With a bit of intention, you can absolutely tend to your mental health — even with a demanding career, little to no childcare, and 1, other tasks…. Your brain and body can only handle overwork and overwhelm for so long.

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A Quiz for Teens Are You a Workaholic? How Well Do You Sleep? Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Mental Well-Being. Medically reviewed by Karin Gepp, PsyD — By Margarita Tartakovsky, MS on May 2, Get restful sleep.

Cut back on social media. Strengthen your relationships. Move your body on your own terms. Savor nutrient-rich foods. Know when to take it easy. Make time for rest. Get some sunshine. When to reach out. The bottom line. How we reviewed this article: Sources.

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May 2, Written By Margarita Tartakovsky, MS. Share this article. Whether with romantic partners, family, friends, neighbors, or others, social connections can influence our biology and well-being. NIH scientists study how physical illness, mental health conditions, caregiving, sleep, and stress impact your emotional health and well-being.

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You are here Home » Health Information. Health Information. Your Healthiest Self Emotional Wellness Toolkit En español. Build resilience. To build resilience: Develop healthy physical habits. Healthy eating, physical activity, and regular sleep can improve your physical and mental health.

Take time for yourself each day. Notice the good moments. Do something you enjoy. Look at problems from different angles. Think of challenging situations as growth opportunities.

Learn from your mistakes. Try to see the positive side of things. Practice gratitude. Take time to note things to be thankful for each day. Explore your beliefs about the meaning and purpose of life. Think about how to guide your life by the principles important to you.

Tap into social connections and community. Surround yourself with positive, healthy people. Ask for help when you need it. Read more Printable. Reduce stress. To help manage stress: Get enough sleep. Adults need 7 or more hours each night, school-age kids need 9—12, and teens need 8— Lots of other people feel just as uncomfortable about making new friends as you do—so be the one to break the ice.

Reconnect with an old friend, invite a coworker out for lunch, or ask a neighbor to join you for coffee. Get out from behind your TV or computer screen. Communication is a largely nonverbal experience that requires you to have direct contact with other people, so don't neglect your real-world relationships in favor of virtual interaction.

Be a joiner. Join networking, social, or special interest groups that meet on a regular basis. These groups offer wonderful opportunities for meeting people with common interests.

Don't be afraid to smile and say hello to strangers you cross paths with. Making a connection is beneficial to both of you—and you never know where it may lead! The mind and the body are intrinsically linked. When you improve your physical health, you'll automatically experience greater mental and emotional well-being.

Physical activity also releases endorphins, powerful chemicals that lift your mood and provide added energy. Regular exercise or activity can have a major impact on mental and emotional health problems , relieve stress, improve memory, and help you to sleep better.

Well, you're not alone. Pounding weights in a gym or jogging on a treadmill isn't everyone's idea of a great time. But you don't have to be a fitness fanatic to reap the benefits of being more active. Take a walk at lunchtime through a park, walk laps in an air-conditioned mall while window shopping, throw a Frisbee with a dog, dance to your favorite music, play activity-based video games with your kids, cycle or walk to an appointment rather than drive.

You don't have to exercise until you're soaked in sweat or every muscle aches. Even modest amounts of physical activity can make a big difference to your mental and emotional health—and it's something you can engage in right now to boost your energy and outlook and help you regain a sense of control.

Stress takes a heavy toll on mental and emotional health, so it's important to keep it under control. While not all stressors can be avoided, stress management strategies can help you brings things back into balance.

Talk to a friendly face. Face-to-face social interaction with someone who cares about you is the most effective way to calm your nervous system and relieve stress. Appeal to your senses. 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.

Take time to note things to be thankful for each day. Explore your beliefs about the meaning and purpose of life. Think about how to guide your life by the principles important to you. Tap into social connections and community. Surround yourself with positive, healthy people.

Ask for help when you need it. Read more Printable. Reduce stress. To help manage stress: Get enough sleep. Adults need 7 or more hours each night, school-age kids need 9—12, and teens need 8— Exercise regularly. Just 30 minutes a day of walking can boost mood and reduce stress. Build a social support network.

Set priorities. Decide what must get done and what can wait. Show compassion for yourself. Get quality sleep. To get better quality sleep: Go to bed the same time each night and wake up the same time each morning.

