TLC’s for Mental health and happiness! 9 AWESOME TIPS!
by Phil McNally
I am so EXCITED!! to share the following research on mental health with you!
Every week I share proven mental health and well-being boosters……this week I’ll share a brilliant new research paper endorsing 9 tips of the best ways to keep mentally healthy and happy. I’ve mentioned all of them previously.
Dr Roger Walsh MD has written a great paper describing TLCs (therapeutic lifestyle changes) as effective, inexpensive and often enjoyable ways, (with fewer side effects and complications than medications) to promote mental health and prevent/treat mental illness.
“Important TLCs include exercise, nutrition and diet, time in nature, relationships, recreation, relaxation and stress management, religious or spiritual involvement, and service to others,” Walsh said. According to research reviewed in the paper, the many often unrecognized TLC benefits include:
Exercise not only helps people feel better by reducing anxiety and depression. It can help children do better in school, improve cognitive performance in adults, reduce age-related memory loss in the elderly, and increase new neuron formation in the brain.
Diets rich in vegetables, fruits and fish may help school performance in children, maintain cognitive functions in adults, as well as reduce symptoms in affective and schizophrenic disorders.
Spending time in nature can promote cognitive functions and overall well-being.
Good relationships can reduce health risks ranging from the common cold to strokes as well as multiple mental illnesses, and can enhance psychological well-being dramatically.
Recreation and fun can reduce defensiveness and foster social skills.
Relaxation and stress management can treat a variety of anxiety, insomnia, and panic disorders.
Meditation has many benefits. It can improve empathy, sensitivity and emotional stability, reduce stress and burnout, and enhance cognitive function and even brain size.
Religious and spiritual involvement that focuses on love and forgiveness can reduce anxiety, depression and substance abuse, and foster well-being.
Contribution and service, or altruism, can enhance joy and generosity by producing a “helper’s high.” Altruism also benefits both physical and mental health, and perhaps even extends lifespan. In moderation -A major exception the paper notes is “caretaker burnout experienced by overwhelmed family members caring for a demented spouse or parent.”
This week: Spend more time on at least one proven TLC.
Have a happy LIFESTYLE week!
Keep positive!
Phil
Here is a great video of Dr Walsh presenting his findings, ideas, beliefs: Lifestyles and Mental Health
His website and free audio talks: Dr. Roger Walsh
PS Remember,
“Happy people have happy habits!”
Phil
© Phil McNally 2005-2011
– is a deeply personal issue that everyone decides for himself. Sometimes the price is high, sometimes low. But this is not very important for life. Life is an interesting thing. And the price on Viagra – too.
