Practical Steps to Support Mental Health

Do you know?

Dealing with mental health problems can be demanding and challenging because of lack of awareness and knowledge. It can be overwhelming when you decide to calm down but are not able to do so and slowly start worrying about yourself and your problem. Luckily, there are methods which can pull you out of your misery quickly without any side effect on your body. Let me take you through those.

(This blog is not sponsored by anyone so, everything that I am listing is based on my own experience and research. Also note that I do not have any prior education in biology, medicine, or therapy. All facts and knowledge provided in this blog are extracted from earlier research articles, books on psychology and my personal experience).

Quick Methods:

I know that you are here to quickly relieve your mental problem. If you have read my earlier blog, you may be aware about my mental health problem and how I was able to bring it under control. If you have not yet read it, kindly go to this blog and check it out!

Some takeaways which helped me alleviate my symptoms while being in the state of anxiety and reducing the scenario of a full-blown panic attack are listed below. I know this will help you too (let me know in the comments section if this was helpful for you).

Being skeptical about anything is a part of human thinking so, do not hesitate to conduct your own research to find out if these methods are useful. Do not worry, I have also included references to a few research papers from famous journals wherein researchers have performed thorough research to understand the benefits of the following methods on various psychological problems. (P.S. Whether you believe in these methods or not, they will definitely work).

1. AUM Chanting

“AUM” chanting or “OM” chanting is a yogic method of creating sound vibrations within our body and observing the places where the vibrations occur as we go from “A” to “U” to “M”. If you have seen a yawning dog and the sound it produces while yawning, you will understand that it goes from “AAAA” to “UUUU” to “MMMM”. We will perform the same thing. Following video depicts the right way of doing the chanting and number of times you should chant in a single go:

           

“AUM” chanting can also be performed separately by chanting “AAAA”, “UUUU” and “MMMM” seven times serially. Following video depicts the right method of chanting it:

What does past research say about this?

As per Anjana et al (2022), during AUM chanting, breathing is slowed, and vibrations are generated by contraction of airway causing an increase in vagal tone, stimulating the parasympathetic response, and finally relaxing the body. The brain gets activated by secreting the “neurotransmitter GABA from the pre-frontal cortex and insular cortex” calming the amygdala. As amygdala triggers fight, flight and freeze response in the body, calming it automatically reduces the stress by lowering the cortisol and adrenaline levels and increasing healthy hormones like oxytocin, vasopressin and prolactin. The reduction in activity in amygdala and hippocampus due to AUM chanting was also confirmed by Aalst et al (2020) previously which strengthens our understanding about importance of AUM chanting on performance of the brain. Further, the research by Anjana et al (2022) also showed that AUM chanting improves our empathy response.

Advantages:

1. Simple and effective method.
2. Can be performed at any place and at any time.
3. Immediate relief from stress (if done properly).
4. Improves mood level and digestion.
5. Improves concentration.
6. Builds patience and resilience.

Diaphragmatic breathing in simple terms means feeling your breath into your belly as you inhale and exhale. The diaphragm is a domelike muscle which separates the abdomen from lungs. The vagus nerve responsible for triggering the parasympathetic response passes through the diaphragm. So, when we breath slowly and deeply feeling the belly rise, the vagus nerve is stimulated further signaling the brain to calm down and relax. An instructional video showing the correct method of doing this is shown in following video:

What does past research say about this?

As per Hopper et al (2019), studies have shown that there was a reduction of salivary cortisol levels and improvement in blood pressure after practicing diaphragmatic breathing. The studies showed that the physiological and psychological stress levels were reduced after practicing this breathing. As per Hunt et al (2021), the heart rate variability increased substantially after practicing diaphragmatic breathing which indicates a stronger functioning of the heart and more resilience to stress.

As per research carried out by a team of doctors, a group of people suffering from type 2 diabetes were taught diaphragmatic breathing and body relaxation techniques and results were convincing about the positive effect on mental well being and diabetes control. (Yadav et al, 2021).

