"I don't know man, I just feel off," Jeremy tells me as we walk into a local coffee shop. We catch up for the next hour and throughout the conversation Jeremy names a slough of reasons why he seems to be slumping. Seasonal depression, the news cycle, allergies have been rough, the economy, general everyday worries, and the list goes on.
I listen for a while, thinking about what I do when I get into a slump. Earlier that week my wife had told me about a book she was reading that described the immense benefits of walking. "Have you tried walking?" I interrupt. Jeremy looks at me somewhat puzzled. "Yeah, I mean how many steps do you get a day?" "I have no idea..." After looking, Jeremy was only averaging around 5,000 steps a day. It made sense. He has an office job, comes home to help with his family, maybe does some housework, watches a show on Netflix, and goes to sleep.
At the time, I didn't know how much he was supposed to walk or how much it could really help, but it turns out that my interjected suggestion was actually helpful.
Whether it's the onset of winter with shorter days and cooler temps, not walking enough, or life just not going our way, there are plenty of reasons why you might feel like you're in a funk. If you're struggling with your mental health in any capacity, here are a few numbers you can use to give yourself a mental health check up.
Step Count
The first number we should look at during our self check up is our step count. Research tells us that we only have to get 10,000 steps a day to significantly lower anxiety, depression, anger, fatigue, confusion, and total mood distress scores. Luckily, nearly all smartphones come with a built-in pedometer these days so the data is easily available.
Books Read
Assigned reading is common in most schools and, unfortunately, for 33% of Americans that was seemingly enough as they won't read a book after high school. A travesty that could be impacting their mental health. We know that reading provides immense cognitive benefits as it is complex task that utilizes multiple parts of your brain. Reading also helps us relieve stress, increases our capacity for creativity, and helps us be more empathetic. Feeling low? Open a book.
Screen Time
The final number we should be looking at for our mental health check up is our screen time. Both Android and iPhones have a screen time tracking feature so the data is accessible to most people. One poll found that during the Pandemic adults were spending over 19 hours a day on a screen! While that number has gone down slightly, we know that spending over six hours showed increased risks for depression and anxiety. The number to shoot for should be around two hours, with no more than 30 minutes on social media per day.
There's no one-size-fits-all solution for people's mental health challenges, but sometimes we just need a check up to establish where we can start making the most progress.
Fact
29% of American adults report having been diagnosed with depression in their lifetime.
Action
Set screen timers on your phone to limit your usage.
Question
Between reading more, walking more, or using your phone less, which would be the easiest to implement?
Quote
“I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.” - Groucho Marx
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