Over the last few years mental health has become a huge concern to many people the young and the older folk alike. TH e sense of not coping with life and feelings of overwhelm have been and continue to be reported widely. Whatever the situation that triggers a wave of mental unrest, be it school exams, a relationship breakdown, post-pandemic isolation or pressure at work, it does not feel nice. The mental avalanche it can trigger can bring one to one’s knees and squeeze and joy of life out of the person involved. Signs and symptoms can range from just feeling out of sorts a lot of the time, having mood swings, or going from depression to fury to anxiety and back and all shades of these in between. Panic attacks and suicidal thoughts can emerge too. 

Is there anything we can do in order to curb the risk of suffering from this widespread breakdown of mental balance and how best to go about it?

Several factors impact our mental health, loosely divided into internal and external.

Internal ones include:

• genetics
• biochemical individuality and its expression, including hypomethylation
• hormonal and neurotransmitter imbalances
• chronic inflammation
• mitochondrial dysfunction
• microbiome (oral and gut mostly)
• hidden infections
• negative thought habits, beliefs and mindset
• unresolved emotional charges from past events, including traumas
• lack of a frame of reference to something bigger than ourselves (spirituality)

External ones count in:

• lifestyle (i.e. poor diet, lack or little movement, poor sleep, and lack of stress management skills) & its epigenetic repercussions
• environmental factors, e.g. planetary influences, toxic exposures (lifelong or acute)
• lack of exposure to sunlight / daylight
• social engagement (sense of belonging and support structures available)
• peer and social media pressure
• breakdown and/or the changing nature of family unit

As an outcome of such a complex interplay of endo-and exo-conditions (from within and without) coupled with gender-linked identity crises many youngsters are dealing with today, no wonder many people struggle with finding a balance and contentment in life that is achievable and sustainable.

An eminent Stanford neuroscientist Dr Andrew Huberman has narrowed these influences to six main pillars of mental health. I have added some extra solutions to those he proposes as ways of addressing them.

1. Sleep: getting adequate amount of sleep as well as its quality is vital for autophagy and neuro-regeneration, the processes of self-cleaning of the brain, self-repair and recovery that happen usually when we are asleep. Moreover, the body organs and endocrine glands relay on a circadian (24 hour) rhythm related to activity / daytime vs complete rest (=sleep) / nighttime and their health depends on it. Solution: Aiming for between 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night by having a sleep routine and form a habit of doing so daily. Going to bed and rising within 1 hour of your typical habitual pattern to enhance your circadian rhythm.

2. Lightexposure: our brain depends on full spectrum sunlight for promoting mood regulation, reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, and improving sleep quality. Solution: getting out into the sunlight or being in full spectrum light as early as you can after waking in the morning for between 10 and 20 minutes (windows filter out the light waves your brain needs). This practice helps improve your mood and increase focus and alertness. It will also help you to sleep at night. A word of caution: please do not stare directly at the sun! In case of absence of sunlight just face east. Similarly, darkness is as important when you go to sleep – ideally without any blue spectrum light of electronic gadgets like phones, tablets, TV and computers for 2 hours before bedtime and for 6 to 8 hours overnight.

3. Exercise: movement is necessary for us humans for a variety of reasons including blood sugar control, glymphatic and lymphatic systems, energy balance, hormonal balance, oxygenation of the blood to mention just a few that are significant for mental health. Solution: ideally include 3-3.5 hours of low intensity cardio exercise per week (where you can just hold a conversation) plus intense aerobic exercise at least once a week, with one day off each week. However, daily movement as either cardiovascular, resistance training or pottering about your daily chores needs to be embraced as well.

4. Nutrition: since nutrients are both substrates (building blocks) and cofactors (catalysts) of neurotransmitter and hormone production and metabolism, and life in general, they are needed for good mental health. Solution: consuming sufficient amounts of macronutrients (protein, fats, carbs fibre and water) per day and ensuring it is quality is key – micronutrients rule here (minerals, vitamins, essential fats, etc.). Choosing cleanest foods possible (i.e. organic, free range and grass fed) and drinking filtered or mineral water is best. Avoiding ultra-processed and fast foods altogether whilst including fermented food (like kefir, miso paste, sauerkraut, and kimchi) in your diet to benefit your microbiome (research has shown direct link between specific bacterial strains and their impact on mood, sociability and behaviour).

Care: going vegan is not good for everyone as a fair amount of most bioavailable   protein of animal origin is missing! Don’t get me wrong: it has got its time and place, but it may not be ideal when working towards optimising your mental health!

The times of eating (and fasting) plus the amounts and the ratios of the foods consumed are also critical to maintaining mental equilibrium.

5. Social interactions/ relationships (including the one with oneself): we are social animals who depend on regular social interactions. They can lift mood and help optimise neurotransmitter production thus contributing to the experience of happiness and joy of life. Additionally, such contacts increase metabolic rate and neuronal health long term. Solution: enjoy mixing with people by joining various interest groups, taking to them and finding out about their lives, as well as spending some time being kind to yourself. This can take many forms: relaxing over a book, going for a walk in nature (best in full sunshine) , taking a yoga, Pilates. Qigong class, getting a massage or stroking a pet (even someone else’s!). Being comfortable with silence and your own company may be a little more challenging but challenge is going to help you build your stress resilience too! You can always schedule a regular therapy session (with me?) too if more support is needed.

6. Stress management: we are all liable to experience pressure of sorts at some point in our lives but it is how we deal with acute stress and manage it long term that matters. Solutions: Deep abdominal breathing and sighing as well as meditation or reflection are best for acute & charged situations. ‘Mind the gap’ is a great mantra to remember here, and so is re-training your outlook on life: seeing it as half full whilst embracing gratitude is equally useful. Developing stress resilience for coping with medium-term stress takes some more resolve, self-discipline and mindfulness or self-awareness. It can involve taking cold showers or ice baths, and/or walking on cold dew-covered grass for a few minutes barefoot. whilst Becoming mindful of the triggers that create unrest within helps immensely too. The more you practice, the more resilient you become. In situations where stress threshold is very high, or the distressing situation becomes long-term / chronic and you feel you cannot cope, you may need to seek professional help.

Whilst the above measures are all good and relatively straightforward to implement, they may not bring about significant alleviation or a full resolution of symptoms like depression or anxiety, or panic attacks. If you realise that you are not getting any better or not feeling more positive or lighter, more investigation may be required. Deciphering one’s body’s metabolic processes that are instrumental to your mental balance (like liver detoxification pathways or methylation), finding out the blocks in achieving optimum wellness (like nutritional deficiencies, biotoxins or neurotoxins like heavy metals or plastics – any toxic substances that interfere with your body’s maintaining cognitive and mood balance is a must. And delving into the details of the immune system interplay with the nervous and endocrine systems resulting in hijacked mental states may also be required and, though it may take a bit longer, can bring clarity to the origin of the loss of mental equilibrium being desired and enable the path forward to be narrowed down to be implemented.

Additionally, since we are all different biochemically and genetically, let’s not forget the epigenetic nuances that also lead to different expressions of mental health conditions. Sometimes pharmacological help may be needed and that’s when your primary healthcare provider would be the best person to talk to. But resorting to taking medications before finding out and exploring the hidden causes for the symptoms of mental health instability may only mask them and delay the road to their resolution. As always – staying mindful of the choices you make can be of great benefit in such circumstances.