What do you do to maintain or improve your mental health?

The one major thing I do to keep my mental health good is to attend Church Services every week. Also, as a part of that, I "Zoom" meet with our Life group to discuss the Sermon for the last or most recent service. Keeping Christ at the head of my day and my life keeps this old guy happy, enthusiastic, and energized for each and every day of my life.

I have raised chickens for the past five years. I found it hard to motivate myself with my disabilities, mental health issues and deaths to the point I was lost. I started small, lost a couple of flocks, and started over. I learned that it's relaxing once you learn your flocks habits. I found myself, when able, being a little more active. I then take and give the eggs too others, especially since my flock lays various colors. I also started this year hatching covid to give to anyone whom wants to raise chickens. Out of all the projects I've started for my mental health, raising chickens is the one that keeps me sound.

There are a number of things I do to help my mental health. First I volunteer as nurse at our local free medical clinic. I do it to keep myself current and to help those that are in the financial area where they don’t qualify for Medicaid or Medicare, and can’t afford medical insurance.
I exercise on my bikes. The Silver Comet and Chief Ladiga trails are great in the warmer weather. I a ride year round in my garage with a smart trainer hooked to my bike. I also enjoy mountain biking, since the Notth GA mountains are about 15-20 minutes from the house.
My other mental health activity is deer hunting in the Fall of the year. I love getting up in a tree with my hunting saddle and just taking in the stillness early in the morning.
Those are the activities I do to maintain my mental health.

To maintain my mental health, I take my prescribed medication and I try to respect those I encounter when I attend my appointments when I am able to keep my head together.

work on my bike and home, stay busy doing something.

I continue my education/continue learning new things. I pray, and read the Bible. I play guitar and lift weights. And I pursue, develop, and continue friendships.

Being plugged in more with community (Cub/Boy Scout leader), church, the Bible, family, friends, spending time in the splendor of God’s creation in nature and most importantly in the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

I raise Monarch butterflies as a stress-reducing and rewarding activity. Since the 1980s, the Monarch butterfly population has declined by over 99%. They are endangered and on the edge of extinction. I live on the Monarch butterfly migration path and decided to get involved in efforts to help their survival. I started by planting a butterfly garden with pollinators and native milkweed. Monarchs will feed from most flowers, but will only lay their eggs on milkweed. Why? Because this is the only plant monarch caterpillars will eat. Somehow the milky substance doesn't bother them at all.

During the migration season, I carefully remove the eggs or baby caterpillars from the plants and raise them in an indoor shelter so they aren't swept away by heavy rains, a snack for a hungry bird or serve as a host for the Tachinid fly larvae. In nature, only 1 out of 100 monarch eggs will make it all the way to the butterfly stage, there are so many predators! Also, they are killed by pesticides, so please go easy on the chemicals in your garden to help your butterflies survive, thank you! Milkweed requires quite a bit of water to keep its leaves on, so less rain = fewer surviving caterpillars = fewer butterflies.

It takes 28 days from egg to chrysalis, then 14-18 days for the butterfly to hatch. The late stage caterpillars are voracious eaters and can strip a milkweed overnight. I have about 30 plants that I rotate for this purpose. I also learned that in a pinch, Monarch caterpillars will eat sliced cucumbers, pumpkin and squash - but only use organic to be sure there are no pesticides. After the newly hatched butterfly's wings are dry (~24 hours), I feed it some nectar from a very ripe pineapple or the milkweed plant, and then release it to start the journey. If nighttime temps are below 50 degrees, I drive the butterflies 40 miles to an indoor butterfly habitat to be sure they will survive. At this point, I've invested 6 weeks in their survival, so it's worth the extra effort! I log my activities on the Journey North website so the monarch experts can track migration. I've raised and released over 150 butterflies in the last 5 years!

Read my Bible and pray, remembering that it’s not all about me and that there’s a better place coming at the end of this road we call life

I go to the VA and see a counselor, psychiatrist, social worker, and pastor. Those seem to help with mental health.