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Exercise is a good way to reduce stress, improve mental health, and also improve physical health while you're at it. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information Exercise can improve a plethora of things.
According to them exercise can release stress, reduce anxiety, depression, and improve mood. It is very good for your mental health. This break I plan on exercising more. I plan to go on more runs and go to the gym more often.

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1470658/

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Sir: In this era of exponential growth of the "metabolic syndrome" and obesity, lifestyle modifications could be a cost-effective way to improve health and quality of life. Lifestyle modifications can assume especially great importance in individuals with serious mental illness. Many of these individuals are at a high risk of chronic diseases associated with sedentary behavior and medication side effects, including diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and cardiovascular disease. An essential component of lifestyle modification is exercise. The importance of exercise is not adequately understood or appreciated by patients and mental health professionals alike. Evidence has suggested that exercise may be an often-neglected intervention in mental health care.

Aerobic exercises, including jogging, swimming, cycling, walking, gardening, and dancing, have been proved to reduce anxiety and depression. These improvements in mood are proposed to be caused by exercise-induced increase in blood circulation to the brain and by an influence on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and, thus, on the physiologic reactivity to stress. This physiologic influence is probably mediated by the communication of the HPA axis with several regions of the brain, including the limbic system, which controls motivation and mood; the amygdala, which generates fear in response to stress; and the hippocampus, which plays an important part in memory formation as well as in mood and motivation.

Other hypotheses that have been proposed to explain the beneficial effects of physical activity on mental health include distraction, self-efficacy, and social interaction. While structured group programs can be effective for individuals with serious mental illness, lifestyle changes that focus on the accumulation and increase of moderate-intensity activity throughout the day may be the most appropriate for most patients. Interestingly, adherence to physical activity interventions in psychiatric patients appears to be comparable to that in the general population.

Exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function. Exercise has also been found to alleviate symptoms such as low self-esteem and social withdrawal. Exercise is especially important in patients with schizophrenia since these patients are already vulnerable to obesity and also because of the additional risk of weight gain associated with antipsychotic treatment, especially with the atypical antipsychotics. Patients suffering from schizophrenia who participated in a 3-month physical conditioning program showed improvements in weight control and reported increased fitness levels, exercise tolerance, reduced blood pressure levels, increased perceived energy levels, and increased upper body and hand grip strength levels. Thirty minutes of exercise of moderate intensity, such as brisk walking for 3 days a week, is sufficient for these health benefits. Moreover, these 30 minutes need not to be continuous; three 10-minute walks are believed to be as equally useful as one 30-minute walk.

Health benefits from regular exercise that should be emphasized and reinforced by every mental health professional to their patients include the following:

1. Increased interest in sex

2. Increased energy and stamina

3. Reduced tiredness that can increase mental alertness

4. Reduced cholesterol and improved cardiovascular fitness

Mental health service providers can thus provide effective, evidence-based physical activity interventions for individuals suffering from serious mental illness. Further studies should be done to understand the impact of combining such interventions with traditional mental health treatment including psychopharmacology and psychotherapy.

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Sir: In this era of exponential growth of the "metabolic syndrome" and obesity, lifestyle modifications could be a cost-effective way to improve health and quality of life. Lifestyle modifications can assume especially great importance in individuals with serious mental illness.

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I chose sleep. I chose this because when you sleep it helps to relax your brain. During sleep, the body and brain repair themselves, strengthening the immune system. Sleep supports healthy brain function and emotional well- being. One of the benefits of having enough sleep is ability to concentrate and have full attention Sleep is vital for the brain to function properly which includes cognition, concentration, productivity and performance. Over the break I am going to try to get a good amount of sleep.
Beat Depression in as Little as 8 Weeks | Success TMS

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What is TMS Therapy?

Brains with depression have less electromagnetic activity than brains without depression.

What our patients said
after their 8-week treatment

In less than 20 minutes per session , TMS therapy can provide you a future free from depression.

Get Your FREE Consultation or Talk to Us.