Advantages:

1. Simple and effective method.
2. Can be performed at any place and at any time.
3. Better results are obtained if practiced once or twice daily for 10 mins.
4. Immediate relief from stress.
5. Improves digestion and other stomach related problems.
6. Balances nervous system.

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a method developed by Edmund Jacobson in which large muscle groups of the body are contracted and then relaxed systematically. Due to activation of stimuli, the body quickly gets relieved from stress. A guided video on progressive muscle relaxation is as follows:

What does past research say about this?

As per Kabakcıoğlu and Ayaz-Alkaya (2024), there have been many studies encompassing the positive effects of PMR on reducing stress, anxiety, depression in various age groups due to its simplicity and efficacy.

Advantages:

1. Simple and effective method.
2. Can be performed at any place and at any time.
3. Free guided videos easily available.
4. Immediate relief from stress.
5. Deep relaxation.

Mindfulness means observing the mind and the thoughts without getting carried away with them. For example, sitting at the bank of river and observing the flowing water without any attachment to it (here the flowing water represents the train of thoughts). I have personally used a meditation app named “Headspace”. It has many guided meditations, mindfulness activities, exercises, tips from psychiatrists, and frequent self-assessments to evaluate your progress in the healing journey. Although there are many other applications available, I cannot comment about them as I have not used them yet.

What does past research say about this?

As per Zhang et al (2021), studies have shown that mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) techniques like “breathing space, body scanning, sitting meditation and sound-scan have resulted in small to medium decrement in anxiety”. MBIs successfully lowered cortisol levels in body thereby reducing the stress. MBIs create an improvement in sleep quality and reduces addiction, substance misuse, post-traumatic stress. This was also confirmed later by Ivakovic et al, 2023.

Further, MBIs induce a physiological and neurological change in the brain activities especially the parts of the brain which handle self-awareness and self-regulation. Moreover, in individuals with mental disorders, the alpha and theta brain waves increase which helps in relaxing and complex problem-solving processes, respectively. (Zhang et al, 2021).

Advantages:

1. Reduces stress and hyperactivity of the mind quickly.
2. Builds patience and resilience.
3. Reduction in chronic pain symptoms.
4. Reduction in blood pressure which further reduces hypertension and heart disease.
5. Mindful eating can control weight.
6. Reduction in anger and aggression.

Although not much research is available on this method, it is an effective method in reducing stress. Following is a link for a Tibetan bowl music from YouTube:

Many more such videos are readily available on YouTube.

Advantages:

1. Simple and effective method.
2. Can be performed at any place and at any time.
3. Just need to listen to the music.
4. Immediate stress relief.

Few points which shall be understood and kept in the mind when you are in a state of mental problem are listed as follows (these are taken from my mistakes and experience):

1. The listed methods do the work of diverting your mind, but they have a positive effect on your body as they activate the parasympathetic nervous systems which relax your body thoroughly.
2. Although you are relaxing, remember that the thing which triggered your mental problem still exists! So, write it down in your diary after you calm down.
3. Write down how you feel when you are in a state of stress, or the mental problem as it will help you to understand yourself properly.
4. Try to understand the root cause behind all your stress and mental problems and what may be useful to deal with it. Facing the root cause will keep making you strong and improve your confidence level.
5. Do not attempt to divert yourself in any other way (for e.g. watching TV, calling friends, being with someone, eating, playing some game, listening to music, addiction to alcohol or smoking etc.) as it would only give you temporary relief while keeping the base problem active.
6. If you are in a vicious circle wherein thinking about the problem is stressful and leading to your mental problem and thinking about the mental problem further worsens your problem, sit down and practice the above methods.
7. If you are feeling emotional, vent them out in front of a trustworthy person (friend or family). Do not attempt to suppress your emotions.
8. If you are at work or at some public place and your mental problem starts, find a lonely and calm place immediately and practice the above methods.
9. If you were able to do something prior in your life and you are not able to do it now, do not panic. Accept the situation and convince yourself that the situation/problem will not remain with you throughout your life. Becoming panicky will only worsen your situation.
10. Go out in nature and observe everything in minute detail; be curious about everything.
11. Every night, write down 3 good things that happened to you throughout the day.
12. If you are target oriented, modify your goal keeping lower expectations and do not crave for the best result. Rather, enjoy the process of getting towards the result.
13. Do not be afraid to make mistakes, make them and learn from them.
14. Do not think about what others may think of you. No one has time to get involved in other’s task or day to day itinerary.
15. Slowly start exposing yourself to things that trigger your mental problem. For example, if getting in an enclosed space suffocates you and causes anxiety, start by remaining alone in a very big room then continue going into a room of slightly lesser size.
16. Do not forget to congratulate yourself on small achievements. Remember that little drops of water make the mighty ocean!
17. Do not get advice or recommendations about your treatment method from anyone else except the expert (i.e. your psychiatrist).

