If you’re anything like me, the end of 2020 couldn’t come quickly enough!
It was a year like no other. The catastrophic Black Summer bushfires and COVID-19 pandemic challenged us as individuals and communities in unprecedented ways – and tested both our physical and mental health like never-before.
The ongoing anxiety, grief and loneliness can lead to a spiral of negativity that is hard to break out of. And while many people will not experience long-term impact, COVID-19 has the potential to contribute to or exacerbate mental ill health in the long-term.
That said, as challenging as 2020 was we can now look forward to a fresh start with new goals.
An opportunity to “reboot”
For many of us, a new year is an opportunity to create change. It is also an opportunity to re-assess our mental health needs and “reboot”.
So how can we approach 2021 and beyond with hope and optimism?
An important first step is identifying and addressing destructive habits. This can be difficult and confronting and, in some cases, may initially mean forcing ourselves out of our comfort zones and require us to do things that are hard – but that will gradually make us feel better.
Evidence-based methods for “rebooting”
Get moving
Exercise has long been associated with both better physical and mental health.
Exercise has been linked with better cognitive performance and improved cardiovascular health and reduced neurodegenerative disorders such as depression.
People who exercise also live longer! Even gentle exercise, such as walking for 30 minutes per day, can be beneficial for both physical and mental health. Consistency is also important, so make sure that you pick something that you actually enjoy doing so that you keep doing it!
Eat better
This one is a no-brainer! The better fuel we put into our bodies – the better we will feel.
But sometimes it can be difficult to make healthier choices – even though we may want to.
The evidence on this is clear though; food influences our mood.
If – like me – you find yourself reaching for something sweet mid-afternoon (hello donuts!), you’re certainly not alone! Many of us find ourselves sneaking in a cheeky “reward” or trying to boost our mood with food.
Unfortunately, while a quick sugar hit may be a good short-term fix, it can actually end up making us feel worse in the long-run.
Food can have a big impact on our day-to-day mood changes and overall well-being. So it’s really useful to understand what foods we should be eating to support better health and well-being.
Making changes can be challenging – so try to start small and look for simple swaps to improve your diet. Little positive changes add up to a healthier, happier you.
Keep connected
Feeling lonely and isolated is detrimental to both our physical and mental health.
Throughout the pandemic we heard the term “social distance” – however – we needed to stay “physically distanced” but remain socially connected.
A recent study showed that there was a negative relationship between isolation and emotional cognition during the COVID-19 pandemic – but this effect was smaller in those that stayed connected with others during lockdown.
Keeping connected socially is also associated with decreased risk of mortality as well as a range of illnesses. And connection is associated with positive feelings and increased activation in the brain’s reward system – so it actually makes us feel better!
So as we live through 2021, an important way to help “reboot” our mental health is to maintain our social connections with family and friends and expand your horizons by making some new connections!
Try something new
Our brains change during critical periods of development – but this change is also a lifelong process.
When we experience new things, such as trying something new or learning new skills, we can actually modify both brain function and structure – and ultimately feel better! So try something new – like taking up a musical instrument or learning a new language. Both of these activities have been associated with changing the structure of the human brain.
Get enough sleep!
Getting enough sleep is an essential part of living a healthy life. Yet many of us do not fully understand the relationship between sleep and good health.
When we are asleep our brain recharge and toxic waste by-products are removed, helping to maintain normal brain functioning and good overall health and well-being.
Sleep is also very important for maintaining cognitive and emotional function and reducing mental fatigue. Studies of sleep deprivation have demonstrated that not getting enough sleep can disrupt our emotional functioning.
Sleep has also been found to exert a strong regulatory influence on the immune system. If you have the optimal quantity and quality of sleep, you will find that you have more energy, better wellbeing and are able to develop your creativity and thinking.
We must change how we see mental health
As well as trying to implement these evidence-based methods for “rebooting” our mental health in 2021, we must also challenge the idea that only the ‘weak’ struggle with mental health, and that our mental health is something fixed and unchanging.
We CAN make changes!
We need to move on from framing mental health in binary terms – “good or bad”, “ill or well.”
Whether we are thinking about ourselves or others, the language we use when talking about mental health matters.
So here’s to a better, more mentally healthy 2021 for everyone!
Article first published in Associate Professor Erin Cotter-Smith’s regular column “Let’s Talk Mental Health” in the Australian Emergency Services Magazine, Vol 22, 2021.
