5 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health This Year



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We all know that eating right and keeping fit is important, but here are some simple ways to also take care of your mental health in 2019.

Make time for cultural events

A survey published last month found that the elderly can reduce their chances of depression in old age by making regular trips to the cinema, theater or museums. After looking at 2,148 people over 50, the University College London team found that those who go out to events such as movies, plays or exhibits every few months have a 32% lower risk of developing depression. month or more with a 48 percent lower risk.

Eat raw vegetables

If you are struggling to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet this year, changing the way you eat them may be enough to give you a boost to health. A study of 422 participants aged 18 to 25 found that raw fruits and vegetables appeared to be more beneficial to mental health than cooked, canned, and processed choices and were associated with fewer depressive symptoms, a more positive mood, greater satisfaction with life and greater flowering, which is a feeling of being involved in your work and daily life and having a sense of purpose.

Complete your vitamin D

A recent Irish study found that adults over 50 with a low vitamin D level, defined as below 30 nanograms per milliliter (nmol / L), had a 75% higher risk of developing depression compared to those with a level sufficient above 50 nmol / l. Researchers suggest that increasing vitamin D levels with supplements or including foods rich in dietary vitamin D, such as fatty fish, eggs, fortified dairy products, calf liver and portobello mushrooms, can be an easy and inexpensive way to help prevent the development of depression. Lack of daylight, which is also a major source of vitamin D, has also been linked to an increased risk of depression.

Get your hearing checked

A study published earlier this year found that hearing loss as we age may be linked to an increased risk of depression. After looking at a group of adults over 50, the researchers found that those with mild hearing loss were almost twice as likely to have symptoms of depression than those with normal hearing, and those with severe hearing loss had four times more likely to have depressive symptoms. The team added that since hearing loss is easy to diagnose and treat, taking care of hearing can be a simple way to relieve or prevent depression.

Try to spend less time on your phone

A team of researchers at San Diego State University and the University of Georgia, USA, has conducted a number of studies on how increasing screen time is affecting our mental health by finding in one study that teens who spent more than seven hours a day on screens were twice as likely as those who spent only one hour because they were diagnosed with anxiety or depression, and in another that adolescents who spent more time in front of screens were less happy than those who spent more time engaging in activities outside the screen like sports and reading. However, to facilitate the deactivation of our phones, they do not suggest the total reduction of screen time, stating that limited use is the key to better mental health and greater happiness.

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