Other methods:

Till now all the methods we saw work once you are caught up in your mental problem. Ever wondered if there are any methods to stop getting in the trouble zone in the first place? Luckily, there are many methods which can help your body to prevent mental problems, a few of which are mentioned below. However, they require dedication and regular practice forever in your life.

1. Meditation

As per an ancient sage in India named Patanjali, there are eight limbs of yoga namely Yama (means what not to do), Niyama (means what to do), Asana (means physical postures), Pranayama (means control over breath), Pratyahara (means detachment), Dharana (means concentration), Dhyana (means meditation), Samadhi (means absorption). In this point we will look at meditation and how to do it.

Meditation in simple terms is the opposite of concentration and it is also known as relaxed observation. Our body becomes stressed while concentrating and relaxed while meditating. The human mind has a tremendous capability to continuously think about the future while keeping track of past events to not repeat any mistakes which were made earlier. So, our mind drifts in the past and future and does not remain in the present moment. The aim of meditation is to observe, be in the present without any reaction. Doing meditation is challenging at the beginning especially if you are suffering from mental health problems. This is due to the wandering of the mind in continuous thought process.

There are different ways in which meditation can be done, a few of which may require you to get trained under the guidance of a teacher. As per Steinberg (2021) following are broad types of meditation:

1. Focused attention: This method depends on bringing our attention to a particular body process or thought like observing our breath as the air goes in and out of the nostrils. Buddhist meditation, visualization meditation are some examples of this type of meditation.
2. Open monitoring: Open monitoring is a type of meditation where we observe and notice our thoughts without reacting to it. Mindfulness meditation and Vipassana meditation are examples of this type. More about this was already discussed in Mindfulness point.
3. Self transcending: This is a form of meditation which uses certain sounds to aid and simplify the process the meditation. Transcendental meditation is an example of this type, and it was developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In this method, everyone is assigned a unique sound which he/she will use in meditation. This is a training program which is taught under the guidance of a teacher. Check out following link to understand what Transcendental Meditation is all about and sign up if you are interested:

 What does past research say about this?

As per Kora et al (2021), the focused attention method produces gamma waves in the brain which are associated with learning new things. Open monitoring method produces alpha and theta waves in the brain which are associated with complex problem solving. The self-transcending method produces alpha and beta waves in the brain which are associated with relaxed state of the mind and high analytical ability, respectively.

As per Travis et al (2018), research was performed to understand the effect of Transcendental meditation on the Brain Integration Scale (BIS) score, and it was observed that it improves as the meditation is performed. A few advantages of practicing meditation have been listed in the following paragraph.

Advantages:

1. An ample number of guided meditations are freely available on YouTube. Follow whatever suits you best.
2. Reduces stress and hyperactivity of the mind quickly.
3. Builds patience and resilience.
4. Improves creativity and problem solving.
5. Changes perspective of looking towards everything.

2. Yoga postures

“Yog” is derived from Sanskrit word “yuj” which means “joining” or “union” of an individual with the universal consciousness or eternal bliss. We will look at how yoga postures can calm the body and in the long run help us to achieve what we think is unachievable. We already saw in the last point, Yogasana or Yoga postures is one of eight limbs of yoga through which one can attain consciousness. It involves creating a posture using our body and remaining in that posture while breathing normally.

