■ Eat a balanced and varied diet

To support your mental health, focus on consuming a variety of vegetables, fruits, grains — including whole grains — healthy fats, legumes, nuts, seeds and lean protein sources. For more information, refer to the “Nourish Your Brain” module and handouts.

■ Have a healthy gut microbiome

• Our gut microbiome is the combination of trillions of bacteria, viruses and fungi that live in the human gut (stomach, small intestine and large intestine). To properly digest food, we need a variety and abundance of “good” bacteria in our gut, which is impacted by the food choices that we make every day.
• To support a healthy gut microbiome, consume a diet rich in fiber, prebiotics and probiotics. Probiotics are live bacteria and yeast that help with digestion. Prebiotics are nutrients found in nondigestible fiber that are used as food (fermented) for gut bacteria.
  • Reliable sources of fiber: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and beans.
  • Prebiotics: found in legumes, fruits (e.g., apples and peaches) and vegetables (e.g., garlic and onions).
  • Probiotics: found in fermented foods such as yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut and pickles.
• Note: the canning process kills the healthy probiotics in food, so buy pickles and sauerkraut from the refrigerator section that contains the “live” healthy probiotics.
• Behaviors that can hinder the variety and abundance of our gut microbes:
  • The use of antibiotics not only kills the “bad” bacteria making us sick, but also the “good” bacteria in our gut.
  • Diets rich in refined sugar and saturated fats promote inflammation in the body. Prolonged inflammation negatively impacts our overall health.
  • Stress can cause changes to our speed of digestion due to an increase in hormones, leading to constipation, diarrhea, bloating or increased gas.

■ Vitamins in my diet that may impact mental health

■ Be physically active

Aim for 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week to maintain a healthy body weight. Exercise outside to reap the benefits of both movement and receiving vitamin D from the action of sun on our skin. Physical activity also promotes regular bowel movements, thus positively impacting our gut microbiome.

■ Manage stress

• Breathing techniques
  • Use breathing exercises to help calm and ground yourself when you start to feel anxious or stressed.
  • 4-7-8 Breathing
    Inhale through your nose for four seconds, hold for seven seconds and then exhale through your mouth for eight counts.
  • Physiological Sigh
    Take one quick, deep inhale through your nose, then a quick, shorter one followed by a single long exhale out through your mouth.
• Paired Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
  • A PMR is conducted by consciously tensing or squeezing your muscles together on an inhale, then consciously relaxing those muscles on an exhale.
• Self-care
  • Aftercare plans are designed to plan ahead for what “future you” may need to relax, recharge and destress after an event or gathering.
  • For more information about the importance of sleep, refer to the “Nourish Your Body with Sleep” module and handouts
  • Buy your favorite bubble bath for a relaxing bath when you get home.
• Other stress management techniques can include practicing a hobby, such as coloring, crocheting or golfing, and performing an activity that requires brain power, such as sudoku, crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles.

■ Change your mindset

Work on changing negative thoughts into positive thinking. Spend time each day thinking about what you are thankful for and what you DO have the power to change. This can be done by changing thoughts of “I have to…” into “I get to…” or thinking of a daily positive mantra such as “make the best of today.”