Mental health is essential for leading a happy, healthy life. Our Mental health affects how we feel, think, and live our lives by encompassing our emotional, psychological, and sociological well-being. Prioritizing mental health is, of course, critical. At VitaminMe we observe the importance of looking after your mental health and remind you to take deep breaths and look after your mind, body, and soul.

Mind, body, and spirit

There is widespread stigma and discrimination towards those suffering from mental health conditions, and to make this situation worse, often those who suffer are unaware, and as a result, remain untreated.

It’s important to pay attention to your mind. Thinking about the things that stress us out often makes it harder to recharge.

If you’re facing everyday exhaustion, it might help to take some steps to recharge your personal battery. It’s important to look to nature and natural supplements and techniques to aid and assist in reducing stress and achieving a sense of calm. Learning how to counter stress is important as it can help improve your mood, reduce your health risks, and enhance your appreciation for everyday life.

One of the most powerful tools you can use to counteract stress is the relaxation response.

“The relaxation response” is the opposite of the stress response. The relaxation response changes a person’s physical and emotional responses to stress, this response can be obtained through a variety of ways, including the two-step technique, deep breathing, visualization, mindfulness meditation and natural supplementation.

• Two-step technique:

This technique is great to use whenever you feel stressed. This simple 2 step process will allow you to regain a sense of calm and inner peace.

Step 1. Choose a calming focus. Good examples of this are your breath, a sound (“om”), a short prayer, a positive word (such as “relax” or “peace”) or a phrase (“breathing in calm, breathing out tension”). Repeat this aloud or silently as you inhale or exhale.

Step 2. Let go and relax. Don’t worry about how you’re doing. When you notice your mind wandering, simply take a deep breath and return your attention to your focus.

• Deep breathing

This breathing technique takes just a few minutes and can also be done anywhere.

Deep breathing is a technique that induces relaxation, by slowing your heart rate down. When deep breathing is slow and focused, it can help reduce stress and anxiety. You can do this technique by sitting or lying down in a quiet, comfortable location. Start by observing your breath. Then take a normal breath, followed by a slow, deep breath. The air coming in through your nose should feel as though it moves downward into your lower belly. Let your abdomen expand fully. Then slowly exhale. Alternate between normal and deep breaths several times. Put one hand on your abdomen, just below your navel. Feel your hand rise about an inch each time you inhale and fall about an inch each time you exhale. Remember to relax your belly so that each time you inhale it expands fully.

(Try to practice this breathing technique for 15-20 minutes every day.)

• Visualization

Visualization, or guided imagery, is another great technique to reduce stress and promote holistic relaxation. This method doesn’t have a defined process to follow. However, something similar to the following steps is often recommended: Find a quiet place to sit and get comfortable. Clear your mind while taking deep, and then envision images you find relaxing. The images you choose should break the chain of everyday thought. Put yourself into the imaginary setting by asking yourself what you might see, hear, smell, and feel. If stressful thoughts intrude, observe them objectively, and then refocus on the image.

• Mindfulness meditation

Mindfulness is a type of meditation where you focus on being fully aware of what you’re sensing and feeling in the present moment, without interpretation or judgment. Mindfulness meditation teaches you to slow down racing thoughts, let go of negativity, and calm both your mind and body.

This relaxation technique is beneficial both physically and mentally. Some of the benefits of this technique are reduced anxiety, depression relapse, negative sentiments, and stress levels. Mindfulness meditation can also improve your attention span, sleep, positivity, and overall peace of mind.

During mindfulness meditation, you acknowledge distracting thoughts and sensations that may occur. Recognizing and accepting your feelings and thoughts opens the door to examining how they interact. Once you understand that, you can change negative patterns.

Lastly, another great way to promote relaxation and reduce stress is to ensure your body has the right balance of vitamins and minerals. VitaminMe’s Energy + Mood is a great natural formulation to enhance energy levels, increase serotonin production and improve productivity. Our Sleep + Anxiety is also another great formulation to improve the quality of sleep. Stress and sleep are closely linked. Stress adversely affects sleep quality and duration, while insufficient sleep can cause an increase in stress levels. Sleep + Anxiety helps reduce cortisol levels allowing your body to feel more relaxed, resulting in better sleep quality and duration. Explore more on how our Vitamin range can help you.

Nurturing a healthy outlook, reducing stress, and paying attention to the things that serve us, and eliminating the things that don’t is key to achieving a calm state of mind and a happy disposition.