Tips to boost mental health are not one-size-fits-all, as people respond to things in different ways. Dr Camilla Nord who leads the University’s Mental Health Neuroscience Lab, in the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and Department of Psychiatry, offers her advice.
Do things at the right time for you. Motivation is a central, but often neglected aspect of mental health. My lab recently discovered that our motivation is intrinsically linked with our mental health: the decision to expend physical effort is blunted in people with depression, as well as people with high levels of mental health symptoms like apathy and anhedonia.
But surprisingly this isn’t the only factor affecting motivation. Dopamine in the brain, a neurochemical key for motivation and mental health, varies according to our circadian rhythm. We found that ‘morning people’ showed blunted motivation if tested in the evening, while ‘evening’ people showed blunted motivation in the morning. So if you want to harness your motivation – a key aspect of everyone’s mental health – think about the time when you thrive most.
Photograph: Ezra Bailey on Getty
Photograph: Ezra Bailey on Getty
Do some exercise. What we feel emotionally is strongly influenced by our physical state. Our brain uses the same circuits to sense its physical and emotional states – that’s why many people know that ‘hangry’ feeling. My lab found that these common brain regions are also altered across mental health conditions. The consequences for mental health are vast.
Changes to our physical state, like inflammation – caused by many things including illness and injury – are known to affect our mental health. We have most recently discovered that diabetes disrupts motivation just like poor mental health, an effect which does not seem to be reversed by semaglutide (Ozempic) treatment.
This could explain why physical health treatments, like exercise, are so effective for mental health. Our physical health and mental health are closely intertwined, and the future of mental health treatment might lie partly in the body.
Photograph: Flashpop on Getty
Photograph: Flashpop on Getty
Don’t neglect pleasure. Mental health is not all about self-deprivation. People who experience more day-to-day instances of pleasure report better wellbeing. Conversely, people with depression experience fewer overall rewarding events in a day – but when they do, their mood tends to improve even more than someone without depression. Biologically, pleasurable experiences like laughing with friends, dancing, or eating your favourite meal exert effects on the brain and body that could plausibly help maintain mental health.
Nord’s book, The Balanced Brain: The Science of Mental Health (Allen Lane) is a Financial Times, Times, and Prospect Magazine ‘Book of the Year’.
