Tips To Protect Your mental Health

1. Track gratitude and achievement with a journal: Include 3 things you were grateful for and 3 things you were able to accomplish each day.

2. Start your day with a cup of co­ffee: Coff­ee consumption is linked to lower rates of depression. If you can’t drink coff­ee because of the caff­eine, try another good-for-you drink like green tea. 

3. Set up a getaway: It could be camping with friends or a trip to the tropics. The act of planning a vacation and having something to look forward to can boost your overall happiness for up to 8 weeks!

4. Work your strengths: Do something you're good at to build self-confidence, then tackle a tougher task. 

5. Keep it cool for a good night's sleep: The optimal temperature for sleep is between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit.

6. Feeling anxious?  Take a trip down memory lane and do some coloring for about 20 minutes to help you clear your mind. Pick a design that's geometric and a little complicated for the best effect. Check out hundreds of free printable coloring pages here.

7. Take time to laugh: Hang out with a funny friend, watch a comedy or check out cute videos online. Laughter helps reduce anxiety.

8. Go off the grid: Leave your smart phone at home for a day and disconnect from constant emails, alerts, and other interruptions. Spend time doing something fun with someone.

9. Be a tourist in your own town: Often times people only explore attractions on trips, but you may be surprised what cool things are in your own backyard.

10. Practice forgiveness: Even if it's just forgiving that person who cut you off during your commute. People who forgive have better mental health and report being more satisfied with their lives.

11. Take 30 minutes to go for a walk in nature: It could be a stroll through a park, or a hike in the woods. Research shows that being in nature can increase energy levels, reduce depression and boost well-being.

12. Work some omega-3 fatty acids into your diet: They are linked to decreased rates of depression and schizophrenia among their many benefits. Fish oil supplements work, but eating your omega-3s in foods like wild salmon, flaxseeds or walnuts also helps build healthy gut bacteria.

13. Sometimes, we don't need to add new activities to get more pleasure: We just need to soak up the joy in the ones we've already got. Trying to be optimistic doesn't mean ignoring the uglier sides of life. It just means focusing on the positive as much as possible.

14. Show some love to someone in your life: Close, quality, relationships are key for a happy, healthy life.

15. Keep it cool for a good night's sleep: The optimal temperature for sleep is between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit.