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

I engage in hobbies that encourage self-expression and creativity. I also meditate, exercise, and spend time with my significant other. Joined the local chapter of the Marine Corps League a couple of years ago and enjoy the camaraderie.

I try to consider what options I have available.

I practice yoga and yoga nidra meditation

The key to maintaining my mental health is to slow life down. Take a minute to just be me. Listening to the sounds of my environment. Try to get it to move at a snail's pace. I perform mindfulness breathing and walking when I feel like I need a minute. For the breathing, I focus on a location across the room and slowly breathe in for a long three seconds and then exhale for a long three seconds. I try to stay in the moment and focus on the breathes. For the walking I take in all the feelings of each step as I walk across a room. From the bottom of my foot, to my leg and knee and up through my hips. I even focus on how my arm feels as it swings to the steps. Of course i will spend time with my family as that always seems to help. But sometimes I may just need to reflect on how good my life is. I will reflect on what it means to be a father and what it means to be a husband. I started listening to entire music albums with my oldest son every Friday after work and his school. We discuss each song and how it made us feel and what we liked or disliked about it. When I see his foot tapping to the beat it gives me serenity. And I wish and hope that there are others who are feeling the same way as I am.

I enjoy doing things for other people. That way it take all of me to do it for others and I don't think of myself. Cause I love helping the less fortunate cause it makes me smile. You know the saying right a smile a day keep you happy and sane I think.

The key to maintaining my mental health is to slow life down. Take a minute to just be me. Listening to the sounds of my environment. Try to get it to move at a snail's pace. I perform mindfulness breathing and walking when I feel like I need a minute. For the breathing, I focus on a location across the room and slowly breathe in for a long three seconds and then exhale for a long three seconds. I try to stay in the moment and focus on the breathes. For the walking I take in all the feelings of each step as I walk across a room. From the bottom of my foot, to my leg and knee and up through my hips. I even focus on how my arm feels as it swings to the steps. Of course i will spend time with my family as that always seems to help. But sometimes I may just need to reflect on how good my life is. I will reflect on what it means to be a father and what it means to be a husband. I started listening to entire music albums with my oldest son every Friday after work and his school. We discuss each song and how it made us feel and what we liked or disliked about it. When I see his foot tapping to the beat it gives me serenity. And I wish and hope that there are others who are feeling the same way as I am.

I spend a lot of time juggling! It's a wonderful hobby that is portable, cheap, challenging, meditative, physical, and most importantly, fun. Pick up a basic set of 3 bean bags and you're pretty much all set!

Being a former Physical Ed. Teacher, now working for the VA at Bay Pines, I think the most important issue in improving and keeping healthy both mentally and Physically is HYDRATION. Without it you can't function at your peak in anything you do. William Deak

I WALK IN THE WOODS WITH NO ELECTRONICS WITH MY WIFE.

When my mental health gets to me, I try to manage my time and leave "mental health days" for myself, especially on difficult weeks. I will usually go out to eat or just find something fun to do while taking a break from anything that was stressing me out. When my ptsd or depression gets bad enough, I will contact a friend that I trust to talk about it until I'm calm enough, then just take a break from whatever caused it to heighten. I also have an ESA that helps when I'm at home