Expert shares underrated habits that have the ‘highest return on investment’ on mental health

By adopting simple mental health promoting habits you can make a significant impact on your mental wellbeing in the long term,

By: Lifestyle Desk

New Delhi | April 17, 2023 10:50 AM IST

4 min read

Habits that aid mental wellbeing. (Pic source: Pixabay)

With growing awareness, people have realised the need to prioritise mental health and give it equal importance (perhaps even more in certain cases) as physical health. But you do not need to do any drastic things; adopting some simple yet impactful daily habits that promote mental well-being can make for a good start. Sharing some such habits, Nawal Mustafa, a cognitive neuroscientist, took to Instagram to share, “Taking care of your mental health does not have to be expensive or complicated. Here are some simple, yet underrated habits that can optimise your psychological health in the best way possible (i.e. with the highest ROI – Return on Investment)”.

Mustafa shared these habits as:

– Moving your body: 35 minutes of moderate cardio 3 times a week
– Having a good sleep routine: 7 to 9 hours a night
– Getting direct sunlight: 20 minutes right after waking up
– Journaling your thoughts: 15 minutes daily or whenever in distress
– Mindfulness meditation: 20 minutes twice daily
– Hydrating: Keep your brain and body hydrated with water. Coffee doesn’t count

Speaking with indianexpress.com, Bhasker Malu, Lecturer and Assistant Dean (Academic Affairs) at Jindal Institute of Behavioural Sciences said, “Habits that are tuned to aiding mental health are important. Everyday positive habits, in many ways, allow the brain to conserve energy as one doesn’t need to think about a particular task at length as it is already decided what they’re going to do. This also allows for more creativity in life and work among other benefits”.

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Malu also adviced having a routinised sleep schedule, including meditation, doing physical exercise, and journaling. “In the long run, these habits, if practised regularly, have shown to reduce anxiety, depression, and lift overall general wellbeing,” he said.

“Research has shown that individuals with these routines find that they can deal with complex tasks with more ease and originality. An added benefit is that with routines the brain changes and adapts, which results in changing perception for the individual. For instance, meditation is linked with the reduction in the size of the amgydala — the fear centre of the brain — leading to lowering anxiety,” he continued.

Journaling helps understand and accept our emotions and is linked to better psychological health. (Pic source: Pexels)

Why is it never too late to start?

But, even if you have not been practising these mental health-promoting habits, it is never too late to start. Malu explained, “The amazing thing about the brain and human body is that they are malleable. If we practice an activity or thought over and over again, it will learn to behave in that manner. So it’s never too late to start”.

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He added, “Recent research has shown that even our muscles are willing to be shaped in old age! So exercise isn’t out of the question either – no matter how old.”

Endorphins or happy hormones are released when we exercise. (Pic source: Pixabay)

Practice consistency

While it can be hard to get started and sustain an activity for a while, motivation can play a huge role. “The unfortunate and hard truth is that if you want to include habits that aid your mental health you’ll have to push yourself until they become regular habits. Then that will become the new normal,” concluded Malu.

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