HABITS OF DAILY LIVING

What you eat doesn’t just fuel your body—it shapes your mood, focus, energy, and emotional resilience. At Rooted Mind Psychiatry, we believe that nutrition is foundational to mental wellness.

Many psychiatric symptoms are rooted in imbalances that begin in the body—blood sugar swings, gut inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, food sensitivities, and mitochondrial dysfunction can all affect how you think and feel. Rather than treating the mind in isolation, we explore how your nutrition may be impacting your brain.

Through a functional and personalized lens, we may assess key nutrients like iron, B vitamins, omega-3s, magnesium, and amino acids; evaluate gut-brain health; and guide you toward dietary strategies that support mental clarity, mood stability, and nervous system regulation.

We also understand that food is deeply personal. We take into account your unique biology, preferences, cultural background, and relationship with eating—creating sustainable, compassionate strategies that align with your values and goals.

Whether you’re curious about nutritional psychiatry, managing a mental health condition with food as a tool, or simply wanting to feel better in your body and mind, we’re here to support you with grounded, science-informed guidance.

Sleep is not a luxury—it’s a non-negotiable foundation for mental, emotional, and physical health. At Rooted Mind Psychiatry, we view restorative sleep as a cornerstone of healing.

Poor sleep can contribute to or worsen anxiety, depression, ADHD, and mood instability. It can also disrupt hormonal balance, immune function, and cognitive performance. Yet many people struggle with falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up feeling unrested—and traditional approaches often overlook the root causes.

We take a holistic approach to sleep concerns by addressing not just habits, but the deeper biological, psychological, and environmental factors that may be interfering with your rest. This may include assessing circadian rhythm imbalances, stress hormone patterns, blood sugar fluctuations, nutritional deficiencies, medication side effects, and more.

We’ll work with you to personalize a sustainable sleep hygiene plan that supports your natural sleep-wake cycle. This might include:

• Optimizing your evening routine and light exposure
   
• Supporting melatonin and cortisol balance naturally
   
• Exploring calming supplements or mind-body techniques
   
• Identifying hidden obstacles to sleep, like inflammation or anxiety
   
• Integrating functional testing when appropriate
   

Deep rest is possible—and essential. With the right tools and support, your body and mind can relearn how to rest, reset, and restore.

Hydration is one of the simplest yet most overlooked foundations of mental wellness. Even mild dehydration can impact mood, energy, focus, and emotional regulation. At Rooted Mind Psychiatry, we believe that supporting the brain starts with supporting the body—and water is a key part of that equation.

Your brain is over 70% water, and proper hydration is essential for neurotransmitter function, blood flow, detoxification, and nervous system stability. When you're even slightly dehydrated, you may experience symptoms like brain fog, irritability, fatigue, anxiety, or difficulty concentrating—all of which can be mistaken for psychiatric issues.

We help our clients tune into hydration as a daily practice for mental clarity and emotional balance. This may include:

• Understanding how much water your body actually needs
   
• Recognizing signs of dehydration beyond thirst
   
• Restoring electrolyte balance (especially if you're on certain medications or therapeutic diets)
   
• Supporting hydration through food, minerals, and lifestyle habits
   
• Evaluating how caffeine, alcohol, or stress may be impacting fluid levels
   

True mental wellness is built on simple, sustainable habits. Staying well-hydrated is one of the most accessible tools you have to support your brain, your mood, and your overall vitality.

Movement is medicine—for the brain, the body, and the spirit. At Rooted Mind Psychiatry, we recognize exercise as a powerful, evidence-based tool for improving mood, reducing anxiety, enhancing focus, and building emotional resilience.

Regular physical activity supports the release of mood-enhancing neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins. It also helps regulate the stress response, balance blood sugar, improve sleep, and reduce inflammation—all of which are critical to mental wellness.

But we know that when you’re struggling with depression, anxiety, or burnout, even getting started can feel overwhelming. That’s why we take a compassionate, personalized approach to movement—meeting you where you are and helping you reconnect with your body in a way that feels supportive, not stressful.

We may explore:

• The best types of movement for your unique mental health needs (e.g., walking, strength training, yoga, dancing, etc.)
   
• How to build consistency without burnout or shame
   
• Nervous system-regulating forms of movement (e.g., gentle stretching, vagal toning, breath-informed practices)
   
• How exercise impacts ADHD, trauma recovery, and sleep
   
• The connection between movement and metabolic health
   

Whether you’re just starting or returning to movement after a season of stillness, we’re here to help you create a relationship with exercise that is sustainable, empowering, and nourishing to your whole self.

Stress is a natural part of life—but when it becomes chronic, it can deeply impact your mental, emotional, and physical health. At Rooted Mind Psychiatry, we take stress seriously—not as a weakness, but as a signal that your system is asking for support.

Chronic stress can disrupt hormones, deplete neurotransmitters, impair digestion and sleep, and increase inflammation—all of which can contribute to anxiety, depression, fatigue, and difficulty focusing. We work to understand how stress is affecting you—not just in your mind, but in your body and daily functioning.

Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution, we help you build a personalized toolkit for stress regulation that may include:

• Nervous system support through breathwork, grounding techniques, and mindfulness
   
• Targeted supplements or adaptogenic herbs to support the HPA axis and reduce cortisol dysregulation
   
• Lifestyle adjustments to improve boundaries, rest, and recovery
   
• Somatic and trauma-informed strategies to help release stress stored in the body
   
• Cognitive approaches for shifting thought patterns that fuel overwhelm
   
• Nutrition and movement practices to build stress resilience from the inside out
   

Our goal is to help you shift from surviving to thriving—by creating a life that supports your nervous system, not one that burns it out.

Supplements are not a shortcut—but when used thoughtfully, they can be powerful allies on the path to mental wellness. At Rooted Mind Psychiatry, we offer targeted supplement support grounded in science, safety, and your body’s unique needs.

While medication can play an important role, many psychiatric symptoms stem from deeper imbalances—nutrient deficiencies, neurotransmitter dysregulation, mitochondrial issues, or inflammation. In these cases, carefully selected supplements can help restore what’s missing, support your biochemistry, and reduce the burden on your system.

We never recommend a “pill for every ill.” Instead, we take a functional, personalized approach that may include:

• Foundational support like magnesium, omega-3s, B-complex vitamins, or vitamin D
   
• Neurotransmitter precursors (such as L-tyrosine, GABA, or 5-HTP) to support mood and focus
   
• Adaptogens to balance stress hormones and support the nervous system
   
• Mitochondrial and brain-boosting nutrients such as CoQ10, L-carnitine, or creatine
   
• GI and gut-brain support, including probiotics and gut-repair nutrients
   
• Targeted protocols for ADHD, anxiety, sleep, or metabolic mental health
   

Supplement strategies are based on your symptoms, lab results, genetics, and goals—and always reviewed for safety with your medications and health conditions.

We aim to bridge the gap between conventional psychiatry and functional nutrition, helping you use high-quality supplements as a supportive part of a bigger, root-centered healing plan.