The absence of mental illness does not equal mental health. Just as the lack of physical condition does not equal physical wellness.
Special attention to the growth of practices that improve mental health is necessary to reap the benefits of mental health. There’s, unfortunately, no magic wand, magic pill, or special potion that will move someone along the continuum of mental health.
Personal intention and consistent practice of daily interventions are vital to realizing the benefits. Consider your mental health like a piggy bank. We will inevitably have adverse interactions and experiences that deplete that bank. Those who consistently practice boosting mental health have a more extensive account in which they regularly deposit those dividends.
Being “north of neutral” doesn’t happen by accident. Let’s explore where you can see some of these benefits. Improving your mental health improves you and the world around you. The state of our mental health affects our relationships. Imagine the possibilities of realizing the benefits of positive mental health.
These science-based exercises will explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology, including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the well-being of your clients, students, or employees.
The Benefits of Mental Health
The benefits of intentionally practicing to improve mental health response to chronic stress are reported at epidemic levels worldwide. Chronic stress has been proven to deteriorate the hippocampus (McLaughlin, Gomez, Baran, & Conrad, 2007).
This stress also leads to decreased concentration and memory, confusion, loss of sense of humor, anger, irritability, and fear. Pressure is not suitable for the brain, and improved mental health practices can reduce the risk.
Other benefits of mental health include, but aren’t limited to:
- Anxiety reduction.
- Improved moods.
- Clearer thinking.
- A greater sense of calm or inner peace.
- Increased self-esteem.
- Reduced risk of depression.
- Improvements in relationships.
The development of practical coping skills has never been more necessitated in this ever-changing world. Rather than continuing to simply soldier on, focusing on thriving through adversity is where mental health benefits can be achieved. Improved mental health has been well documented with the introduction of improved levels of physical fitness.
The fitness industry has decades of research showing the benefits of taking special and intentional care of one’s body. The mental health concept is not necessarily new, but it certainly has more areas of growth in scientific research. This is likely because, historically, medicine has studied what was wrong so that it could be cured.
A more recent approach to physical and mental wellbeing has been prevention. Exercise is a preventative activity for both physical and psychological health. When you strengthen your body, there is less pain in aging. The same can be said for maintaining our mental health.
Benefits of mental health through physical fitness include, but aren’t limited to:
- Sharper memory.
- The clarity in thinking.
- Higher self-esteem.
- Better sleep.
- Increased energy.
- Stronger resilience.
- Increased BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor), which improves neurotransmission.
Counseling has, unfortunately, had a stigma attached. The medical model was developed to fix what was “broken.” People receiving counseling are not broken. Human beings are malleable and can rewire themselves. A professional counselor can help with this plasticity by allowing the release of painful or unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.
Potential Benefits of Counseling:
- Improvement in communication and interpersonal skills.
- Greater self-acceptance.
- Increased self-esteem.
- Improved self-expression and management of emotions.
- Relief from depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions.
- Clarity.
Coaching is another area where practitioners can increase the benefits of mental health. While coaching is not therapy, it can be very therapeutic. A trained coach can create growth areas that clear the way for massive personal improvement.
For more information, you can also read our post on the scientifically proven Benefits of Counseling.
Potential Benefits of Coaching:
- Learning acceptance and self-appreciation
- Improved connection with self and others
- Simplifying life
- Reduced stress
- Harmony and peace
- Increased self-awareness
- Reduction in isolation
- Improvements in relationships
- Improved communication
- Overcoming procrastination
- Gaining work and or life satisfaction
- Increased self-reliance
- Improved decision making
- Mindset shifts
- Increased self-worth
- Improved time management skills
A Look at the Research
Exercise may be one of the most underused treatments for improving mental health. Research has shown that patients suffering from depressive or anxiety-sensitive disorders benefit significantly from increased exercise interventions (Smits et al., 2008).
The Center for Disease Control recommends 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous activity to reduce the risk of premature death. Astonishingly, most of the population fails to meet the guidelines to improve their well-being.
The research has not determined which exercise is the most beneficial for mental health. Aerobic exercise strengthens the cardiovascular system but also releases serotonin to improve mood. However, weight training and mind spirit practices like yoga also show significant benefits.
Journaling is a powerful tool used as an intervention in many different areas of well-being. The benefits can be seen not only in mental but also in physical wellness. Research has shown improvement in breast cancer patient recovery through journaling.
Adolescent use of reflective journaling has shown increased self-efficacy, self-regulation, and self-motivation. Reflective journaling has also been used to benefit those working to overcome addiction.
