True mental well-being isn’t just a state of mind—it is something you can actively build through your daily routine. While feelings of stress, low motivation, and depression are tied to brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine, your brain relies entirely on your everyday choices to keep those chemicals balanced. By making a few simple shifts—like protecting your sleep, fueling your body with real food, getting into the sunshine, and moving your body to unlock natural “hope molecules”—you can physically change how you feel. Ultimately, taking care of your mental health doesn’t have to be complicated; it starts with how you move, rest, eat, and connect with the world around you.
1. Sleep. Regular sleep is important for your body to function properly both physically and mentally. When we are sleep deprived, our tolerance for stress decreases and it becomes difficult to regulate emotions. The most productive hours for cell regeneration are between 10pm and 2am, so try to get as much sleep in this window as possible.
2. Nutrition. Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables. The body produces “feel good chemicals” called endorphins that create positive feelings and increase our ability to manage stress, but it requires the raw materials found in fruits and vegetables to make them. Fruits and vegetables contain phytochemicals that cannot be reproduced in a supplement so it is important to provide your body with the raw materials it needs to make dopamine and serotonin, two of the chemicals that regulate mood, motivation and mental well-being.
3. Connection. Get off the screens and get together with friends or make a phone call. Being around people naturally boosts endorphins, whereas isolation feeds depression. As technology has increased, real relationships and connections have decreased. A phone call in which you hear the other person’s voice spikes oxytocin and has a much higher comforting and calming effect than a text, which has no effect on oxytocin.
4. Movement. Our bodies are made to move! Exercise is the number one most effective way to reduce stress and boost endorphins. The contraction of muscles produces myokines (also known as “hope molecules”) and protects the brain from stress-induced depression better than pharmaceuticals. What is the best exercise? The one you will do! Pick something that you enjoy and do it regularly.
5. Sunshine. When sunshine enters your eyes and hits your skin the brain receives a message to increase serotonin production. Sunshine is also needed for your body to manufacture vitamin D, which is essential for making dopamine. Shoot for at least 15 minutes of sun exposure without sunscreen daily. In the midwestern winter months, you may need a vitamin D plus vitamin K supplement or an indoor sunlamp, especially if you suffer from seasonal depression.
Citations:
Seltzer, L. J., Ziegler, T. E., & Pollak, S. D. (2012). Instant messages vs. speech: hormones and why we still need to hear each other. Evolution and Human Behavior, 33(1), 42-45
Agudelo, L. Z., Femenía, T., Orhan, F., et al. (2014). Skeletal muscle PGC-1α1 modulates kynurenine metabolism and mediates resilience to stress-induced depression. Cell, 159(1), 33-45.
Lambert, G. W., Reid, C., Kaye, D. M., Jennings, G. L., & Esler, M. D. (2002). Effect of sunlight and season on serotonin turnover in the brain. The Lancet, 360(9348), 1840-1842.
Williamson, D. (2021). Wild & well: Dani’s six commonsense steps to radical healing. Morgan James Publishing.
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