How to improve your mental health? It would seem that adopting a healthy diet and stopping watching the news would be the solution: it would reduce anxiety and depression.
- Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses.
- Depressive disorder occurs at any age and is more common in adults.
- “Our research had focused on the period of the pandemic, but we now need to see if these factors apply to other stressful circumstances,” according to the authors.
“We have seen that the Covid-19 pandemic has increased the symptoms of anxiety and depression in the population. Health authorities have recommended several behaviors to deal with it. But no research had followed the effect of these behaviors on depressive symptoms over time”, Barcelona researcher Joaquim Radua said in a statement.
10 behaviors believed to reduce anxiety and depression have been assessed
To find out if the advice given by the health authorities has been effective, Joaquim Radua and Spanish scientists have carried out a studythe results of which were presented at the conference of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacologywhich takes place in Vienna from October 15 to 18.
In order to carry out their work, the team recruited 942 adults and followed them for a year. Every two weeks, the volunteers had to rate the frequency of ten behaviors and rate their levels of anxiety and depression. Next, the authors analyzed which behaviors were associated with a decrease in symptoms of anxiety and depression over the following four weeks.
Avoiding information was associated with better mental health
According to the results, adopting a balanced and varied diet as well as stopping following the news reduced the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Engaging in physical activity, spending time outdoors and drinking water regularly were also associated with better mental health.
On the other hand, certain behaviors generally considered beneficial, such as talking with parents or friends or having a hobby, had less impact on participants’ mental health. “It was a bit surprising. Like many people, we had assumed that human contact would play a bigger role in avoiding anxiety and depression during times of stress,” said Joaquim Radua.