5. Probiotics
While we are on the topic of supplements, let’s talk about probiotics. Did you know that your whole digestive system is full to the brim with trillions upon trillions of living bacteria?
Well it is. But don’t worry, because these guys are meant to be there. These bacteria are collectively known as your microbiota, and they help digest food, fight off harmful organisms that enter your digestive system, and produce chemicals that help your brain function effectively.
However, because of what most of us eat on a daily basis, your gut can become overrun with nasty bacteria that inhibits your microbiotas ability to do its job effectively — and this has been shown to lead to depression.
Enter probiotics. Probiotics are unique type of supplement that provide a shot of living, healthy, bacteria straight into your gut. And this good bacteria helps improve the health of your microbiota in a big way. As crazy as it may sound, probiotics have been shown to have a massive impact on nearly every facet of mental health.
6. Meditation (Apps)
Although meditation is often still thought of something that should be left to monks and hippies, there is actually a large body of evidence showing that it can have seriously positive effects on your mental health.
This is because meditation reduces stress, and teaches you how to better manage your emotions. In fact, meditation has been shown to help boost self-esteem and happiness, and even has the power to treat depression and anxiety.
Now, while meditation has been around for more than a millennium, it has only recently become available to the masses through the creation of meditation apps. These powerful tools give you easy access to some of the best meditation teachers on the planet.
Some of the more popular meditation apps on the market are:
You can try them out and change your mind for the better.
7. Online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT for short) is a mental health treatment that completely alters your state of mind.
Most mental health disorders manifest through a negative change in your mindset. While this change is completely unconscious, it has some serious repercussions for your mental health because it causes you to develop a negative outlook everyday situations. But CBT teaches you to change your mindset, turning your negative thoughts into something much more positive.
As a result, research has shown that CBT can treat several severe mental health disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and bulimia, along with severe anger issues and general stress disorders. The reason that CBT gets a call up in a technology-based article is because over the last couple of years several online CBT programs have been developed and released. This not only makes CBT more accessible, but they are just as effective as traditional in-person treatments. Which is pretty cool if you ask me.
Take Home Message
Technology often gets a bad rap because it can reduce physical activity and increase your screen time — but when used in the right way, it can have a profound effect on your mental health. Combined with natural ways of taking care of your body, you only have to make the first step toward a healthier you.
More From Brain World
- Ask Your Versatile Brain: The Rewards of Age
- For Healthier Minds: An Interview with Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein
- Fighting the Stigma of Mental Illness: An Interview with Joe Pantoliano
- Just Go Outside: Your Brain Will Thank You
- The Need for More Mental Health Resources Across The Globe
- The “Tortured” Artist: Examining Creativity and Mental Illness
