Think of something in your life you want to improve, and figure out what you can do to take a step in the right direction. Experiment with a new recipe, write a poem, paint or try a Pinterest project.

Creative expression and overall well-being are linked. Show some love to someone in your life. Close, quality, relationships are key for a happy, healthy life. Boost brainpower by treating yourself to a couple pieces of dark chocolate every few days. The flavonoids, caffeine, and theobromine in chocolate are thought to work together to improve alertness and mental skills.

If you have personal experience with mental illness or recovery, share on Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr with mentalillnessfeelslike. Check out what other people are saying here. Sometimes, we don't need to add new activities to get more pleasure.

We just need to soak up the joy in the ones we've already got. Trying to be optimistic doesn't mean ignoring the uglier sides of life. It just means focusing on the positive as much as possible.

Feeling anxious? Take a trip down memory lane and do some coloring for about 20 minutes to help you clear your mind.

Pick a design that's geometric and a little complicated for the best effect. Check out hundreds of free printable coloring pages here.

Take time to laugh. Hang out with a funny friend, watch a comedy or check out cute videos online. Laughter helps reduce anxiety. Go off the grid. Leave your smart phone at home for a day and disconnect from constant emails, alerts, and other interruptions.

Spend time doing something fun with someone face-to-face. Dance around while you do your housework. Not only will you get chores done, but dancing reduces levels of cortisol the stress hormone , and increases endorphins the body's "feel-good" chemicals.

Go ahead and yawn. Studies suggest that yawning helps cool the brain and improves alertness and mental efficiency. Relax in a warm bath once a week. Try adding Epsom salts to soothe aches and pains and help boost magnesium levels, which can be depleted by stress.

Has something been bothering you? Let it all out…on paper. Writing about upsetting experiences can reduce symptoms of depression. Spend some time with a furry friend.

make the most of technology to stay in touch with friends and family. Video-chat apps like Skype and FaceTime are useful, especially if you live far apart. do not rely on technology or social media alone to build relationships. It's easy to get into the habit of only ever texting, messaging or emailing people.

Being active is not only great for your physical health and fitness. Evidence also shows it can also improve your mental wellbeing by:. Read about exercise guidelines and workouts to help improve your fitness and wellbeing. read about running and aerobic exercises to help get you moving and improve your fitness.

read about strength and flexibility exercises to increase muscle strength, improve balance and reduce joint pain. if you're a wheelchair user, read fitness advice for wheelchair users. do not feel you have to spend hours in a gym.

It's best to find activities you enjoy and make them a part of your life. Research shows that learning new skills can also improve your mental wellbeing by:. Even if you feel like you do not have enough time, or you may not need to learn new things, there are lots of different ways to bring learning into your life.

try learning to cook something new. Find out about eating a healthy, balanced diet. try taking on a new responsibility at work, such as mentoring a junior staff member or improving your presentation skills.

work on a DIY project, such as fixing a broken bike, garden gate or something bigger. There are lots of free video tutorials online. consider signing up for a course at a local college. You could try learning a new language or a practical skill such as plumbing. try new hobbies that challenge you, such as writing a blog, taking up a new sport or learning to paint.

do not feel you have to learn new qualifications or sit exams if this does not interest you. Research suggests that acts of giving and kindness can help improve your mental wellbeing by:.

It could be small acts of kindness towards other people, or larger ones like volunteering in your local community.

Check out what other people are saying here. Sometimes, we don't need to add new activities to get more pleasure. We just need to soak up the joy in the ones we've already got.

Trying to be optimistic doesn't mean ignoring the uglier sides of life. It just means focusing on the positive as much as possible. Feeling anxious? Take a trip down memory lane and do some coloring for about 20 minutes to help you clear your mind.

Pick a design that's geometric and a little complicated for the best effect. Check out hundreds of free printable coloring pages here. Take time to laugh. Hang out with a funny friend, watch a comedy or check out cute videos online. Laughter helps reduce anxiety. Go off the grid. Leave your smart phone at home for a day and disconnect from constant emails, alerts, and other interruptions.

Spend time doing something fun with someone face-to-face. Dance around while you do your housework. Not only will you get chores done, but dancing reduces levels of cortisol the stress hormone , and increases endorphins the body's "feel-good" chemicals. Go ahead and yawn. Studies suggest that yawning helps cool the brain and improves alertness and mental efficiency.

Relax in a warm bath once a week. Try adding Epsom salts to soothe aches and pains and help boost magnesium levels, which can be depleted by stress. Has something been bothering you? Take it a step further and apply that screen-time break to social media- here are 9 reasons why.

Having trouble sleeping? Here are 10 tips to tackle insomnia. Getting enough vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids also promotes improved cognition and reduces the risk of depression and anxiety. Here are 40 healthy dinner recipes that are both flavorful and filling.

An added benefit is enjoying social connection, fun, and homing in on new physical skills in the process. Starting an exercise routine can be as simple as a morning or lunchtime walk.

Get moving with this free 30 minute cardio workout video! Studies have also shown that these practices can help lower blood pressure, improve sleep quality, and strengthen the immune system. Meditation can calm the mind with the simple steps of closing your eyes, sitting upright, and focusing on your breathing.