What is TMS Therapy?

Brains with depression have
less electromagnetic activity
than brains without depression.

Using magnets, TMS therapy gently stimulates key areas of the brain to treat depression.

Take this next step, we'll help with the others.

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Over 300 million lives are covered for TMS therapy.

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Beat Depression in as Little as 8 Weeks | Success TMS

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What is TMS Therapy? Brains with depression have less electromagnetic activity than brains without depression. What our patients saidafter their 8-week treatment In less than 20 minutes per session , TMS therapy can provide you a future free from depression. Get Your FREE Consultation or Talk to Us. What is TMS Therapy?

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Journaling has been shown to improve mental health such as in reducing anxiety and stress. Researchers found that after people with medical conditions and anxiety journaled for 15 minutes for three days a week for a 12-week period had increased feelings of well-being and felt less depressed. Writing out thoughts can help understand our problems and feelings.

Over break I plan to journal occasionally to help improve my mental health.

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/mental-health-benefits-of-journaling

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Over time, stress can build in your body and wreak havoc on your mind. One of the best ways to fight this is by training your mind actively to relax. This decreases stress levels, lowers blood pressure, and reduces muscle tension.  It helps us to have a calmer and clearer mind which aids positive thinking, concentration, memory and decision making. Being relaxed can help ease stress too.
Relaxation will help improve my mental health over break because it will lower my heart rate from stress that was created in  the past couple days. It will also help my sleep schedule because it is not normal. Feeling peaceful and quieting my mind is something I would like to achieve with relaxation.

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Ava Salvatore-Spending Time With Friends and Family

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Ava Salvatore-Spending Time With Friends and Family

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Spending time with family and friends is a helpful way to have good mental health. It has been proven that a social life can cause happiness, lower stress, cause good moods, discourage bad thoughts and boost good ones. The hard thing about this mental practice is the affect that Covid 19 has had on our Society. Over the past year and a half people have really not gotten a chance to be with each other. But, as things start to open up again, everyone is reuniting with loved ones.

Over the break I can keep up this mental practice by enjoying the time that I have with friends and family. Before Covid we all really took seeing family for granted and weren’t really appreciative for the time together. And complained about an inconvenience. But now we all have learned to be more appreciative. Over break I will work on spending time with friends and family and enjoy making memories.

https://time.com/5609508/social-support-health-benefits/#:~:text=A%20robust%20social%20life%2C%20these,aid%20virtually%20everything%20in%20between.

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Exercising is a good way to practice mental because exercising improves self esteem and   being able to treat depression. Many studies have shown that exercising helps treat people with mild tp moderate depression almost as effectively as antidepressants. Exercising is also found to help people from relapsing from depression. Exercising is very beneficial for helping people with depression and helping you improve your self esteem.

Over break I will try to exercise as much as I can because I found that exercising is a good way to relive stress and help me get away from stress. Over the break I will be traveling and spending time with family but also working on a project for school and school is the thing that stresses me out the most so I will try and find time during my day to exercise to better my mental health over the break.

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In a world were communication through social media is the norm, it can be difficult to hold "true" conversation with others. But people cannot thrive without social health, it being one of the 3 corners of the health triangle. Socializing can generate positive feedback in mental and physical health aspects. Connecting with friends and family can help to lower anxiety and depression levels, while boosting self-esteem. Studies have shown that people who have close support groups are much less likely to develop diseases, like cardiovascular disease.
Having conversations with others can make you feel heard, and less alone. Supporting each other is especially important, with both COVID-19 and social media "separating" us. After a year of virtual learning, I've found socializing to be sometimes difficult, but I do enjoy talking with friends. Going into break, I want to spend time with my family, and really connect with the people around me. Hanging out with friends greatly improves my mental health. I'd like to connect with people face-to-face more, instead of through screens.

