Have you ever noticed how stress can affect your mood? When under stress, you may find yourself snapping at your partner or saying hurtful things you wouldn’t dream of saying had you been in a better mood.It is no secret that our mental health can have a great impact on how we handle our relationships – romantic and otherwise.
The World Health Organization reveals that mental health issues affect one in four individuals. This means that there are more instances of relationship conflict than ever before.
By taking care of their mental health, a patient will take care of their marriage. These are simple, yet effective methods patients can use to improve their mental health.
Reduce Screen Time
Have you ever been talking to your spouse only to realize they have been scrolling their Instagram through your entire story? Feeling ignored by the one we love the most hurts. It can also be incredibly frustrating.
Research shows that 80 percent of smartphone users engage their phone within one hour of waking up or going to sleep. Cell phones can be great tools for work and play, but they can also be damaging to your relationship and your mental health.
A Chinese study of more than 243 married couples found that ignoring your spouse in favor of your phone undermines relationship satisfaction and is a significant risk factor for depression in married couples.
Improve your mental health and your relationship by reducing screen time and giving your partner your undivided attention.
Learn to Talk about Money
Couples will not be surprised to read that relationship conflict often stems from money troubles.
It can be awkward for couples to talk about debt or earnings. Partners may also have different ideas about how to spend or save money, which can lead to unnecessary arguments and stress.
Low-income couples are also more likely to be hurt by mental health disorders. Because of this, it’s important that spouses learn to talk about money and responsibility to budget their income. This can reduce instances of conflict in the home and improve your mental state.
Communicate Regularly
Communication is the cornerstone of a healthy relationship. When couples learn how to communicate their needs, desires, and concerns to each other, they stop relationship conflict in its tract.
Healthy communication is about expressing your feelings honestly in a way that shows respect and compassion for your spouse. It’s about learning to approach problems as teammates instead of enemies.
Work on Reducing Stress
Stress is one of the biggest factors in poor mental health and relationship conflict.
Self-care is important in reducing stress. Regularly take time to do things you enjoy and promote peace and calm in your life, such as playing an instrument, going for a walk, taking a bath, or getting a massage.
Research indicates that couples also reduce stress when they spend time together. Couples who make quality time a priority also experience a spike in happiness, which can also contribute to a decline in anxiety.
Learn to Forgive
A person’s ability to forgive has a direct impact on their mental health. Research shows that stress and lower levels of forgiveness “uniquely predicted worse mental and physical health.”
In large part, this is because forgiving someone releases negative emotions and promotes positive behavior, feelings, and emotions. The study goes on to say that forgiveness improves mental health by lowering anxiety, stress, risk of depression, and other major psychiatric disorders.
Spend Quality Time Together
One way to reduce relationship conflict is by making quality time with your spouse a priority.
A regular date night is more important than you think in maintaining a happy marriage, positive mental health, and decreasing relationship conflict.
Spending quality time with your spouse can help you to bond and connect as romantic partners, leaving the stress of work or parenting behind. Research indicates that couples who have at least one date night a month are provided with a “buffer or an escape from the stresses that confront them or time to engage in collaborative coping that can reduce […] stresses.”
Couples who date each other at least once a month are also less likely to get divorced than couples who do not.
Use Scent to Your Advantage
Have you ever smelled something and it made you feel a certain way? Perhaps a certain perfume reminds you of someone you love or the scent of baking cookies makes you feel all warm inside. These reactions prove that scent can have a powerful effect on our emotions.
Do not underestimate the positive role scent can play in controlling anxiety. Research shows that lavender oil can have a calming and therapeutic effect. It can act as a mood stabilizer and even a sedative in some situations.
Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Getting a proper night’s rest has many physical health benefits, but it can also improve your mental health and emotional resilience.
Not only is it important to get at least eight hours of sleep, but it’s also essential to go to bed with a clear mind since going to bed angry can change the way your brain holds onto negative memories.
Emotional memories, such as hurt feelings and negative experiences, become resistant to change when they are not resolved before bedtime.
The Nature Journal reveals that “A failure to suppress unwanted memories has been linked to symptoms in a number of psychiatric disorders including the ruminative state found in depression and intrusive memories in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”
This study highlights the importance of communicating with your spouse about problems you are having in the relationships and resolving them promptly and respectfully.
Maintain a Healthy Diet and Exercise Routine
Your mental health can be positively affected by meditation and yoga. Yoga has been proven to reduce anxiety and anxiety-related behavior such as having panic attacks. It has also been shown to reduce stress and the effects of depression, both of which can worsen your mental health over time.
Along with an active exercise routine, eating a healthy diet can also improve your outlook on life. Foods that are rich in protein increase dopamine, which can make you feel happier and improve your brain health, as does drinking enough water.
Increase the Quality of Sexual Intimacy
Would you be surprised to learn that sex is good for your mental health?
Sexual intimacy is an important part of any marriage. Not only does it feel amazing, but it also connects couples on an emotional level and strengthens their bond.
The oxytocin hormone released during acts of intimacy, such as sex, holding hands, or cuddling, has also been proven to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, anxiety, and even act as an antidepressant for women.
Feeling closely connected to your partner in this way can help reduce relationship conflict and make you more tolerant of one another.
It is the goal of all married couples to be happy and enjoy one another’s company, not to argue. Patients do not have to live with poor mental health, nor should they allow it to create relationship conflict in their lives.
These 10 tips can help patients stay emotionally, physically, and mentally healthy and contribute to a life of peace and happiness.