As a millennial, you may be busy juggling your family, career, and other commitments, but may forget about your behavioral wellness. It seems millennials are affected by problems relating to behavioral health. Behavioral wellness helps to improve your self-awareness, make healthy choices, and achieve proper balance in all areas of your life.
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) says millennials may become less healthy as they age. Millennials are those born between 1981 to 1996. Although they may seem to have a more excellent investment in health and wellness than generations before them, they seem to be less healthy as they age.
The research points out that they have a double-digit increase in the top 10 health conditions. Sadly they are affected mostly by behavioral health conditions with numbers skyrocketing in depression and hyperactivity.
So here are the top 10 conditions affecting the millennials.
Depression
Substance use disorder
Alcohol use disorder
Hypertension
Hyperactivity
Psychotic conditions
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
High cholesterol
Tobacco use disorder
Type 2 diabetes
Deborah Serani, PsyD, professor at Adelphi University and award-winning author of “Living with Depression,” explains in Healthline that the circumstances that millennials grew up may be the culprit.
Things such as technological advances, media overload, the school of thought that everyone wins, the two-income households, and undefined work schedules may have contributed to this scenario.
If you’re suffering from any of these conditions, visit your doctor immediately. Also, you can improve the quality of your life by making suitable lifestyle changes. Let’s see how we can treat most of these conditions naturally.
How to treat depression naturally?
Depression can thwart you away from your routine, so set up a timetable and follow a method. Set goals for yourself even though it’s minimal because depression increases a sense of worthlessness and makes you wander without a purpose.
One of the best ways to treat depression naturally is through exercise. Exercise releases the feel-good chemicals endorphins and rewires your brain in positive ways.
Foods also play a positive role in reducing depression. Foods such as salmon and tuna are rich in omega 3 fatty acids.
Folic acid, rich foods, such as spinach and avocadoes, are also beneficial. All these foods help to fight depression and boost your brain health.
Other helpful ways include rest and taking on challenges. Try to get enough sleep. Take on new responsibilities. When you’re depressed, you’ll want to shrink back from what life has to offer you.
Staying involved will give you a sense of accomplishment. Try to do something new, such as visiting a museum, volunteering or participating in a race, etc. It will increase the secretion of dopamine, which improves enjoyment, pleasure, and learning.
Schedule some time to do things that you enjoy. It may be cooking, gardening, or anything, just relax and have fun.
How to treat alcohol use disorder naturally?
Alcohol use disorder is not easy to control; just only by your will power. It’s a brain disease that makes changes to your brain, and leaving it becomes dangerous. To overcome it, get professional advice from your doctor. Give a complete detox to your body to remove alcohol from your system and allow it to heal naturally.
Get the advice of a counselor or therapist. Build a reliable support system, manage your stress. Set goals and try to achieve them. Work on the behaviors that trigger you to drink alcohol. You can go in for focus counseling or one on one therapy session.
Join a group therapy or a support group. The people you meet there will thoroughly understand your problems, and you’ll find people whom you can relate to.
Recovery can take a long time. If the disorder relapse, never feel that you’ve failed. Visit your doctor, and continue to take steps to fight it, surely you will-just give yourself some time.
How to treat substance use disorder naturally?
Developing an addiction is not a sign of weakness, but it takes more than will power to overcome it. Decide you want to change. Keep track of the drug use.
Addiction treatment options include detoxification, behavioral counseling, medication, long term follow up, or medical treatment. Whatever treatment options you chose first involve yourself in a sober social network, build up a support system of friends and family.
Keep your drug triggers and cravings in check. Move away from friends who use it, avoid clubs and bars, and practice caution while taking prescription drugs.
Distract yourself by involving in a creative hobby. When you experience a craving, remember all the negative consequences of drugs.
Build a meaningful life by enjoying nature, adopting a pet, getting involved in community activities, setting a goal, looking after your health, and enjoying arts.
How to treat hypertension naturally?
Hypertension can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. You can lower your blood pressure even without medication. Exercise or walk regularly, reduce your sodium intake, include potassium-rich foods in your diet.
Reduce your alcohol intake, cut back on caffeine, reduce your stress levels, and eat dark chocolate. They are rich in flavonoids; they’ll dilate blood vessels, thus boosting blood flow and lowering blood pressure.
Reduce your weight, quit smoking, cut back on added sugar and refined carbohydrates. Practice meditation and deep breathing, eat a lot of berries, and include calcium-rich foods in your diet.
Natural supplements like aged garlic extract, whey protein, berberine, hibiscus, and fish oil can also prove beneficial. Adding magnesium-rich foods to your diet relaxes and lowers blood pressure.
How to treat hyperactivity naturally?
Medications for hyperactivity has been increased in recent years. These medications may cause side effects, but alternative therapies can be a good option. Here are some natural ways you can control the symptoms of ADHD.