Sleep in a dark, quiet, comfortable environment. Exercise daily but not right before bedtime. Limit the use of electronics before bed. Relax before bedtime. Try a warm bath or reading. Avoid alcohol and large meals before bedtime. Avoid stimulants like nicotine and caffeine.

Don't take naps after mid-afternoon. Keep naps short. Try to get natural sunlight for at least 30 minutes a day. Consult a health care professional if you have ongoing sleep problems. Be mindful.

To be more mindful: Take some deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose to a count of 4, hold for 1 second and then exhale through the mouth to a count of 5. Repeat often.

Enjoy a stroll. As you walk, notice your breath and the sights and sounds around you. As thoughts and worries enter your mind, note them but then return to the present. Practice mindful eating. Be aware of taste, textures, and flavors in each bite, and listen to your body when you are hungry and full.

Be aware of your body. This stigma can limit opportunities, it can stand in the way of a new job, it can increase feelings of loneliness, and it can cause many other outcomes. Anyone with a mental health problem must know that it is not their fault and that it is OK to ask for help. Where Can I Go For Help?

If you are having an immediate mental health crisis, please click here to see a listing of mental health crisis lines and services available in Manitoba or contact the Youth Emergency Crisis Stabilization System at MacDonald Youth Services in Winnipeg.

Mental health services are provided by family doctors, mental health clinicians, psychiatrists, and other professionals. Start with your family doctor or school guidance counselor.

For more mental health services in your region, contact your local Regional Health Authority. Healthy Schools is a partnership of: Health Education and Early Childhood Learning Child and Youth Programs. Header Side Menu Content Footer Search. Printer Friendly Français Site Map Contact Government.

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Manitoba Healthy Schools. Mental Health Mental wellness or good mental health is feeling, thinking, and interacting in ways that help you enjoy life and deal effectively with difficult situations. Benefits of Mental Wellness What can YOU do to take care of your mental health?

What can FAMILY members do to promote mental wellness? What is Mental Health Literacy? Sources and Resources Benefits of Mental Wellness Mental wellness gives you a sense of self-worth dignity belonging problem-solving self-determination tolerance acceptance and respect for others so that you can realize your full potential understand and feel good about yourself relate to others and expand your social support networks experience pleasure and enjoyment handle stress assess challenges and problems set goals and follow interests explore choices and make decisions have power and control over your life develop good problem-solving and coping skills bounce back from negative experiences that everyone encounters Did you know?

Mental wellness is as important to overall well being as physical health, social and emotional connectedness, and intellectual accomplishment. study found that the specific traits associated with mental wellness at age 10 are significant indicators of employment and earnings at age 26 — as significant as academic ability.

Support from family and friends is important for positive mental and physical health. The National Canadian Mental Health Association has ten tips for good mental health: Build Confidence - Identify your abilities and weaknesses together, accept them, build on your abilities, and do the best with what you have.

Eat Right, Keep Fit - A balanced diet, exercise and rest can help you to reduce stress and enjoy life. Make Time for Family and Friends - Important relationships need to be nurtured. If taken for granted, these people may not be there to share life's joys and sorrows.

Give and Accept Support — Positive friends and healthy family relationships show their strength during difficult times. Create a Meaningful Budget - Financial problems cause stress. Over-spending on our "wants" instead of our "needs" is often the culprit. Volunteer - Being involved in community gives a special sense of purpose and satisfaction.

Manage Stress - We all have stress in our lives but learning how to deal with it when it threatens to overwhelm us helps to maintain our mental health.

Find Strength in Numbers - Sharing a problem with others who have had similar experiences may help you find a solution and will make you feel less isolated. Identify and Deal with Moods - We all need to find safe and constructive ways to express our feelings of anger, sadness, joy and fear.

Learn to Be at Peace with Yourself - Get to know who you are, what makes you really happy, and learn to balance what you can and cannot change about yourself. Help children to recognize and celebrate their strengths. Looking to boost your mood, handle your emotions better, or build resilience?

These six life-changing strategies for improving mental health and well-being can show you how. Your mental health influences how you think, feel, and behave in daily life. Being mentally or emotionally healthy is much more than being free of depression, anxiety, or other psychological issues.

Rather than the absence of mental illness, mental health refers to the presence of positive characteristics. Having solid mental health doesn't mean that you never go through bad times or experience emotional problems.

