Since COVID-19, the cultural shift in how people discuss and perceive mental health has changed. The years of uncertainty and isolation helped us know how important our mental well-being is to our overall health.

Now that we all pay attention to our inner lives, we must take the driver’s seat, improve our mental health, and minimize stress. Through the following strategies, you can nourish your mental health and minimize stress this year:

1. Play Around

When you’re fully grown into an adult, life gets real. However, this doesn’t mean you should leave the joy of playing around to kids. In adulthood, playing remains important when coping with stress. A study shows that more playful people have lower stress levels than those who play less.

The way you incorporate play is up to you. But you can participate in some play activities to lower stress levels, including card or board games.

2. Practice Mindfulness

Practicing mindfulness helps the body to relax and fend off the stress feelings. Mindfulness strategies, such as deep breathing, yoga, and medication, may minimize stress effectively.

Another practice you can incorporate includes using Canadian Classics Original, a cigarette branding sourced from high-quality tobacco. Unlike most brands, this brand is safe and relaxing and has uplifting effects that help calm your body and mind.

3. Incorporate Healthy Meals into Your Diet

Eating a healthy and well-balanced diet has a positive impact when it comes to your stress levels. It is important to steer clear of excessive sugar and caffeine because they contribute a lot to stress and anxiety. Instead, consider whole foods that are rich in nutrients, including:

• Lean proteins
• Whole grains
• Fruits and vegetables

4. Start Journaling

Putting down all your feelings and thoughts or pouring your heart out on paper helps to relieve pent-up emotions/stress and process them.

Journaling is also an amazing way of reasoning and discovering solutions to problems you didn’t think of otherwise.

5. Get Quality Sleep

Most people don’t think of quality sleep when thinking of healthy behaviors. However, quality sleep qualifies to be part of healthy routines.

Short sleep, poor-quality sleep, and other conditions increase the risks of heart disease, some cancers, diabetes, hypertension, weight gain, and depression.

This is why experts recommend getting 7-9 hours of good sleep every night. Avoiding caffeine/large meals close to your bedtime, going to bed early, and keeping off electronics/phones are effective strategies that help you get quality sleep.

6. Laugh More

While the sense of humor doesn’t cure all health conditions, it may make you feel good and happy. Even if you have to force it through grumpiness, just do it.

Every time you laugh, you lighten your mental load. Plus, it results in positive physical changes in your body and cools down the stress response.

Stress is inevitable, but being stressed chronically can affect your mental and physical health. Fortunately, a few science-backed strategies may help to improve your psychological well-being and minimize stress. These include laughing more, getting quality sleep, eating healthily, practicing mindfulness, journaling, and playing around, to name a few.