background preloader

Mental Health

Facebook Twitter

Collection of articles that examine latest research, news and best practice around mental health and wellbeing.

How and Why Gardening Is a Natural Stress Reliever. Planting a beautiful garden can be a great way to relieve stress.

How and Why Gardening Is a Natural Stress Reliever

Whether you have a small patio to decorate or a vast amount of space to tend, the act of making your particular stretch of nature into a haven can be a stress reliever in itself, and the garden that you create can bring you even more peace. In one study, subjects were asked to perform a stressful task and then asked to either perform 30 minutes of gardening in their allotment gardens or 30 minutes of reading. While both groups experienced a decrease in stress, the gardeners experienced a significantly greater decline in stress (as measured by salivary cortisol, a stress hormone), as well as a full restoration of positive mood; the readers actually experienced a further decline in mood. We're certainly not knocking reading as a stress reliever. Sunlight. How to Calm TF Down in 5 Minutes.

We all have those moments- when it seems that everything that could go wrong is going wrong?

How to Calm TF Down in 5 Minutes

It’s in moments like that when the phrase ‘when it rains it pours’ really rings true. And being able to shake it off and figure it out seems a lot easier said than done, right? Don’t worry- I’ve got you covered. Whether you’re at home, in the office, in your car or on your way to get a work out in, finding quick and easy tips and tricks that help you find your zen is super important!

We all deal with stress differently, so being in tune with your body and your needs can make all the difference. First of all, I think we can all agree that having someone tell you to ‘calm down’ is possibly the worst way to actually get someone to calm down. Keep scrolling to learn how to calm TF down in 5 minutes or less! 1. Having a cup of tea is always super calming for me. 2.

If you google ‘breathing exercises for calming down’ you’ll find a ton! 3. 4. 5. How To Deal with Anxiety and Worry. The family of anxiety disorders include generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder and agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and post traumatic stress disorder.

How To Deal with Anxiety and Worry

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is the most common and is characterised by persistent, excessive worrying about everyday events and activities which the person finds difficult to control. While most people worry about everyday things such as family, work pressures, health, or money, worrying about these kinds of things does not typically get in the way of everyday functioning. However, people with GAD find that their worry is excessive (they worry more about a situation or scenario than others do or “blow things out of proportion”), difficult to control, and pervasive (the worry begins about a specific event but then extends to all similar or related events).

GAD often results in occupational, social, and physical impairment, as well as emotional distress.

Apps

The simple self-care practice that can help you make better decisions — Quartz. The average person makes about 35,000 decisions every day—from choosing an outfit to deciding which seat to take at a meeting.

The simple self-care practice that can help you make better decisions — Quartz

In fact, we make 200 judgments each day about food alone. But research shows that all that decision making can be mentally and physically draining. Although the idea of willpower as a finite resource is now contested in the field of psychology, it’s well documented that humans have a limited reserve of daily energy that’s dependent on adequate rest and sustenance. As these reservoirs are depleted, our ability to make sound judgments can deteriorate—whether that means buying on impulse, skipping the gym, or overreacting to a mild annoyance.

Case in point: Hungry judges rule differently. The trick to making better decisions, then, is to figure out how to manage your internal resources and acknowledge your limits. Take a break We often have a hard time acknowledging our limits. HungryAngryLonelyTired If you’re hungry: If you’re angry: Pictures: The MIND Diet That May Help Fight Alzheimer's. 1) (left to right) snyferok / Thinkstock, fotokris / Thinkstock 2) Tijana87 / Thinkstock 3) olgna / Thinkstock 4) ktasimarr / Thinkstock 5) SherSor / Thinkstock 6) Thomas Northcut / Thinkstock 7) Photology1971 / Thinkstock 8) (left to right) fotosr / Thinkstock, monkeybusinessimages / Thinkstock The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association: "MIND diet slows cognitive decline with aging.

Pictures: The MIND Diet That May Help Fight Alzheimer's

" NIH: "Brain foods: the effects of nutrients on brain function," "Berry fruit enhances beneficial signaling in the brain," "New brain diet slows mental decline," "Cognition: the new frontier for nuts and berries," "Grape juice, berries, and walnuts affect brain aging and behavior," "Dietary intake of berries and flavonoids in relation to cognitive decline," "Alcohol's Damaging Effects on the Brain.

" Rush University Medical Center: "Diet May Help Prevent Alzheimer's," "MIND Diet Repeatedly Ranked Among Best. "

Social and Therapeutic Horticulture - STH

Dementia and Memory Loss. Children and Young People - Mental health. Depression. Loneliness. Autism.