We all go through disappointments, loss, and change. And while these are normal parts of life, they can still cause sadness, anxiety, and stress. But just as physically healthy people are better able to bounce back from illness or injury, people with strong mental health are better able to bounce back from adversity, trauma, and stress.

This ability is called resilience. People who are emotionally and mentally resilient have the tools for coping with difficult situations and maintaining a positive outlook.

They remain focused, flexible, and productive, in bad times as well as good. Their resilience also makes them less afraid of new experiences or an uncertain future. Even when they don't immediately know how a problem will get resolved, they are hopeful that a solution will eventually be found. BetterHelp is an online therapy service that matches you to licensed, accredited therapists who can help with depression, anxiety, relationships, and more.

Take the assessment and get matched with a therapist in as little as 48 hours. Anyone can suffer from mental or emotional health problems—and over a lifetime most of us will. This year alone, about one in five of us will suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder.

Yet, despite how common mental health problems are, many of us make no effort to improve our situation. We ignore the emotional messages that tell us something is wrong and try toughing it out by distracting ourselves or self-medicating with alcohol, drugs, or self-destructive behaviors.

We bottle up our problems in the hope that others won't notice. We hope that our situation will eventually improve on its own. The good news is: you don't have to feel bad. There are practices you can adopt to elevate your mood, become more resilient, and enjoy life more. But just as it requires effort to build and maintain physical health, so it is with mental health.

We have to work harder these days to ensure strong mental health, simply because there are so many ways that life takes a toll on our emotional well-being.

This can stem from a variety of reasons, including:. In some societies, mental and emotional issues are seen as less legitimate than physical issues. They're seen as a sign of weakness or somehow as being our own fault.

In our fast-paced world, we're obsessed with seeking quick, simple answers to complex problems. We look for connection with others by compulsively checking social media instead of reaching out to people in the real world, for example.

Or to boost our mood and ease depression, we'd rather pop a pill rather tackle the underlying issues. Many people think that if they do seek help for mental and emotional problems, the only treatment options available are medication which comes with unwanted side effects or therapy which can be lengthy and expensive.

The truth is that, whatever your issues, there are steps you can take to improve the way you feel and experience greater mental and emotional well-being. And you can start today! No matter how much time you devote to improving your mental and emotional health, you will still need the company of others to feel and function at your best.

Humans are social creatures with emotional needs for relationships and positive connections to others. We're not meant to survive, let alone thrive, in isolation. Our social brains crave companionship—even when experience has made us shy and distrustful of others.

Phone calls and social networks have their place, but nothing can beat the stress-busting, mood-boosting power of quality face-to-face time with other people. A good listener will listen to the feelings behind your words, and won't interrupt, judge, or criticize you.

Reaching out is not a sign of weakness and it won't make you a burden to others. Most people are flattered if you trust them enough to confide in them. If you don't feel that you have anyone to turn to, there are good ways to build new friendships and improve your support network. In the meantime, there is still a great benefit to interacting face-to-face with acquaintances or people you encounter during the day, such as neighbors, people in the checkout line or on the bus, or the person serving you your morning coffee.

Make eye contact and exchange a smile, a friendly greeting, or small talk. Call a friend or loved one now and arrange to meet up. If you both lead busy lives, offer to run errands or exercise together. Try to make it a regular get-together. If you don't feel that you have anyone to call, reach out to acquaintances.

Lots of other people feel just as uncomfortable about making new friends as you do—so be the one to break the ice. Reconnect with an old friend, invite a coworker out for lunch, or ask a neighbor to join you for coffee.

Get out from behind your TV or computer screen. Communication is a largely nonverbal experience that requires you to have direct contact with other people, so don't neglect your real-world relationships in favor of virtual interaction.

Be a joiner. Join networking, social, or special interest groups that meet on a regular basis. These groups offer wonderful opportunities for meeting people with common interests.

Don't be afraid to smile and say hello to strangers you cross paths with. Making a connection is beneficial to both of you—and you never know where it may lead!

The mind and the body are intrinsically linked. When you improve your physical health, you'll automatically experience greater mental and emotional well-being. Physical activity also releases endorphins, powerful chemicals that lift your mood and provide added energy.

Regular exercise or activity can have a major impact on mental and emotional health problems , relieve stress, improve memory, and help you to sleep better.