Forego preservatives and food colorings. Avoiding potential allergens may improve the behavior of ADHD. So cut back chemical additives and preservatives such as BHT, milk and eggs, chocolates, and foods containing salicylate.
Join a yoga or taichi class. Research has shown that yoga has brought about significant improvements in anxiety, hyperactivity, and social problems in boys having ADHD.
Spend some time outside in nature, just 20 minutes of breathing in the fresh air, enjoying the greenery, and being with nature can improve concentration significantly.
Behavioral therapy also gives good results. Likewise, treatment with supplements forms significant alternative treatment. Supplements such as L-carnitine, vitamin B6, zinc, and magnesium prove useful. Also, you can try herbs like ginseng, ginkgo, and passionflower to calm hyperactivity.
However, supplementation can be dangerous without a doctor’s guidance, seek medical assistance before supplementation with nutrients or herbs.
How to treat Crohn’s disease and ulcerative disease naturally?
Pay attention to your diet. Beware of gluten foods such as bread, pasta, and sauces. Avoid spicy and fried foods and dairy. Include fiber-rich foods in your diet.
Probiotics help to improve your symptoms of digestion. So include probiotic foods such as kombucha, yogurt, kimchi, kefir, miso, pickles, tofu, and sauerkraut.
Prebiotics act as a healthy fertilizer and help in the growth of good bacteria. Including sources such as banana, asparagus, legumes, chicory root, dandelion greens, and Jerusalem artichokes helps to stimulate the growth of good bacteria.
Go slow with prebiotics; if you’re experiencing any flareups. The fiber present in prebiotoics may worsen the condition. Include anti-inflammatory foods such as green leafy veggies, virgin olive oil, fatty fish, and fruits.
Some helpful herbs to include are aloe vera juice, slippery elm bark, turmeric, and glutamine. If you have a flareup, give your body time to heal.
Take a liquid diet and provide some rest for your bowl. Get some extra sleep, minimize stress, avoid intense exercise, and take adequate naps.
Avoid large portions and eat smaller meals to put less stress on your digestive system. Drink lots of water to avoid dehydration, especially if you had a bout of diarrhea. Also, add electrolyte based fluids such as coconut water or broth. Steer clear of sweetened beverages and carbonated drinks.
How to treat high cholesterol naturally?
High cholesterol is a significant risk factor for heart disease. A healthy lifestyle helps to manage your blood cholesterol effectively. To control cholesterol naturally, quit smoking, try to reduce weight, and exercise daily.
Include foods that are rich in fiber and omega 3 fatty acids. Avoid foods that are high in saturated fats. Eliminate stress, drink alcohol in moderation, and avoid trans fats at all costs.
Natural remedies for high cholesterol include Astralagus, hawthorn, flaxseed, fish rich in omega 3 fatty acids, garlic red yeast rice, and plant sterol and stanol supplements. Consult your doctor before taking any supplements.
How to treat tobacco use disorder naturally?
Watch out for cravings; they usually last less than five minutes. During those times, keep your hands busy, go for a walk, do the dishes, or have a healthy snack.
Exercise regularly, join a support group, eat regular healthy meals, identify your triggers such as people, places, or situations, and stay away from them.
Alternative medicine treatments such as acupuncture, hypnosis, meditation, and herbs such as St. John’s wort and supplements such as the dietary supplements SAMe, silver acetate can prove beneficial.
To stay smoke-free, practice positive self-talk, remain motivated, and don’t get discouraged even if you slip. Identify your primary smoking triggers and seek support. Similarly, set smoke-free boundaries, avoid alcohol, review the benefits you’re getting from being smoke-free and reward yourself.
How to treat type 2 diabetes naturally?
Alternative treatments can be beneficial, but some may be harmful. Always talk to your doctor before you try any remedy.
Acupuncture, biofeedback, guided imagery are beneficial alternative treatments to treat diabetes.
Natural supplements like chromium, magnesium, vanadium, Coenzyme Q10 are helpful. Herbs such as ginseng have a sugar-lowering compound that may be useful.
People with type 2 diabetes may concentrate on buckwheat, brewers yeast, broccoli, and other greens, cloves, cinnamon, coffee, okra, sage, fenugreek greens, and sage.
Improve your diet, with fresh or frozen veggies, whole grains, lean meats, beans, and low fat or fat-free dairy. Eat nonstarchy vegetables like carrots, broccoli, and lettuce.
Avoid high glycemic index foods; they are usually processed foods. Likewise, l
Reduce especially your belly fat to help lower your glucose levels.
Exercise regularly; the more intense you exercise, the better; instead of jogging, you could do high-intensity interval training. Also, control sleep apnea to manage sugar spikes and dips.
Reduce stress by practicing yoga and deep breathing before going to bed. Maintain a slightly cold temperature in your sleep environment. Block out all sound and noise and establish a sleep schedule.
Discussed in this post are mostly lifestyle modifications; you must get medical treatment and supplement lifestyle changes to lead a healthy, optimistic, and happy life.