There are also some postures which are arranged in sequence to strengthen the entire body like Surya Namaskar or sun salutations. Many doctors recommend sun salutations to people who are suffering from mental disorders as it balances the body.

What does past research say about this?

As per Madaan et al (2020), research has been conducted to understand the effect of yogasana on mental health problems and it was found that stress, anxiety, and depression was reduced significantly by yogasana. Depression Anxiety Stress scale i.e. DASS was used to evaluate the candidates. If you are curious and want to know more about your stress, anxiety, or depression levels you can go to this blog and check it out.

As per Campbell and Moore (2004), average levels of depression, anxiety and stress were measured for people practicing and not practicing yogasana. The results were positive in terms of reduction of stress, anxiety and depression.

Advantages:

As per Kothari (2021), following are the advantages of practicing yogasana:

1. Improvement in mood.
2. Improvement in relaxation by increasing serotonin levels.
3. Increase in pain tolerance.
4. Reduction in stress levels.
5. Induces positivity and optimism.

3. Sleep music therapy

Sleep is the most important function of the human body. During sleep our body recovers from the wear and tear which is caused throughout the day. Studies by Hale et al (2020) show that “one third of world’s population will suffer from insomnia, 4-26% people will suffer from excessive sleep” and Scott (2021) states that “2-4% will suffer from sleep apnea”.

If someone is suffering from depression, the level of neurotransmitter called serotonin in his body will be less than an average person due to which the natural process of conversion of serotonin to melatonin would be hampered. This may cause sleep disorders further disturbing the mind-body balance by depriving memory retention, causing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory distress, digestion problems and increased mortality in long term (Chen et al, 2023). Apart from this as per Wang et al (2014), older people and people working in shifts are also susceptible to sleep deprivation. Although you should not worry if it happens rarely to you, it is worthwhile to note that sleep disorder may have some impact on your daily life.

If this is happening to you right now, no need to worry about it as there are many free resources available on the internet which can help you to fall asleep. However, you will need to bring some discipline into your life. For example, a sample pre-sleep checklist is as follows:

1. Eat light food for dinner.
2. Eat 1-2 hours before sleeping although the recommended time is at least 3 hours before sleeping.
3. Go on a walk after dinner.
4. Change the color of the lights in your home to an orange color in the evening.
5. Do not watch TV or use mobile phones at the time of sleep.
6. Sleep for > 8 hours per day.

When you successfully follow the above steps, listening to sleep music would be fruitful and you may notice a drastic improvement in your sleep quality in few days. The following video from YouTube will help you although there are many more related videos available for free on the same platform so, feel free to choose your own favorite music. The method is amazingly simple, just lie down, close your eyes and start the music.

What does past research say about this?

As per Wang et al (2014), it was observed that listening to sleep musics drastically reduces the preoperative stress and post operative pain in the patients. The music directly affects the most primitive brain structure known as “limbic system” and it regulates the opioids and oxytocin in the brain.

Advantages:

As per Wang et al (2014), following are the advantages of sleep music on our body:

1. Simple but effective method.
2. Low cost and safe.
3. Free resources available.
4. Reduction of stress even in operative patients.
5. Improvement in mood and energy levels after a good sleep.

4. Diet plan

When it comes to recovering ourselves from any problem (physical or mental), what we eat and when we eat plays a significant role. Moreover, the quantity of food is also an important thing to be considered. If you are interested in developing a meal plan but are not sure where to start from, refer to the following blog wherein I have systematically enlisted important points which shall be considered to create your own diet plan yourselves!

Conclusion

It is possible to face your mental problem and become victorious. The only thing you would need are specific skills and techniques to calm yourselves down in moments of extreme stress. After calming down, you will automatically find out the correct way to overcome the problem in which you are stuck helplessly. Consistency and discipline in practicing the methods will be helpful in the long term to your mind as well as body. So, keep practicing!

Next actions

Let us know what you experienced after practicing these methods in the comments section below. Do share this article with your loved ones so that they will also gain some knowledge and awareness.