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Going outside has been shown to reduce anxiety and stress. It has been shown to help you pay attention better, and refresh your mind if you are distracted. It has also been shown to reduce loneliness as well. I like going for walks in the morning because it's really cold and helps me focus on the day ahead. I think it would be beneficial for others to go for short walks as well because its a easy way to take a break from whatever you are doing.

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Music helps people relax when they are stressed, it can relax your muscles and calm you down after a stressful day. 60 bpm can cause your brain to synchronize with the music which makes alpha waves in your brain which is what makes us relaxed. Quieter music like jazz is very good at relaxing the mind.

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Exercise is very good for mental health because it lowers chances of getting mental illnesses. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health discovered that running for 15 minutes or walking for an hour a day reduces the risk of major depression 26%. Exercise releases endorphins which are power chemicals that lift your spirits and make you feel good. Exercise is also a benefit for anxiety. Exercise relieves tension, stress, and boosts mental and physical energy. Exercise helps with memory, higher self esteem, better sleep, more energy, and stronger resilience. On average participants experienced 3.4 days of poor mental health a month without exercise compared to participants experienced 1.5 days of poor mental health with exercise. Mental health problems reduced 43% with exercise. I am trying to boost my mental health by working out everyday. I go to the gym Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday to try and make me feel better about myself and work on my mental health. On Mondays and Thursdays I go to boxing which helps me release anger and increase endorphins which will make my mood better.

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When you do yoga, your brain cells develop new connections, and changes occur in brain structure as well as function, resulting in improved cognitive skills, such as learning and memory. Yoga strengthens parts of the brain that play a key role in memory, attention, awareness, thought, and language.
Aside from the physical benefits, one of the best benefits of yoga is how it helps a person manage stress, which is known to have devastating effects on the body and mind.
Yoga’s incorporation of meditation and breathing can help improve a person’s mental well-being.
When I do yoga, I feel connected to my body, by clearing my mind and focusing on nothing. Yoga provides relief for my muscles and mind, maybe after a workout, or at the end of the day to relive stress buildup from that day.

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Laughing is great for your physical and mental health. For example, when someone laughs, they take in more oxygen rich air. This stimulates your lungs, heart and muscles. Laughing also increases heart rate and the amount of oxygen in your lungs, improving vascular function. This circulation of oxygen through the body causes Cortisol (stress hormone) levels to decrease. Nothing suppresses a bad mood like a good laugh. Laughing inflates endorphin release, fighting off stress and turning that frown upside-down.
I already laugh quite a lot, so I won't have a hard time increasing laughter in my life. I'm spending most of thanksgiving break with friends in Florida anyway.

Source: https://www.usa.edu/blog/how-laughter-can-relieve-stress/

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Running is proven to improve memory, it is also a good positive mental health practice because "As you run, the body releases norepinephrine, a chemical that moderates your brain's response to stress." When you run, it helps release stress. so if you're ever worried about a test result, you could run. It also helps psychical health because you increase stamina and lose calories when you run. Running also helps mental health because you build strength.

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I chose keeping in touch for my positive mental health practice. Being around your family and friends can help you deal with any stress in your life. Your family and friends can help you feel cared for and loved. If you cannot spend time in-person with your family and friends in person FaceTime them, call them, text them, etc.
I will being using this technique during thanksgiving break. One way that I'm going to keep in touch is having a friendsgiving. My family is also coming over for Thanksgiving. This technique will help me feel loved and cared for.

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Strong family ties and supportive friends can help you deal with the stresses of life. Friends and family can make you feel included and cared for. They can offer different views from whatever's going on inside your own head. They can help keep you active, keep you grounded and help you solve practical problems.

There's nothing better than catching up with someone face-to-face. But that's not always possible. Give them a call, drop them a note or chat to them online instead. Keep the lines of communication open. It's good for you!

If you're feeling out of touch with some people, look back at our section on talking about your feelings and get started!

"Just chilling out with friends relaxes me. We have a laugh and I feel good."

It's worth working at relationships that make you feel loved or valued. But if you think being around someone is damaging your mental health, it may be best to take a break from them or call it a day completely. It's possible to end a relationship in a way that feels ok for both of you.

