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

I enjoy getting outside and taking in the fresh air by walking. I find that some form of exercise helps with my mental health.

I try to stay in touch, with my old unit buddies as much as possible.

I've learned that dealing with multiple mental health issues the best thing to do in time of need is to stop what I'm doing, breathe, and recenter my peace. I listen to happy music, light scented candles, and try to remember that what im going through are just feelings, and they are temporary.

I forgot to add
I work hard on getting the best sleep I can

One of my favorite topics:
Exercise
Meditatation
Therapy
Anxiety & Depression meds

I walk, daily.
I've had several dozen surgeries & been diagnosed with a handful of chronic conditions, one of which is depression. I found that just going for a brief walk improved my outlook, so I started doing it daily. I'm up to 4 miles a day. I start in the early morning, just as the day's dawning. To walk at a leisurely pace & listen to the birds & watch the wildlife getting ready for another day has made a huge difference in how I perceive not only my own mental health, but my entire perception of life.

I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone, no matter their condition. Just being in the open air & looking around at something other than the same walls will change ones life. It costs nothing & takes only a small amount of time. It's certainly a worthwhile investment in ones mental health.

Rally

SFC DENISE ANDREWS
I keep my Dr.'s appointments, take my medications , work in Emergency Department as a Registered Nurse taking care of other veterans and of course cuddle my Service Dog.

I was a combat medic in Vietnam in 1968, serving just outside Hue during TET the entire month of February. Consequently, many of the things I saw and did came home with me.
In 1990, I was encouraged to write about some of my most intense experiences. As a result, my writing was included in the book "Combat Medic-Vietnam," compiled by Craig Roberts. When the book was published, I visited high school Social Studies and History classes to read my chapter. The goal was to help students understand the tragic sacrifice of combat.
However, I gradually learned to manage many of my PTSD symptoms through reading to the students and answering their questions. My nightmares became less frequent, and I was becoming less anxious when around groups of people.
In 1997, I decided to spend my 50th birthday in Hue, Vietnam. My purpose was to superimpose combat memories with new, pleasant ones. I found Vietnam to be beautiful, peaceful, and populated by gentle, gracious people. I returned two years later, this time with my wife. We both learned to love the country and its people.
In 2005, a flood devastated a village north of Hue. We raised money and travelled again to Vietnam to help recovery efforts. It was the village I spent TET '68 in. The exercise became a wonderful replacement for my war-time memories in that place.
On subsequent visits, we continued to support needs in the Hue area. During a trip in 2015, we met a family whose ancestors were from the same village I was in during TET 1968. We "adopted" that family. Or perhaps they adopted us. One daughter was just graduating from college, and another was finishing high school. We decided to fund her desire to become a registered pharmacist with four years of college. Since then, their youngest - a boy - decided to study mechanical engineering. We are now helping him with tuition and housing.
We video chat or message with our Vietnam family daily. The oldest daughter now has a child, so we are now great-grandparents to a beautiful 6-month old boy.
The initial exposure through the book and classrooms, then the many trips to Vietnam, has done more to manage my chronic depression and PTSD than medicine and counselling could ever do. Frequent exposure is my method to manage psychological combat residue.

Whenever I start to feel stressed or overwhelmed, there are two things I do: On a daily basis, I take a bubble bath - I am completely alone, listening to music or watching whatever show I'm binging, very little chance of disturbance because everyone in my house knows that is MY TIME. The other thing I do is head for the ocean. I love to "play hookie" (aka take a sick/personal day) and head to the Keys (45 minutes away) and sit by the ocean. I might get into the water, but most of the time I don't. I find a bench or a table and I write my fiction or paint my landscapes. I always return home feeling so much better and refreshed.