How does positivity affect mental health UK?

I’ve once been at a place where I was my lowest and it greatly affected how I felt about myself, my confidence, and generally my mental health, so trust me when I say I understand that positivity is greatly important to your mental health. They are as important as eating, sleeping, and every other necessary thing we do that our body needs. Positive mental health and wellbeing allow you to function well, maintain meaningful social connections, have positive self-esteem, and cope better with life's ups and downs. Maintaining our mental health is an important aspect of our overall health and well-being. 

Here are a few pointers to help you maintain your mental health and well-being:

Spend time with friends, loved ones, and people you trust, talk about or express your feelings regularly, reduce alcohol consumption, avoid illicit drug use, stay active and eat well, learn new skills, and push your limits. 

Set realistic goals while relaxing and enjoying your hobbies. You should also know when to stop and Take a break and get enough sleep. Your body certainly needs all the rest it could get.

Let’s be honest, maintaining positive mental health in this age and time is not easy, but there are however some behaviours that could help, some of which includes: 

1. People suffering from anxiety or depression may benefit from relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, and mindfulness. Having a support network, whether through self-help groups or close friends and family, can also be critical to mental illness recovery.

2. Exercise has been shown to improve wellbeing while also alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety. A healthy diet, avoiding alcohol and other drugs, getting a good night's sleep, and visiting the doctor regularly can all contribute to better mental health. 

3. Spend time with friends, family, and people you can rely on. 

4. Talk about or express your emotions regularly. 

5. Cut back on alcohol consumption. 

Avoid using illegal drugs. 

6. learn new skills and push yourself to your limits. 

7. Take time to unwind and enjoy your hobbies.

While it may appear overrated or impossible, maintaining balance throughout our lives is essential to our overall well-being. Balance reduces stress, and we all know that stress has negative health effects and accounts for 75-90 per cent of all physician visits. Being in good health for the rest of your life entails making healthy choices and engaging in healthy behaviours. You are 100% responsible for your health. You can gain the knowledge and skills you need to manage your health for the rest of your life. That is why every single day, you should make choices that affect your health positively.

With everything that's changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, it's easy for kids and adults to get stuck on negative thoughts, such as how much they miss extended family, sports, or friends. With Thanksgiving and the winter holidays approaching, there could be additional challenges ahead. 

However, by learning to infuse a bit of positivity into difficult situations – a technique known as "positive reframing" – people can improve their mood even when things are difficult. We can "reframe" or change our thoughts. Our brains work extremely fast to help us think, but this means that we may not consider all of the facts in a given scenario. This is now where positive thinking comes into the light.

The impacts of positive thinking and optimism on health are currently being studied by researchers. Positive thinking has been linked to a variety of health advantages, including:

1. Increased life expectancy 

2. Lower depression rates 

3. Reduced levels of distress 

4. Resistance to the common cold is increased. 

5. Improvements in both psychological and physical well-being 

6. Improved cardiovascular health and a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease 

7. Improved coping abilities in times of adversity and stress 

It's unclear why people who think positively have these health benefits. According to one theory, having a positive attitude allows you to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the negative health effects of stress on your body.