Regular exercise and sport are also important for maintaining mental health. The magic word "stress" - everyone knows it. We are exposed to a wide variety of stressors on a daily basis, which can cause different levels of stress in different individuals. During a stressful situation, our body releases various stress hormones, including adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol. From an evolutionary point of view, these should help to activate the body as a whole so that we can either flee from or fight an impending danger. This mechanism therefore makes a lot of sense. In today's society, however, even non-life-threatening situations, such as an argument with my boss or lots of appointments in one day, trigger stress. In the worst case scenario, we find ourselves in a permanent state of stress. Sport, especially endurance sports such as swimming or running, ensure that the stress hormones in the body are reduced more quickly. Furthermore, we react less sensitively to new stressful situations if we exercise regularly. As chronic stress is a good catalyst for depressive illnesses, it is worth trying out a bit of sport. Take a look at the Unisport website for more information. timely professional support can significantly strengthen mental recovery.

Having a good plan and overview of upcoming tasks and appointments can prevent stress and provide structure. For example, you could take half an hour on a Sunday evening and write down all your appointments for the coming week in a weekly schedule. This will also give you an overview of free time slots in which you can plan positive activities. It is advisable to strike a balance between obligations, i.e. less pleasant or neutral activities, and positive activities. If you notice that your activities tend to be predominantly or exclusively negative or neutral in nature, you should change this, as a lack of positive activities (positive reinforcers) can also trigger depressive symptoms. This phenomenon is described by Lewinsohn's loss-of-reinforcement hypothesis.

As the duration and quality of sleep often suffers in the context of a depressive illness and this in turn has a strong negative impact on everyday life, it is very important to pay attention to good sleep hygiene. Take a look at our knowledge page on the subject of "sleep". Here you will find helpful tips on how to improve the quality of your sleep.

As already mentioned, chronic stress can promote depressive symptoms. However, avoiding stress completely in life is probably hardly possible and makes little sense. If we try to avoid all potential stressors just to avoid experiencing stress, we may miss out on situations that would not harm us in the long term, but would perhaps help us, such as a job interview or an exam. It therefore depends more on what stress management skills I have, i.e. how I deal with potential stressors. Relaxation and mindfulness can also be seen as such skills. Take a look at our page on mindfulness and (digital) stress.