I want to let you into a little secret about mental health…
Last year I was studying the chemical changes which occur within the brain when we experience stress, anxiety and low mood. During my studies, I discovered a little secret, that nobody really understands why anti-depressants work! There doesn’t appear to be much dispute that they do work but nobody is really sure why…
That being said, one of the best theories is that the higher levels of serotonin (the chemical which make us feel happy) created by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI Anti-Depressants) encourages the “neurogenesis” (regrowth of brain cells) mentioned in the previous post about stress. Now I am not suggesting that we all take anti-depressants to tide us over during this time (although if you need them then go for it, as they can be so helpful,) but there are some things which we can do to help naturally increase the serotonin in our brains. Serotonin is released into our brains when we experience positive interactions, activities and thoughts.
Positive Interaction: This is a little bit trickier than typical right now as our nation is on lockdown, but it is still really important. Yes, we should check in with our family and friends but the important part about the interactions helping us to release serotonin, is that they need to be positive. So, we need to make sure that we aren’t just contacting people with whom we feel a sense of duty but that we are also making sure we have good, fun, supportive interactions with humans that makes us feel great. Make calls, skype, email or just have a chat across the fence with your neighbours. (Please however do remember that positive interaction is really important for the vulnerable and elderly in our community so make sure that if you have the emotional energy spare you reach out.) Our local community has created an amazing volunteer group, and everyone is being so supportive it has become a really beacon of hope. If there isn’t one near you then perhaps you could start one? Whatever you decide to do please make sure you are engaging in positive interactions on a daily basis.
Positive Activities: We already talked about the importance of exercise in the previous post, but it is also important to plan and achieve other positive and pleasant activities within our day during the lockdown. Are there things we really enjoy but don’t often have the time for? Do we have old hobbies we have been neglecting? Or perhaps new hobbies we haven’t had he opportunity to try? For example, I have been toying the with the idea of learning to play Dungeons and Dragons for a long time and now is the perfect time to give it a go.
If you are like me then you may be struggling with feeling a bit useless and unproductive at this time. Especially if you can’t work from home or if you have been ill. You may be looking at the key workers and feeling that you can’t justify playing games or starting new hobbies when they are working so hard. Which is why I cannot stress enough that being a wee bit selfish right now and doing fun things is actually helpful to the whole country and it is doing your part. We have to stay home, and we have to take care of our mental well-being so please have fun!
Positive Thoughts: So here is a hard one! We are all going to be having some negative thoughts at points during this lockdown. It is perfectly natural and making ourselves think about positive things may be a little tricky. However, it is super important to maintaining good mental health. The Delai Lama teaches us that so often happiness comes from our attitude and our approach to events in our lives. If we live in a three bed home but compare ourselves to someone with a five bed a swimming pool we may feel poor and sad, but when we compare ourselves to someone say living in a tiny flat in a rough area, we may feel rich as kings. (I want to take a moment to acknowledge my privilege here which is something I am aware of and something I need to use for good. Many of us are super lucky just by virtue of being born and that gives us a huge advantage much of the time. I can’t advice or speak for those in minorities or pretend that I know how they feel but I can honour them, acknowledge their struggle and promise to always do my best to work towards equality.)
For now, yes we are in lockdown and it sucks so bad. However most of us are in homes with a roof over our heads, running water, heating, beds and food. Most of us are not homeless or trying to maintain social distancing within a refuge camp. Perhaps part of having positive thoughts can be about reminding ourselves what we do have and how lucky we are. Perhaps we can make lovely plans for the future to keep ourselves motivated on the difficult days. Maybe now is the time to start studying mindfulness and meditation. Whatever we decide to do, we need to keep out minds occupied, and we need to choose (where possible) to include positive thoughts into our day.
Quick recap: Nobody knows why antidepressants work; they increase levels of serotonin in the brain and it is thought that these higher levels encourage the brain to heal itself. Natural was of increasing serotonin are through positive interactions, activities and thoughts. We should try to engage in all of these to help maintain our mental health during this lockdown period. Even if we don’t feel like it… and it feels kind of like eating your greens as a kid. It’s important to your brains health so it is important to plan ways to include them all in your day.
Please share your positive interactions, activities and thoughts in the comments below.
Inspire Liberty 