Thursday October 10th is World Mental Health Day
This year it is as always about reducing the stigma around mental health
We all have physical and mental health, and we have lots of information around how we look after our physical health which we often discuss with GP’s, friends and family, but I wonder how many of us discuss our mental health with anyone other than our GP?
One in four people a year can suffer from some form of Mental Health, ranging from depression and Anxiety to more serious problems e.g. psychosis, bi-polar which would require specialist mental health teams.
How can we support our mental health?
I believe the first thing we need to do is accept we have mental health and that we need to look after it, as there are still many people who will not admit they have mental health.
We are all different and lead very different lives, so we need to look at ourselves and not compare ourselves with everyone else around us.
Here are some ways we can help our Mental health
Good balance of work and relaxation, which is easy to say as we all need to pay bills but maybe its just allowing ourselves a night to look after our self, take time to see a film, read a book, take up a class to do something different, Pilates/Yoga or perhaps something like an evening class around something you have always wanted to do or make that call and meet a friend or family member for coffee.
Good quality sleep, we hear the guidelines of 8 hours a night but that may not be what you require, it may be less or more, and although the amount is important it is the quality of the sleep that we have that counts. We need to look at how we can go to bed feeling relaxed by introducing and a good nighttime routine. A good routine can include looking at having no caffeine or alcohol after a certain time as this can stimulate some people and increase getting to sleep more difficult, also watching what we eat in the evenings as this also can have an effect. Although we can moan about teenagers and computers, phones and x-boxes etc, we can all fall into the trap of having our phones by our beds as we use them for an alarm system and televisions in our room, all these electronic items can stimulate our brain and cause sleep patterns to change. So basically, have a look at what you do and make some changes.
Getting Outdoors I know we are now coming into the dark nights which does not help us to manage this as easily as in the summer, but if we can make time on days off just for a 30 minute walk we can help our mental health, although spring and summer are beautiful months as the plants and trees grow and all the flowers and blossom fill the air with beautiful aroma’s the Autumn is full of colour and can be stunning to watch the leaves change colour over the weeks, so get those walking shoes on and find some of nature’s beauty.
Socialising we don’t all have to be party animals! But getting out to see other people is very important for our mental wellbeing, do you know someone who could do with a bit of company who could do with someone to have a cup of tea with, lets also help others to engage even if it is just for a few minutes to some it will mean a great deal to just have some contact.
As we see in adverts of the television and posters a few words can mean saving a life.
