The Best Ways to Maintain a Healthy Mind

Whichever way you look at it, the mind and the body are inextricably linked. Neglecting one can often have a detrimental impact on the other, and so it's important that you maintain a healthy balance between the two and do your best to ensure that your body and mind are working in tandem to the best of their ability.

However, it does seem to be the case that because physical ailments are much easier to identify and - to some extent - treat, the wellbeing of the mind often gets overlooked and people are left wondering why they don't feel at their best even though their physical symptoms may have dissipated somewhat. With that in mind, we've prepared a list of things you can do in order to keep your mind properly ticking over.
 

Mental Exercise

As a general rule, anything logic-based that involves numbers or words will do your grey cells a world of good. Sudoku seems to be one of the most popular ways to keep the mind active in the current climate but cryptic crosswords and even thought-provoking movies such as The Fountain have been proven to have their benefits (plus it stars Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weiss).

According to scientists, video games can also help to fight Alzheimer's. The specific benefits of gaming depend on the type of game you're playing. For example, those that require you to think logically and use mental arithmetic such as online slot games over at RealMoney.ca can really benefit your brain in the long run. What's more, some online games are themed so you can give your brain a proper workout while trying to escape the clutches of a Velociraptor in the Jurassic Park Slot.

Healthy and Sensible Eating

This one may seem patently obvious, but you'd be surprised at how detrimental a poor diet can be to your overall mental health - after all, what goes in your body has a massive bearing on how your brain performs even the most mundane day-to-day tasks. Thankfully, it's possible to eat healthy and still enjoy a whole host of delicious food without changing your general diet all that much.

Foods that are high in antioxidants such as dark chocolate and kidney beans have been scientifically proven to help problem-solving, focus and memory. As well as the obvious choices such as fish and olive oil, avocados are full of mono-saturated fat and onions may well help prevent damage when it comes to the blood-brain barrier (just try not to breathe around anyone). If you expand on this list and do your own research then there's no excuse for not incorporating some brain-friendly food into your diet.
 
Stress Relief

Whether we realize it or not, our bodies are almost always under stress of some kind, but there are a number of natural remedies when it comes to helping both your mind cope with this day-to-day strain. Some of the most effective ways to prevent stress are the most simple - making sure you're getting enough sleep, making sure you don't bottle your emotions up and simply thinking positively can go a long way to making you feel a lot more comfortable within yourself.

If you have more time to try different things then there's a lot to be said for meditation and other relaxation exercises which are undoubtedly effective when it comes to reducing and managing stress levels. For those with even more time on their hands, we can't recommend getting a pet enough. Those who own animals show fewer signs of loneliness and stress and let's face it - can you think of anything better than a new cuddly friend for life?

<div align="center" "style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;">  

A post shared by Best Dogs Of IG (@bestwoof) on Jan 31, 2018 at 6:31pm PST

The Mind Is a Muscle - Don't Let It Go To Waste

Just like any other muscle in your body, the brain can atrophy at any point. In order to ensure that this doesn't happen, it's important that you pay as much attention to your mental wellbeing as you do with your physical health. While this isn't an exhaustive list, it's a good place to start and will no doubt help with whatever it is you're currently going through. Remember: Mens sana in corpore sano - A healthy mind in a healthy body.