You have shown up for yourself time and again. You invest in therapy, journal your thoughts, practice mindfulness, and read every mental health book you can find. You are deeply committed to your emotional well-being. You are doing the inner work to create a better life. One where you can face challenges, build resilience, and develop strategies that help you thrive.
I understand this journey on a personal level. When I was facing my own health struggles, I tried everything to ease my anxiety and lift the heaviness I felt each day. I practiced meditation. I took yoga classes. I even kept a gratitude journal. These were powerful tools, yet something still felt missing, as if there were underlying issues I had yet to address.
Despite all the inner work, I still woke up feeling anxious. Perhaps you feel this too. You wonder why, after everything you have done, your mind does not feel as calm or resilient as you hoped. You might start to question how to cope with emotions that seem out of sync with your daily efforts to feel good and grounded.
What if your brain and body are missing key support that traditional approaches often overlook? What if your emotional well-being depends not only on what you think and feel, but also on how nourished and supported your physical body is? This is something we usually don't talk about, yet it matters on the road to good mental health.
Functional medicine taught me to ask these questions with curiosity and compassion. It invites you to explore your mental health through the lens of whole-body wellness. In this article, I will share seven powerful ways to improve mental health by supporting your brain, gut, hormones, and nervous system synergistically.
1. Practice Gentle Movement Daily
Movement is medicine for your mind. Many women have been taught to exercise only to burn calories, shape their bodies, or maintain fitness goals. In reality, movement can be a profound tool for releasing stress and lifting mood.
Gentle, enjoyable movement activates brain chemicals that build resilience. Walking in nature, dancing to music in your kitchen, stretching before bed, or practicing yoga in the morning can calm your nervous system and lower cortisol levels.
Your body was designed to move. When you approach movement with curiosity rather than punishment, it becomes a daily ritual to nurture your mental health.
2. Get More Sleep (Even if It Is Imperfect)
Poor sleep is incredibly common. Whether you are navigating hormonal shifts, parenting young children, or working late into the night, your sleep can become fragmented or shortened.
Sleep is when your brain processes emotions, integrates experiences, and restores neurotransmitter balance.(1) Even if your sleep is imperfect, creating small rituals to improve sleep quality can make a difference.
Try winding down with a cup of herbal tea, limiting screen time after sunset, and using blue light blocking glasses in the evening. Magnesium is another game-changing support for mental rest. Magnesium plays a role in relaxing muscles, calming the nervous system, and supporting deep, restorative sleep.
My favorite is NeuroCalm Mag, a highly absorbable magnesium glycinate formula that promotes relaxation and mental calm. Many of my patients find it helps them unwind in the evenings and fall asleep with greater ease. Mood-support supplements with clinically-researched ingredients can help support restful sleep and emotional balance.
3. Prioritize Blood Sugar Stability
Your mood is intimately tied to your blood sugar. (2) If you have ever felt irritable, anxious, or foggy after skipping a meal or eating a sugary snack, you have felt this connection firsthand. Nutrition and mental health go hand in hand.
When blood sugar spikes and crashes throughout the day, your brain struggles to maintain emotional balance. You might feel jittery after breakfast, tired mid-afternoon, and craving sugar again by evening.
Prioritizing stable blood sugar is one of the simplest ways to improve mental health. Start your day with a protein-rich breakfast. Eggs, smoked salmon, turkey sausage, or a smoothie with collagen protein powder provide steady fuel. Choose balanced snacks with protein and healthy fats, such as almonds or pumpkin seeds, instead of sugary granola bars or crackers.
Mood stability begins with glucose stability—a foundational truth often overlooked in mental health care.
4. Focus on Gut Health
Your gut is often called your second brain. Over 95% of your serotonin is produced in your gut lining.(3) When your gut is inflamed or “leaky,” your brain feels it.
Leaky gut occurs when the tight junctions in your intestinal lining become loose, allowing toxins, food particles, and pathogens to enter your bloodstream. This triggers inflammation that affects not only digestion, but also mental clarity, mood, and anxiety levels.