Using a journal offers a space to release inner fears and stress as a reflective process. The reduction of stress and unwanted negative thoughts are benefits that are seen through consistent practice. Journaling has also been proven to improve critical thinking skills.
There is a limited amount of empirical research in the area of coaching. However, concerning men, coaching has had significant forward progress. Men seek help less actively than women (McKelley & Rochlen, 2007) but are more likely to seek coaching due to the reduced stigma attached. While coaching is not therapy, it can benefit participants with clarity, perspective shifts, and improvements to motivation in all areas of life.
Most Interesting Scientific Findings
A fascinating study on mice shows exercise benefits in reducing sensitivity to social defeat and stress (Lehmann, Weigel, Elkahloun, & Herkenham, 2017). The study found the structures of the brain that have reduced function when facing chronic social defeat. Like humans, mice are sensitive to social interactions. The stress from the defeating interactions alters parts of the brain and can show up in humans as anxiety or depression.
Interestingly, when the mice were introduced to regular exercise, their brains reacted less to the chronic social defeat and higher functionality in some brain regions. Chronic stress alters the brain. Exercise reduces sensitivity to that stress, allowing the brain to function correctly.
Another interesting study was done in Canada (Dwyer, Piquette, Buckle, & McCaslin, 2013), illustrating the benefits of journaling as a counseling tool for women overcoming a gambling addiction. Participants from this study were instructed on effective journaling practice and group counseling. Less relapse and improved growth in areas of overcoming thoughts around the habit were reported in the results.
A school intervention study (Zyromski, Bryant, & Gerler, 2009) found reflective journaling promoted increased academic achievement and reduced instances of violence. This research was a qualitative analysis of student intervention targeting attitudes, behaviors, and peer relationships.
Results found that kids participating in the reflective activities of an online intervention changed their perception of peer relationships to improve interactions and requests for assistance.
Research in coaching, especially with chronic medical patients, has shown benefits in improved mental health. Accountability is huge! We all get bogged down in day-to-day life. A coach helps keep things on track and improves communication between doctors and patients (Leveille et al., 2009). A reduction in chronic pain was reported in a study on the benefits of having a health coach when facing severe medical problems.
5 Things You Can Do To Realize These Benefits
Want to improve your mental health? Consider these approaches.
1. Move your body
If more people knew the benefits of exercise in avoiding neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, more people would be running to join a local gym. Exercise helps increase ROS (reactive oxygen species), decreasing the incidence of oxidative stress-related diseases (Deslandes et al., 2009). All illnesses have been linked to inflammation.
Regular exercise increases the body’s ability to reduce that inflammation, slowing the aging process.
Start small and grow your exercise practice slowly and consistently. Jumping in with excessive weight training or aerobic exercise can harm and lessen the willingness to continue the procedure. A slow, steady increase in levels of activity is highly recommended. Nobody becomes The Rock overnight.
2. Counseling
When thoughts and feelings interfere with your daily life, advice can be constructive. Navigating trauma, depression, anxiety, or other strains on mental health is complicated. Doing it alone makes it even more so. Reaching out for help from a professional doesn’t mean you’re weak; you’re ready to start getting more robust.
3. Coaching
People come to coaching for a variety of reasons. Coaches specialize their practices, just as counselors do, to best serve their clients. Seeking the services of a coach can help clients realize their power in their actions and generate motivation to move from A to B, while space is held by a trained professional.
4. Journaling
There are a million ways to start a journaling practice. Keeping track of thoughts, actions, and motivations can be very powerful when actively reflecting on personal change. It helps adults and children alike. It also shines a light on daily activities and whether one is honest with oneself.
5. 12 Intentional Activities
Engaging in the activities that come most naturally to a practitioner are specific ways to improve mental health. The benefits are outlined in The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubmorisky. The “how” is always an individual approach but is highly beneficial when intentionally focused.
- Savor life
- Nurture social relationships
- Express gratitude
- Commit to your goals
- Create coping strategies
- Practice acts of kindness
- Engage in flow experiences
- Cultivate optimism
- Practice spirituality
- Take care of your mind and body
- Learn to forgive
- Avoid over-thinking and social comparison
A Take-Home Message
The first step in realizing the benefits of mental health is recognizing the need for improvement. We all have work to do. No human (not even the Dalai Lama) can say that they have achieved perfection in mental health. All humans face adversity, yet our ability to handle that adversity can grow like a muscle.
The benefits of mental health far outweigh the effort it takes to begin practice for improvement. You can begin today by grabbing a friend to start a walking course or heading off to the store to pick out a notebook to start your journaling practice. We are all one decision away from the many benefits of mental health.
