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

I do not take any supplements! I am thinking and doing every minite of the day! Praying for others doing for others! I keep my mind busy!

I've learned that really diving into hobbies helps me maintain my mental health. I consider many of my hobbies to be meditative - knitting, watercolor painting, gardening and cooking all require my full attention to the task at hand, but clears my mind of all other harmful or negative thoughts. In addition to that, I believe that working on increasing mobility and fitness have always helped me through stressful or traumatic experiences.

With my severe PTSD, I have tried all sorts of therapies to minimize the effects. Some that work for me are as follows:
Walking - Walking the War Off - I walk daily 2-3 miles. Not only does it give me a time for personal inflection, the sights, sounds and smells of the outdoor environment invigorates and recharges my soul.
Writing - I have written and published several articles about war and PTSD for our local newspaper. Sharing the results of combat and war is my way of stating that we need to rethink what wars are really worth fighting. Perhaps I can change or influence people with my writing.
Yoga/Pilates - I attend and participate in a minimum of 3 classes each week. The mindfulness and peace of mind where you are just totally focused on "you" is refreshing.
Assisting Veterans - I am a Wounded Warrior Team Leader and the experiences I lead with fellow veterans not only warms their hearts but keeps me connected to the military environment with veterans from all services.
Eating Well and Right - Like the saying goes, I eat mostly from the outer aisles of the grocery stores. Fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and chicken are basically my staples for healthy living.
Kefir - You may laugh but gut health is extremely important to brain health. A 4 ounce glass of strawberry kefir keeps my head clear.

Prayer is my first line of defense and avenue of improvement. Followed closely by regular trips to my VA provided counselor. Group therapy is great when I'm in the right group... exercise and even some brain games to keep me focused are a big help too. But, on days when the memories get really rough, I turn to my support system. I only have friends because I don't have any family left, but the ones I count on, have known me long enough to be ready with good advice, supportive words or sometimes even just an ear to listen to me. On the worst of days, they're here to provide me with a shoulder to cry on. I'm not worried about winning anything, I just wanted to get on here and say to to the men and women I know will read the comments...

If your hurting inside, if your head just ain't feeling right or if it seems like your brain is working against you some days. Reach out... To family, to friends... Do an internet search... I promise you, you'll find the resources... there are tons of people, just like you, going through the same kinds of things. And, there's no shame in asking for help... Nobody is gunna look down on you for it... Start with your local VA, it has tons of options, from just a little helping hand to full scale mental health facilities and programs to help you get back to where your comfortable in your own thoughts again. Don't suffer alone. Reach out and simply ask... And you'll be surprised at all the hands reaching back to help you get back up again and get right. There's no time like today to start trying to improve the most important Heath sector there is... Your very own thoughts.

This may sound cliche but I start every morning out with me.
In my garage I have a tub that is already filled with water and I add ice until it’s 59 degrees or below. Now the hard part, getting into that tub. The shock throws your breathing and body into chaos while your mind is fighting you to get out. It takes me a few moments to calm my breathing, stop the shaking, and clear my mind from all over noises.
Overall My mental toughness has improved. An I can look forward knowing that my day can’t get any worse then that bath!

I have never been a person that can join in and share with other people or groups of people. It is my nature to be a loner, I enjoy my personal time to myself, and that is my nature and preference of living. Therefore, my primary way of maintaining and improving my mental health is to involve myself in several hobbies. For example. for very little expense, you can purchase electronic teaching kits that allows you to create and build wonderful devices with a small amount of studying and building with electronic parts. Starting small at first building your own personal alarm system, or, making a simple. easy to use robotic car, and other robotic devices I find this hobby to be mesmerizing and fun. The sample kit that is shown in the illustration is under $50 and has everything necessary to build over 20 examples of electronic devices. Also included are the tutorials and instructions. At the same time you will be learning simple, computer programming.
Another time consuming, hobby is, of course model building. There are literally thousands of kits available from model, airplanes, boats, cars, robots, on and on. All of these hobby’s have one thing in common. they are mind expanding and most importantly they all involve your participation to work alone In a quiet, personal space. Of course you can share your experiences with other hobby builders online or in person, that would be your choice in your time. I hope this helps the folks in life that choose to be alone and enjoy their life at the same time, staying mentally healthy and creating things that will bring memories and will create great conversations with Friends, when you choose to share. William Blakeney

I pray and meditate, I also surround myself with positive people to keep my spirits up. It's a struggle everyday to stay in control of my mental health but everyday of survival and triumph over mental difficulties is a good day. Continue to take care of your mental health brothers and sisters, we will survive and you are never alone.

I play WordsWithFriends, chess and multiple casinos (for free fun). I keep in contact with friends and family via social media and texting. I work part time to keep active from a multitude or perspectives and maintain a positive attitude.I’m 77 and look forward to another 30 years.

As an 87-year-old veteran who entered the field of genealogy after the sudden death of my wife I find that trying to trace families to help others learn of the heritage, including my own back as far as 1681 is certainly an exercise that should keep the mind from stagnation.

Not focusing so much on me, helps me. My family and I take our Christian faith seriously, we serve others and worship. Doing those is a huge help, especially when I returned from my last deployment. Additionally, our marriage is strong, and while that is a job of sorts, it's also a huge stabilizing factor. Finally, in all the jobs I've had since retirement I've been fortunate enough to directly or indirectly help active duty Soldiers. Not quite the same as being an NCO, but servant- leadership is always available, in and out of uniform!