It can be hard to cope when someone close to you dies or you lose them another way. Counselling for bereavement or loss can help you explore your feelings.
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Strong family ties and supportive friends can help you deal with the stresses of life. Friends and family can make you feel included and cared for. They can offer different views from whatever's going on inside your own head.

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One thing that is proven to boost mental health is excersize. Studies show that walking for an hour or running for 15 minutes can reduce the risk of major depression by 26%. Excersizing can distract you and give you time ot not think about all the negative things. It can also help with anxiety by relieving tension and stress when you focus only on how you feel while excersizing. Not only that, but getting out and excersizing is proven to help other things like PTSD, ADHD, and stress because it releases endorphins in the brain and gives you higher self-esteem. It also helps you sleep better at night and gives you more energy during the day. Over break I can get outside everyday to run or bike to improve my mental health.

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Effects of Time Management on Mental Health -Caitlin O'Connor

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Effects of Time Management on Mental Health -Caitlin O'Connor

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Time management is a practice that allows us to do the tasks we need to in a structured order. It helps our productivity, levels of stress, and aids balancing all the things we want and need to do throughout our days.

McLean Hospital says, "your ability to categorize tasks and manage your time can help mitigate anxiety, depression, and even problems in the quality of sleep you get every night." By helping us to be more productive, managing our time rids us  of the stress that comes from procrastination and gives us a sense of accomplishment.. another thing that creates a good mental health.

Using time management, I will try to allot my time to doing more productive things and not procrastinating doing homework to help myself save time for the other things I love to do during this season.

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Reading improves my mental health because it helps me to mentally escape and destress. Studies have shown that reading helps reduce stress levels by 68%.  In addition, reading proves to be almost as or even as effective as therapy. Reading also enhances brain activity. I am trying to finish my book over the break and start a new one. Over break if I am ever stressed I will read a book.

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Taking time to journal and write is a great mental health practiced that can help with stress, anxiety, and overall breaking down your thoughts. By spending time processing your surroundings and situation, and putting it into words, we can get a clearer understanding of ourselves and our feelings.  A 2006 study by Stice, Burton, Bearman, & Rohde showed that writing in a journal can be as effective as cognitive-behavioral therapy when it comes to reducing the risk of depression in young adults. Also, when writing down our thoughts/struggles, it reduces the chance of it being expressed to someone in anger, because of the previous evaluation through writing. Over break, i'll use journaling to be able to wind down, over stress of homework, and traveling/family.

-Zion Brown

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Biking has been proven to decrease stress and lower the possibility of depression. Cycling can also help you sleep more and better and will improve memory. While biking, you could also feel relaxed and can clear out your mind and isolate into deep thought away from the world. Biking has cleared out my mind in the past even if I'm not upset or mad about something. I also just bike around just because its fun and is a good way to spend some time and stay active and in shape.

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Mental Health Practice: Practicing Mindfulness
For example:
- Practice mindful eating: eating healthy foods and taking care of oneself through proper eating and consumption
- Being aware of your body: Taking the time to exercise and resting well
- Taking time to oneself: letting yourself take a breath and think about things thoroughly and honestly

How do I plan to use this practice:
- I don't (jkjkjk)
- Really just doing all the thing listed. If possible.

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Music has had tremendous success as a tool for stress relief. While some types of music such as classical and ambient have long been studied for their calming effects, listening to your personal favorite music of any genre also has benefits and bring up how happy you are as a person. From research, 62% of respondent from a survey said that Music (from all genres) can help them fall asleep, since music is the universal language of emotions. People like myself can practice this at home by finding myself and the music that I like and more importantly, embrace it, and know that it's ok to spill emotions.

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Research a positive mental health practice (as we have before). Find a practice which you would be willing to try...

Write at least a paragraph describing this mental health practice and providing supporting evidence as to how it actually works to enhance someone's mental health.

Next, explain how you plan to use this practice going into break and after break to support you own mental health.