3 Mental Health Tips
Transcript
Introduction
I’m Dr. Dani Cabral. I’m the principal investigator at the IMA Phoenix Site.
Tip #1: Increase our connections with other people
I would say some healthy ways to improve mental health that any of us can do are to increase our connection to other people who we feel, hear us, see us and care about us. we tend to really be in our own heads more and more. And that makes us forget that there are other people out there that that do want to connect with us and how therapeutic that can be.
Tip #2: Get outside for a minimum of 5 minutes a day
And so I’d say connection, and then I’d say going outside 5 minutes a day intentionally and ideally doing it at the same time every day. So you make it a part of a routine which also has value. So there’s many benefits to that.
Tip #3: Prioritize Sleep
And then I would say the third thing is getting better sleep, figure out your specific ideal sleep window. So some of us are early birds, some of us are night owls, and we kind of know our rhythms and so we need to honor those. And there is no one size fits all. Some people only need 6 hours of sleep, some people need 8 hours of sleep. But you really need to figure out what works for you and really try to make that a part of your routine. And so within that, what it seems to be the most important thing is a really good fixed wake up time that that’s appropriate for you.
Next steps: Seek Professional Help
If you are noticing you’re having some persistent mental health concerns, such as feeling down and depressed, very anxious for an extended period of time where these things are impacting your life, your relationships, your job, the best thing you can do is talk to someone. And that’s probably going to be a family member or a close friend, someone that you trust and that you feel like you can be honest and open with. And then if some of these lifestyle approaches don’t work, then talk to a health care professional. And then, of course, if you really have real severe concerns call 911. You know, depending on how severe it is and get the help you need right away.