All the methods we discussed in this blog are majorly curative measures (many of you came to this blog because you were suffering in the first place). Did you ponder if there is any way to avoid stress in the beginning through acceptance? If yes, this blog will definitely help you to modify your thoughts and behavior pattern which would change your actions, simplifying your life and reducing the tendency of developing a mental health problem. As we all know “prevention is better than cure!”

References

1. Anjana, K., Archana, R. and Mukkadan, J.K., 2022. Effect of om chanting and yoga nidra on blood pressure and lipid profile in hypertension–A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, 13(4), p.100657.
2. Van Aalst, J., Ceccarini, J., Demyttenaere, K., Sunaert, S. and Van Laere, K., 2020. What has neuroimaging taught us on the neurobiology of yoga? A review. Frontiers in integrative neuroscience, 14, p.34.
3. J. Steinberg M.D., A. (2021). What Type of Meditation Is Best? [online] Psychology today. Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-meditating-mind/202106/what-type-meditation-is-best [Accessed Sep. 2024].
4. Kora, P., Meenakshi, K., Swaraja, K., Rajani, A. and Raju, M.S., 2021. EEG based interpretation of human brain activity during yoga and meditation using machine learning: A systematic review. Complementary therapies in clinical practice, 43, p.101329.
5. Travis, F., Valosek, L., Konrad IV, A., Link, J., Salerno, J., Scheller, R. and Nidich, S., 2018. Effect of meditation on psychological distress and brain functioning: A randomized controlled study. Brain and Cognition, 125, pp.100-105.
6. Ivkovic, A., Evans, S., Mirsky, P., Ashar, Y.K. and Muskin, P.R., 2023. Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Psychiatry. Tasman’s Psychiatry, pp.1-29.
7. Zhang, D., Lee, E.K., Mak, E.C., Ho, C.Y. and Wong, S.Y., 2021. Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review. British medical bulletin, 138(1), pp.41-57.
8. Hopper, S.I., Murray, S.L., Ferrara, L.R. and Singleton, J.K., 2019. Effectiveness of diaphragmatic breathing for reducing physiological and psychological stress in adults: a quantitative systematic review. JBI Evidence Synthesis, 17(9), pp.1855-1876.
9. Hunt, M., Rajagopal, T., Cerecino, F. and O’Neil, M., 2021. Mindful versus diaphragmatic breathing: spirituality moderates the impact on heart rate variability. Mindfulness, 12, pp.2743-2753.
10. Kabakcıoğlu, N.K. and Ayaz-Alkaya, S., 2024. The effect of progressive muscle relaxation on stress, anxiety, and depression in adolescents: A quasi-experimental design. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 78, pp.89-96.
11. Madaan, L., Nimisha IV, B. and Jain, K., 2020. Comparative effect of yogasana and pranayama on depression, anxiety and stress levels in adults practitioners. Int J Indian Psychol, 8, pp.961-66.
12. Kothari, A., 2021. Yoga and mental health: A review on efficacy of yoga in managing stress, anxiety and depression. International Research Journal of Ayurveda and Yoga, 4(3), pp.185-193.
13. Yadav, A., Kaushik, R.M. and Kaushik, R., 2021. Effects of diaphragmatic breathing and systematic relaxation on depression, anxiety, stress, and glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus. International journal of yoga therapy, 31(1), p.Article_13.
14. Campbell, D. and Moore, K., 2004. Yoga as a preventative and treatment for depression, anxiety, and stress. International Journal of Yoga Therapy, 14(1), pp.53-58.
15. Wang, C.F., Sun, Y.L. and Zang, H.X., 2014. Music therapy improves sleep quality in acute and chronic sleep disorders: A meta-analysis of 10 randomized studies. International journal of nursing studies, 51(1), pp.51-62.
16. Chen, Y., Zhou, E., Wang, Y., Wu, Y., Xu, G. and Chen, L., 2023. The past, present, and future of sleep quality assessment and monitoring. Brain Research, 1810, p.148333.
17. Hale, L., Troxel, W. and Buysse, D.J., 2020. Sleep health: an opportunity for public health to address health equity. Annual review of public health, 41(1), pp.81-99.