Lifestyle to Support Mental Health

Research suggests healthy lifestyle behaviors and habits promote mental health and wellness and can be used to both prevent and treat mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, bipolar spectrum disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, and psychotic disorders. These lifestyle behaviors are grouped into five general categories:

• Physical activity
• Nutrition
• Mind-body and mindfulness practices
• Restorative sleep
• Social connections 

 These practices require motivation and effort on the part of the individual. They can take many forms and be adapted in many ways. It is not all or nothing, individuals can approach the aspects that work and appeal to them and approaches can change over time.

In treating mental health conditions and working with mental health professionals, lifestyle interventions across these domains, such as daily movement or choosing nutritious foods to eat, can work to complement and augment the therapeutic benefit of medication, psychotherapy, and other treatments used to treat mental health conditions. These interventions can also be used to prevent mental illness and have even been shown to promote physical health.

A guiding principle is to develop small sustainable habits across various domains as you see fit, working with professionals to strategize, modify, and incorporate these habits into daily life to improve your mental wellness. In time, changes in one area of lifestyle can often contribute to improvements in other areas. For example, improved sleep and nutrition can contribe to energy for more physical activity.

Physical Activities

Physical activity impacts mental health. Exercise has consistently been shown to effectively reduce symptoms of depression and maintain well-being both as a primary treatment and in conjunction with medication or therapy. There is also evidence that exercise benefits individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Physical activity may also help prevent cognitive decline in older adults. More broadly, regular exercise positively impacts cognitive function and increases neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to change) which can enhance learning and adaptation. Physical activity can take many forms—walking, running, fitness classes, organized sports, etc. Much of the research has focused on the benefits of aerobic exercise and resistance training, such as weight training.

Exercise “snacks,” or brief episodes of exercise interspersed throughout the day, can be an easy way to incorporate daily movement into daily routines. This could involve a few minutes of climbing stairs or jumping jacks or pushups. Some people report using these brief exercise breaks every hour or so during sedentary tasks also helps with attention and concentration, which can give the added benefit of improved productivity