Does listening to an uplifting song make you feel calm? Does squeezing a stress ball help you feel centred? What about taking a walk in nature and enjoying the sights and sounds of the trees? Everyone responds to sensory input a little differently, so experiment with healthy sensory inputs rather than unhealthy sensory inputs to find what works best for you.

Yoga, mindfulness, meditation and deep breathing can help reduce overall levels of stress. We can all be guilty of being "too busy" to take some downtime, but leisure time is a necessity for emotional and mental health.

Take some time to relax, contemplate, and pay attention to the positive things as you go about your day — even the small things.

Write them down if you can, because they can be easy to forget. Then reflect on them later if your mood is in need of a boost. Foods that may support your mood include beans, legumes e.

Dark chocolate has also been found to be potentially beneficial for mental health. For the best dietary and nutritional advice, talk to a registered dietician. It matters more than many people think. Sleep is our body and mind's best way to recharge and rejuvenate. One way to get sleep better is to take a break from the stimulation of screens — TV, phones, tablets or computers — in the hours before bedtime.

Consider reading or listening to relaxing music instead. This is different for everyone, but finding purpose in your day is a big factor to good mental health. You might try one of the following:.

It can even help in the treatment of addiction , and soothe pain. When we exercise, neurotransmitters are released in the brain that help reduce stress, relieve pain, and improve mood. All of this is linked to lower levels of anxiety, and positive mental health.

Not only that, but it leads to other good habits like a regulated appetite and better sleep, which naturally promote positive mental health over time. Why does that matter? Serotonin is the neurotransmitter linked to mood, pain, appetite, and sleep. AIm for unprocessed, fresh foods. For more information on how to eat for your mind and body, speak to a nutritionist.

Drugs and alcohol can significantly heighten symptoms of anxiety and depression , especially when used as a coping mechanism. It can be tough to bounce back from substance use and abuse, and time spent recovering is time away from promoting positive mental health.

Smartphone addiction is real. This can be a huge game-changer in controlling your attention, and taking back your precious time. Cutting back might seem difficult, but with the right boundaries it can become almost automatic.

Try turning off notifications for specific hours in the day, like for an hour after waking up or before going to sleep. Phone-free mornings and evenings will redirect the attention that would normally go to your phone, to other positive habits.

If completely turning off notifications seems drastic, start small, like experimenting with Do Not Disturb mode for 30 minutes at a time. Less time spent on your phone will give you more time to promote positive mental health in your life.

Goal-setting is great. But setting unrealistic ones is a fast-track to disappointment, unnecessary pressure, and stress. Remember to have a set of short-term and long-term goals. The short term ones will help you feel accomplished more often, boost self-confidence, and propel you towards the success you want down the line.

If you don't know where to get treatment, start by contacting your primary care provider. The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice.

Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health. How to Improve Mental Health Also called: Boost Emotional Wellness, Improve Emotional Health, Stay Positive. What is mental health?

Why is mental health important? Mental health is important because it can help you to: Cope with the stresses of life Be physically healthy Have good relationships Make meaningful contributions to your community Work productively Realize your full potential How can I improve my mental health?

There are many different things you can do to improve your mental health, including: Staying positive. It's important to try to have a positive outlook; some ways to do that include Finding balance between positive and negative emotions. Staying positive doesn't mean that you never feel negative emotions, such as sadness or anger.

You need to feel them so that you can move through difficult situations. They can help you to respond to a problem. But you don't want those emotions to take over.

For example, it's not helpful to keep thinking about bad things that happened in the past or worry too much about the future.

Trying to hold on to the positive emotions when you have them Taking a break from negative information. Know when to stop watching or reading the news. Use social media to reach out for support and feel connected to others but be careful.

Don't fall for rumors, get into arguments, or negatively compare your life to others. Practicing gratitude , which means being thankful for the good things in your life. It's helpful to do this every day, either by thinking about what you are grateful for or writing it down in a journal.

These can be big things, such as the support you have from loved ones, or little things, such as enjoying a nice meal. It's important to allow yourself a moment to enjoy that you had the positive experience.

Practicing gratitude can help you to see your life differently. For example, when you are stressed, you may not notice that there are also moments when you have some positive emotions.

Gratitude can help you to recognize them.