore. Schools, churches, nonprofits, and charitable organizations of all sorts depend on volunteers for their survival.

Taking care of an aging parent, a handicapped spouse, or a child with a physical or mental illness is an act of kindness, love, and loyalty—and can be as rewarding and meaningful as it is challenging. If you've made consistent efforts to improve your mental and emotional health and still aren't functioning optimally at home, work, or in your relationships, it may be time to seek professional help.

Following these self-help steps will still benefit you, though. In fact, input from a caring professional can often help motivate us to take better care of ourselves.

The exercise prescription for depression, anxiety, stress, and more. What to do when you feel like a fraud at work, school, or in relationships. Your personality impacts your health, mood, and relationships. BetterHelp makes starting therapy easy.

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Return Aging Well. Return Handbook. Healthy Living Aging in Place Sleep Online Therapy. About Us Meet Our Team Our Story Jeanne Segal, Ph. Harvard Health Partnership Audio Meditations Newsletter. Understanding good mental health. Copy Link Link copied!

Download PDF. By Melinda Smith, M. Understanding good mental health How to boost your mental health Make social connection a priority—especially face-to-face Staying active is as good for the brain as it is for the body Learn how to keep your stress levels in check Eat a brain-healthy diet to support strong mental health Don't skimp on sleep—it matters more than you think Find purpose and meaning in life When to seek professional help.

Understanding good mental health Your mental health influences how you think, feel, and behave in daily life. People who are mentally healthy have: A sense of contentment. A zest for living and the ability to laugh and have fun. The ability to deal with stress and bounce back from adversity.

A sense of meaning and purpose, in both their activities and their relationships. The flexibility to learn new skills and adapt to change. A balance between work and play, rest and activity, etc. The ability to build and maintain fulfilling relationships. Self-confidence and high self-esteem.

The relationship between resilience and mental health Having solid mental health doesn't mean that you never go through bad times or experience emotional problems. Speak to a Licensed Therapist BetterHelp is an online therapy service that matches you to licensed, accredited therapists who can help with depression, anxiety, relationships, and more.

Take Assessment HelpGuide is user supported. Learn more. More Information References. Vaillant, G. Mental Health.

American Journal of Psychiatry, 8 , — Kandola, A. Individual and combined associations between cardiorespiratory fitness and grip strength with common mental disorders: A prospective cohort study in the UK Biobank.

BMC Medicine, 18 1 ,

volunteer at a local school, hospital or community group. Find out how to volunteer on the GOV. UK website. make the most of technology to stay in touch with friends and family.

Video-chat apps like Skype and FaceTime are useful, especially if you live far apart. do not rely on technology or social media alone to build relationships.

It's easy to get into the habit of only ever texting, messaging or emailing people. Being active is not only great for your physical health and fitness. Evidence also shows it can also improve your mental wellbeing by:. Read about exercise guidelines and workouts to help improve your fitness and wellbeing.

read about running and aerobic exercises to help get you moving and improve your fitness. read about strength and flexibility exercises to increase muscle strength, improve balance and reduce joint pain. if you're a wheelchair user, read fitness advice for wheelchair users.

do not feel you have to spend hours in a gym. It's best to find activities you enjoy and make them a part of your life. Research shows that learning new skills can also improve your mental wellbeing by:. Even if you feel like you do not have enough time, or you may not need to learn new things, there are lots of different ways to bring learning into your life.

try learning to cook something new. Find out about eating a healthy, balanced diet. try taking on a new responsibility at work, such as mentoring a junior staff member or improving your presentation skills. work on a DIY project, such as fixing a broken bike, garden gate or something bigger.

There are lots of free video tutorials online. consider signing up for a course at a local college. You could try learning a new language or a practical skill such as plumbing.

try new hobbies that challenge you, such as writing a blog, taking up a new sport or learning to paint. Home Young people Help yourself - 10 ways to boost your emotional wellbeing and mental health.

Help yourself - 10 ways to boost your emotional wellbeing and mental health. aspx Improving emotional wellbeing and mental health is often about spotting the warning signs that things feel like they are going downhill and trying out some things to balance life a little more.

Here are 10 things that young people and professionals have noticed can make a real difference. Food and mood Changes in blood sugar levels are linked to changes in mood and energy. Eating regularly maintains blood sugar levels. Not eating regularly can make you tired, irritable, anxious and cause poor concentration.

Good tips include eating breakfast, eating every hours, avoiding junk foods, eating plenty of fruit and veg and drinking lots of water. Keep active Physical activity helps release endorphins which can improve your mood.

When you feel low in mood you might stop doing the things that can improve your mood, almost without realising it. Making sure you do some physical exercise, even if you don't feel like it at first, can give you quick results in improving your mood.

Drink sensibly Alcohol can cause depressive feelings, heightened anxiety, or feeling out of control in a way that feels unpleasant. It can also increase risk taking behaviours, so you need to know what your reactions might be. Remember to make your own decisions about what is right for you and not to bend to peer pressure around drinking.

Express yourself Some people like to read to learn about the world, or escape into other worlds. Some people like to express their feelings through art, some like talking things through with others.

Whatever your style, make sure you do express yourself - it will help you to stay connected, to discover more about you, your identity, and the person that you want to become. Distract yourself When you are feeling immersed in a problem, let yourself switch off from it and go and do something completely different.

When you return to it at a different time it may seem more manageable. Distracting yourself is not a cop-out, but can be a reliable way to stop overthinking a problem when you are feeling stuck. Ask for help How would you feel if a friend asked for help, advice or just wanted to talk things through?

Many of us would be pleased to be chosen to confide in, it might make us feel valued. When you are feeling low in mood, or anxious, it is easy to think negatively about yourself and be less likely to seek support from others.

Try and beat this feeling and approach people that you trust to talk to. You may be surprised at how much better you might feel and how they have responded positively to you, as you would if the situation were reversed.

Learn to take time out and relax People have lots of different ways of relaxing or having downtime from the stresses of life. These can be the things that you stop doing when you start to feel low in mood, or stressed, as you forget to be kind to yourself.