(Burnout Syndrome) Should I try some photosynthesis? 4 good habits for mental health.

If you live a hard life, there will come a time when burnout strikes. It can even lead to depression, anxiety, and mental health risks. To avoid this, it's important to establish a "healthy routine" in your daily life. Based on data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Health Insurance Service, we'll explore four good behaviors for maintaining mental health.

 

Enjoying outdoor activities in the sun

 

It's a good idea to regularly engage in outdoor activities, such as walking. For example, if you're feeling severely depressed, lethargic, anxious, or fatigued, you might not want to go outside. However, staying indoors can only exacerbate these symptoms. Sunlight activates melatonin, a sleep hormone, which can help alleviate insomnia, so even 15 to 20 minutes of sunlight exposure is recommended.

 

Meditation focused on the 'here and now'

 

Meditation is effective in managing mood disorders like depression. It's a practice that helps maintain composure in stressful situations. Forget about your posture, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing. Begin breathing three times at a comfortable pace, noticing where the breath enters your body as you inhale. After each breath, continue observing your breathing. Focus on your breathing for one to three minutes, as time permits.

Doing my favorite hobby

 

Hobbies, which energize us, are like friends. They provide comfort during difficult or depressing times, and they give us the strength to take on new challenges. Hobbies are particularly beneficial for mental health, and the brain's role in experiencing pleasure is linked to the "pleasure center." If you derive special satisfaction from a hobby, that pleasant memory passes through the brain's pleasure center and is stored in the "reward center." The dopamine released during enjoyable activities directly stimulates the reward center, helping to create feelings of pleasure.

 

Regular exercise

 

Improving mental health doesn't always require intense exercise. Even light exercise can help alleviate depression. Even light stretching at work or at home can help lift your mood. A study published in Neuroscience and Biobehavioural Reviews, the official journal of the International Society for Behavioral and Neuroscience, found that mild to moderate exercise is associated with a reduced risk of depression. While high-intensity exercise didn't lower the risk of depression, moderate physical activity, such as gardening, golf, and walking, also showed a reduction. Specifically, the risk of developing severe mental illness, including psychosis and schizophrenia, was found to be reduced by approximately 27%.

 

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Get some sun while doing outdoor activities.

It's not just about vitamin D.

 

It also helps a lot with burnout.