Looking after our mental health helps us cope with life, and enables us to live a full life, participating well in our relationships with family and friends, at work and in the wider community.
We all have times in life where we feel down, stressed and life seems a little out of control.
Sometimes, these feelings will pass us by and we might be able to bounce back quickly. Other times, we might feel more weighed down and these feelings might develop into a more serious problem.
It is important that you can learn to “read the signs” and keep track of how you are doing.
Having strategies in place to help look after your mental health are really important to help you address any issues that might emerge.
Simple strategies to support you:
Some ideas that you might find helpful include;
- Talk with someone about your feelings. This isn’t a sign of weakness and, in fact, feeling listened to can help you feel more supported and connected as life is shared with those who care about us.
- Keep active. This might be by going to the gym, joining a local sporting team or simply walking around your neighbourhood. Regular exercise helps us sleep, look and feel better and it helps to improve our mental health.
- Eating well. A healthy, balanced diet plus plenty of water is ideal for maintaining good mental health.
- Keeping in touch with family and supportive friends. This might be face to face, online or over the phone and it helps us feel loved, valued and included.
- Do something you are good at. Enjoying yourself can help beat stress, it can boost your self-esteem and can change your mood.
- Accept who you are. We aren’t all the same, and we all have different skills, talents and interests. There is no one quite like you, and that makes our world so much more interesting.
- Care for others. This might be volunteering or simply keeping up those relationships with people who are close to you. Caring for others helps us see the world from another angle and it keeps us connected with one another.
