From hectic schedules to demanding workloads, no one can escape daily stressors. Some people have realized how they can handle such stressors by taking rest days, but a mental health break may not be enough for others.
Mental health is the umbrella by which all forms of our well-being belong to. There’s psychological, emotional, and social well-being.
Our mental health is gauged by how we make our choices, how we feel, how we think, and how we act.
Thanks to the rise of mental health awareness days, people are now more careful than ever to take care of their mental health and consider others’ mental health.
As a society, we are slowly learning how to take care of ourselves both mentally and physically.
There’s no one-size-fits-all template for boosting one’s mental health. Some people find comfort in sharing their problems with a therapist. Others turn to herbs for relief, while several more may boost their mental health through fitness.
This article will lay out some ideas on how you can boost your mental health with fitness and supplements to help you stay sane despite this hectic world.
Boosting your mental health with fitness
Exercise has direct connections to boosting your mood, improving your sleeping patterns, and dealing with the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
It’s not all about muscles and flexibility when you’re exercising. Yes, it improves your physical health, figure, and your stamina. It can even improve your sex drive.
But people who exercise report that their mental health improved. This is because exercise can give you a sense of doing something right and productive.
The internal effects of exercise on your body include improving your memory and giving you more energy to continue with your day.
Regular exercise has been found to have a positive effect on patients who have been diagnosed with ADHD, depression, and anxiety.
There’s no need to adopt an intense workout routine. You can achieve the same effects by doing regular, modest amounts of exercise.
Physical fitness allows you to deal with mental health problems, particularly those centered around the way you view your body.
When you are under enormous amounts of stress, certain parts of your body tense up as if they are “carrying” the stress with the muscles.
This can lead to the following symptoms:
- Back and neck pain
- Diarrhea
- Frequent urination
- Heartburn
- Muscle cramps
- Palpitations
- Pounding headaches
- Stomachache
- Tightness of the chest
Stress creates a lot of discomfort for your body. Putting your body under enormous amounts of stress constantly can lead you to develop health conditions that put you at risk for a heart attack, aneurysm, and even a stroke.
Stress coupled with lack of physical activity brings in more health risks—both mental and physical.
Through exercise, you will be able to break this cycle. Exercise releases endorphins in the brain, which boost pleasure and reduce pain.
BELOW ARE SOME OF THE ADDITIONAL MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF EXERCISE:
- Resilience
Building resilience against everything life may decide to throw your way allows you to cope with healthy, non-destructive methods.
It allows you to avoid turning to drugs, alcohol, and other vices to “escape” your problems. Regular exercise also boosts your immune system so that your body is physically resilient during high-stress moments.
- Self-esteem and confidence boost
Consider exercise an investment in your mental and physical health. As it grows into a habit, you can start seeing your self-worth. This allows you to feel powerful and strong.
You are more confident in your appearance and your decision-making.
- High-quality sleep
Exercise can help in regulating sleep patterns. Short exercises to intense HIIT workouts early in the morning allow your body to start with the day.
If you prefer exercising at night closer to your bedtime, you can try gentler exercises like stretching and yoga to help you feel more relaxed.
- Increased cognitive function
Endorphins can also help you concentrate and improve your focus. The hormones sharpen your mind to make important decisions and focus on the work you should be doing.
Exercise also prevents mental declines related to one’s age by stimulating the growth of new brain cells.
Overall, you don’t even have to spend that much time on physical exercise to improve your mental health. You can start doing 5 to 10 minutes of physical exercises a couple of times a week.
Then, you can slowly drive it up to 15-to-30-minute increments, but it just depends on how much time you have.
As long as you have moderate physical activity, you should start feeling improved in your mental health through regular exercise.
Boosting your mental health with supplements
Improve your focus with herbs and other supplements
You may decide that you want to improve your focus on herbs. Not to worry, we’ve got you covered.
Even though you’re at the prime of your physical health, there’s nothing wrong with turning to a herbal mind power supplement to help you out.
So, here are a few herbs and supplements that can help boost your focus and concentration:
- Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is a herb that has been used since ancient times. Its effects are powerful and more focused on improving brain function.
The recommended dosage of ashwagandha is 600 mg to achieve the desired effects. Its effects include improving one’s memory, attention span, and information processing.
Users have also reported improved reaction time, as well as sleep quality. Research suggests ashwagandha could be a helpful herbal supplement for athletes.
- Ginseng
Ginseng is one of the most popular herbal supplements. A lot of people use it for its reputation as an energy booster and cognitive enhancement.
A lot of people in sports use ginseng because it improves mental performance. Human studies on Panax ginseng revealed that it greatly improved people’s physical performance who were both active and sedentary.
The recommended dosage of ginseng is 200 to 1,000 mg a day to achieve its beneficial effects, including mood improvement, energy levels, and concentration.
- Guarana
Guarana is often used in energy drinks as an ingredient because it has a lot of stimulating effects.
The recommended dosage for guarana is anywhere between 37.5 mg to 300 mg to achieve the desired effects. Users report a boost in attention span, alertness, and memory retention.
- Peppermint
Peppermint, in the form of essential oil, is a hybrid of spearmint and water mint. It is known to boost athletic performance, alertness, mood, and energy.
Although peppermint is generally safe, it should not be ingested without the advice of a healthcare provider.
- Rosemary
Rosemary, in the form of essential oils, greatly improves cognitive performance. The oils have compounds that enter the bloodstream and directly affect the brain.
It improves speed and accuracy in doing cognitive tasks. The recommended dosage for Rosemary is 250mL taken with water to get the desired effect.
- Sage
Although mostly known to be used in rituals to drive evil spirits away, sage improves cognitive function by improving memory, alertness, mood, and attention.
The use of sage as an essential oil allows it to enter the bloodstream and reach the brain, giving it more intense effects.
Improve your sex drive fast with herbs
- Basil and garlic
Basil helps stimulate the senses, while garlic can increase blood flow, helping men who have erectile dysfunction.
- Gingko Biloba
Another herb that could help improve the sex drive is ginkgo Biloba, and extract, made from the leaf of the Chinese ginkgo tree.
- Maca
Maca is a plant native to the Peruvian Central Andes and is known in South America to improve fertility. Taking 3 mg of maca per day improves a woman’s sex drive.
There are little to no known effects of maca, and its effects on the female libido are modest at the most.
- Korean red ginseng a.k.a. Panax ginseng
On top of being used as a herb to improve focus and concentration, Panax ginseng is just as effective in improving the sex drive in both men and women.
For women, using 3,000 mg per day can greatly improve sexual desire. For men suffering from erectile dysfunction, using 900 mg three times a day for at least eight weeks has been proven to have positive effects.
- Tribulus
Tribulus is a plant that improves desire, sensitivity, and lubrication in women.
Women who have not gone through menopause can take 7.5 mg a day to achieve the desired effects, while menopausal women can take a 750 mg Tribulus tablet per day.
CONCLUSION
One of the most effective ways to improve your focus and concentration is through living a healthy lifestyle. This includes eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and positively coping with emotions, like releasing stress through physical activity.
The use of herbal supplements allows brain function to improve temporarily. They are best used in short bursts when they are needed. Try Mind Power from Juiced Upp if you want to try a proven formula.
You can also mix and match some herbs to get the best effect possible. Herbs can improve your sex drive and improve your focus and concentration.
Use these herbs in moderation, and be wary of any allergic reactions to these herbs.