Try out the Headspace App for free guided meditation and mindfulness exercises. Research shows that laughter reduces stress, anxiety, isolation, and tension. Laughter improves mood, memory, creative thinking, and ability to cope with difficult situations.

Find some time to laugh today! Even when they don't immediately know how a problem will get resolved, they are hopeful that a solution will eventually be found. BetterHelp is an online therapy service that matches you to licensed, accredited therapists who can help with depression, anxiety, relationships, and more.

Take the assessment and get matched with a therapist in as little as 48 hours. Anyone can suffer from mental or emotional health problems—and over a lifetime most of us will. This year alone, about one in five of us will suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder. Yet, despite how common mental health problems are, many of us make no effort to improve our situation.

We ignore the emotional messages that tell us something is wrong and try toughing it out by distracting ourselves or self-medicating with alcohol, drugs, or self-destructive behaviors. We bottle up our problems in the hope that others won't notice.

We hope that our situation will eventually improve on its own. The good news is: you don't have to feel bad. There are practices you can adopt to elevate your mood, become more resilient, and enjoy life more.

But just as it requires effort to build and maintain physical health, so it is with mental health. We have to work harder these days to ensure strong mental health, simply because there are so many ways that life takes a toll on our emotional well-being.

This can stem from a variety of reasons, including:. In some societies, mental and emotional issues are seen as less legitimate than physical issues.

They're seen as a sign of weakness or somehow as being our own fault. In our fast-paced world, we're obsessed with seeking quick, simple answers to complex problems. We look for connection with others by compulsively checking social media instead of reaching out to people in the real world, for example.

Or to boost our mood and ease depression, we'd rather pop a pill rather tackle the underlying issues. Many people think that if they do seek help for mental and emotional problems, the only treatment options available are medication which comes with unwanted side effects or therapy which can be lengthy and expensive.

The truth is that, whatever your issues, there are steps you can take to improve the way you feel and experience greater mental and emotional well-being. And you can start today!

No matter how much time you devote to improving your mental and emotional health, you will still need the company of others to feel and function at your best. Humans are social creatures with emotional needs for relationships and positive connections to others.

We're not meant to survive, let alone thrive, in isolation. Our social brains crave companionship—even when experience has made us shy and distrustful of others. Phone calls and social networks have their place, but nothing can beat the stress-busting, mood-boosting power of quality face-to-face time with other people.

A good listener will listen to the feelings behind your words, and won't interrupt, judge, or criticize you. Reaching out is not a sign of weakness and it won't make you a burden to others. Most people are flattered if you trust them enough to confide in them. If you don't feel that you have anyone to turn to, there are good ways to build new friendships and improve your support network.

In the meantime, there is still a great benefit to interacting face-to-face with acquaintances or people you encounter during the day, such as neighbors, people in the checkout line or on the bus, or the person serving you your morning coffee.

Make eye contact and exchange a smile, a friendly greeting, or small talk. Call a friend or loved one now and arrange to meet up. If you both lead busy lives, offer to run errands or exercise together.

Try to make it a regular get-together. If you don't feel that you have anyone to call, reach out to acquaintances. Lots of other people feel just as uncomfortable about making new friends as you do—so be the one to break the ice. Reconnect with an old friend, invite a coworker out for lunch, or ask a neighbor to join you for coffee.

Get out from behind your TV or computer screen. Communication is a largely nonverbal experience that requires you to have direct contact with other people, so don't neglect your real-world relationships in favor of virtual interaction.

Be a joiner. Join networking, social, or special interest groups that meet on a regular basis. These groups offer wonderful opportunities for meeting people with common interests. Don't be afraid to smile and say hello to strangers you cross paths with. Making a connection is beneficial to both of you—and you never know where it may lead!

The mind and the body are intrinsically linked. When you improve your physical health, you'll automatically experience greater mental and emotional well-being. Physical activity also releases endorphins, powerful chemicals that lift your mood and provide added energy. Regular exercise or activity can have a major impact on mental and emotional health problems , relieve stress, improve memory, and help you to sleep better.

Well, you're not alone. Pounding weights in a gym or jogging on a treadmill isn't everyone's idea of a great time. But you don't have to be a fitness fanatic to reap the benefits of being more active. Take a walk at lunchtime through a park, walk laps in an air-conditioned mall while window shopping, throw a Frisbee with a dog, dance to your favorite music, play activity-based video games with your kids, cycle or walk to an appointment rather than drive.

You don't have to exercise until you're soaked in sweat or every muscle aches. Even modest amounts of physical activity can make a big difference to your mental and emotional health—and it's something you can engage in right now to boost your energy and outlook and help you regain a sense of control.

Stress takes a heavy toll on mental and emotional health, so it's important to keep it under control. While not all stressors can be avoided, stress management strategies can help you brings things back into balance.

Talk to a friendly face. Face-to-face social interaction with someone who cares about you is the most effective way to calm your nervous system and relieve stress. Appeal to your senses. Does listening to an uplifting song make you feel calm?

Or smelling ground coffee or a favorite scent?