If mantras or mindful breathing aren't your thing, that's fine. When it comes to managing your mental health, the best therapies are the ones that work for you.
There are those who give it their all for meditation and yes, sometimes that involves repeating words or deep breathing. Meditation can be relaxing and has been shown to benefit overall health and well-being, but it is not for everyone. In fact, experts point out that meditation, in rare cases, can even cause or worsen symptoms of anxiety and depression.
5 non-traditional methods to improve mental health
Music therapy
Making or listening to music can be an effective tool to improve your mental health. Help people explore their thoughts and feelings.
Music therapy can ease anxiety related to treatment or illness, and there may also be short-term benefits for people with depression. And adding music therapy to 'usual treatment' improved depressive symptoms and anxiety , compared to usual care alone, according to a November 2017 analysis published by the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
Art therapy
This therapeutic approach transcends the limits of language. In other words, it gives people a different way to express their feelings, symptoms, or emotions, according to a May 2019 review in the journal Psychiatric Research.
Through the creation, reflection and recreation of images, patients renegotiate their relationship with psychological states such as anxiety and depression.
Four studies showed "significant reductions" in depressive symptoms , compared to baseline measures, after eight to 12 week sessions of art therapy.
Equine therapy
If working with horses appeals to you, you may find this form of animal-assisted therapy quite relaxing. Small studies and anecdotal evidence show that it can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Is it as effective as traditional psychotherapy? That remains unclear. An August 2019 review published by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health identified only one relevant study: After six weeks of equine therapy, 10 American veterans showed no significant improvement in symptoms, endurance, or levels of stress compared to a control group, according to the January 2019 study in the Journal of Integrative Medicine.
There were no studies of this type that compared the effectiveness of equine therapy alone or as an adjunct to traditional treatment for anxiety and depression.
Dance movement therapy
No, this is not a night at a disco. It is a type of psychotherapy that uses body movement as a non-verbal language.
In the therapeutic field, movements and the way they are carried out are an expression of emotions. The therapist, for example, could non-verbally tune into a patient's body rhythm using a technique called "mirroring." People feel seen and understood in what they are experiencing.
Ecotherapy
When was the last time you were in communion with nature? If you have anxiety, depression or PTSD, you might consider harnessing the power of the great outdoors.
"Ecotherapy" encompasses many therapeutic approaches. How about a walk in the woods or a bike ride outside?
There is evidence that these types of activities can lead to positive improvements in health, according to a January 2011 systemic review in the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health.
Walking in nature, compared to an urban setting, reduces activity in the region of the brain associated with ruminating negative thoughts. Spending time in nature can also lower blood pressure and cortisol levels .