If your gut is overwhelmed, your brain can feel that too. Supporting gut health can be transformative for mental health. Eating a nutrient-dense AIP diet is the foundation. I also recommend gut health supplements, such as Leaky Gut Revive®, my powerful blend of L-glutamine, aloe, and herbal ingredients to repair and soothe the gut lining.
Many of my patients report clearer thinking, more stable moods, and reduced anxiety when their gut begins to heal. If you struggle to manage your mood or cope with daily life stressors, your gut may need more nourishment.
Learn more about mood and nutrient deficiencies here.
5. Nourish Your Brain with Daily Nutrients
Stress, processed food, and modern farming practices deplete many women of critical vitamins and minerals. B vitamins, magnesium, and essential trace minerals are building blocks for neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine.
When you are low in these nutrients, your brain chemistry cannot function optimally. This can manifest as anxiety, depression, irritability, or brain fog. This shows a strong link between nutrient deficiencies and mood.
I created The Myers Way® Multivitamin to provide comprehensive daily support. It includes methylated B vitamins for mood balance, chelated minerals for optimal absorption, and key antioxidants to protect your brain and body from oxidative stress. Taking a multivitamin daily helps fill in nutrient gaps without overthinking each meal.
Learn about the impact of diet and lifestyle on neurological health with Dr. David Perlmutter on this episode of Take Back Your Health™.
6. Support Your Body’s Stress Response
Do you ever feel wired but tired? Easily triggered by small stressors? Emotionally drained by the end of the day? You are not alone.
Chronic stress depletes your adrenal system, which regulates your cortisol and adrenaline production.(4) When the adrenals are taxed, your mood, energy, and sleep patterns suffer.
Adaptogens and targeted adrenal support can gently help rebalance your stress response. ZenAdapt™ combines adaptogenic herbs and nutrients to promote calm, focus, and emotional ease. Adrenal Support provides vitamins, minerals, and herbal extracts to nourish adrenal health, support cortisol balance, and enhance resilience.
7. Build Emotional Safety Through Boundaries and Rest
Mental health is not only about biology. It is also about what you say yes and no to each day. Your nervous system needs to know it is safe to rest.
You do not need to earn rest. You do not need to prove your worth by pushing through exhaustion or ignoring your emotional needs.
Build emotional safety by setting boundaries with people, tasks, and commitments that drain you. Create space each day for moments that do not require productivity: time in nature, laughter with a friend, stillness on your porch, or a bath by candlelight. Even simple breathwork or intentional breathing exercises can signal to your body that it is safe, grounded, and okay.
Your body, brain, and soul need these moments to integrate and heal. These small actions may be a good start for mental healing. Learn how to set healthy boundaries with Melissa Urban on this episode of Take Back Your Health™.
How Functional Medicine Complements Your Mental Health Journey
If you have done the inner work and still feel like something is missing, your body might be asking for support.
Functional medicine does not replace therapy. It strengthens your foundation so that your therapy, mindfulness, and mindset tools can work even better. It addresses root causes such as gut health, hormonal imbalances, chronic stress, and nutrient depletion.
My formulas are science-backed, gentle, and made for women who want to thrive, not just survive. They are not quick fixes. They are the right kind of help at the right time, designed to restore the deep reserves your body and mind depend on.
You Deserve to Feel Emotionally and Physically Resilient
Mental health thrives when your brain, gut, and nervous system are supported as a team. You have already done the hardest part—showing up for yourself. You deserve to feel emotionally resilient, grounded, and clear-minded each day.
If you are ready to explore these ways to improve mental health with a functional approach, start small. Choose one area to support this week. Whether it is adding a gentle walk, prioritizing protein at breakfast, taking NeuroCalm Mag before bed, or rebuilding your gut with Leaky Gut Revive®, each step adds up to lasting change. You can find these products conveniently offered together in AMMD™’s Mind & Mood Bundle.
Your emotional well-being is worth this care.
Article Resources
Leave a Comment