Mental Health Secrets

A Good Diet
Unhealthful dietary practices impair the brain’s emotional circuitry—during development as well as in maturity.. Opt for a diet that emphasizes low-sodium, nutrient-dense whole plant foods (fruits, whole grains, vegetables, nuts, and seeds) and limits or eliminates animal products and added fat.

Avoid Addictive Substances
Alcohol and addictive drugs cause permanent brain imbalance favoring the lower emotional centers.

Avoid caffeine, it dehydrates you, triggers anxiety, and causes trouble sleeping. Your body needs to be hydrated with water and needs good sleep in order to be healthy, both physically and mentally.

To next "secrets" will show why an intemperate use of media is so dangerous: it keeps you from getting exercise and building healthy relationships.

Exercise
Exercise is linked to decreased stress levels and enhanced emotional health (including less depression and anxiety). It also increases the levels of a powerful emotional, health-enhancing hormone called oxytocin.

Also be sure to get fresh air and sunshine

Careful Music Selection
Depending on the type of music, either positive or negative emotions can be stimulated. Direct measurements of limbic structures reveal that music such as harmonious piano selections can evoke pleasant emotions, while dissonant music can trigger negative emotions.

Be Careful What You Watch
If we’re interested in optimal emotional health, we’ll exercise serious restraint in what we choose to watch.

Quality Time With Family and Friends
Strong family connections are powerful predictors of enhanced emotional health. Connections are weakened if the time is spent using media. Go places and do things that are fun, interesting, and fulfilling.

Have Trusting Relationships
This trust aids in the control of anxiety, increases oxytocin, which improves a host of interpersonal dimensions—all of which tend to bolster our emotional state. The next "secret" after "horizontal" trust in others is especially powerful: a "vertical" trust in God.

Trust in God
We develop trust in God by testing His promises in the Bible and experiencing His faithful leading in our lives. Take some time to read God's Word. You might be surprised to find a God who is far more trustworthy than many humans are—even those who claim to follow Him. Along with that discovery, you may realize your emotions are coming under better control.