Change your thinking, but use your body

It’s hard work working on your thoughts and feelings and changing the patterns of behaviour that spring from these — it’s like undoing habits that have been there for a long, long time. The good news is that since you have learned most of these thinking and feeling habits and behaviours, you can unlearn them.

But there are some powerful things you can do that can get you started even faster on the road to feeling better. And these include noticing and making changes in your daily routine — how you exercise, and your sleeping and eating habits.

The way you feel, the hormones that your body releases, your energy levels, motivation and your ability to work with stressors and problems are all directly related to your physiological well-being.

Exercise

We know how crucial exercise is in maintaining physical health, but it can also be directly responsible for your mental health. The release of endorphins to deal with physical effort can leave you (after exercise) feeling relaxed, calmer and more positive in your thinking.  Research tells us exercise is one of the most effective treatments for depression.

A constant exercise schedule can mean that you’re more productive, you think more clearly and you feel happier. Think of an exercise schedule as something directly related to your coping skills — one that has lasting effects on how your brain thinks and feels.

Eating

It requires a lot of concentration and mental energy to change your thinking patterns, so eating regularly gives you the motivation and ability to concentrate on making these changes. Even when you feel you can’t eat or that you don’t want to eat, remember that food can drastically change your mood.

Be watchful — ensure that you eat a healthy balance of foods and that you are taking in sufficient minerals, vitamins and fibre to keep you healthy, strong and motivated.

Sleeping

When you don’t get enough sleep, your body and brain do not function effectively — you are likely to feel irritable and experience poor attention and concentration. Your ability to remember things and focus on tasks and people is impaired, as is your coordination.

You need adequate sleep so you can notice and manage your thoughts and feelings. If you are not sleeping well, learn the habits you need to develop to ensure you get a good night’s rest.

What you can do:

Maintaining regular patterns of eating, sleeping and exercise are things that you can do — without your therapist — to boost your ability to change your thinking, feelings and behaviour. These three things contribute to building habits and routines and to maintaining a strong circadian rhythm in your life — use them to help you feel strong and to give you the best chance to make the changes you want.