Mental Health and Wellbeing

According to the NHS, evidence suggests that there are 5 steps that an individual can take to improve their mental health and wellbeing. Following these steps could help you feel more positive and improve your view on life.

Humans are social creatures and having good relationships with other is important for mental wellbeing. Interacting with others can help you to build a sense of belonging and provides emotional support for all involved.

Do:

• Arrange time to see people who you may not have seen for a while
• Have lunch with a colleague instead of sitting by yourself
• Make the most of technologies like FaceTime to keep in contact with family or friends who don’t live local
• Take time each day, if possible, to be with people that you care for. An example could be making time to eat dinner together
• Try to disconnect from watching TV and focus on talking with family, or even playing games
• Visit a friend or family member who needs some company or some support
• Volunteer with some local groups

Try to avoid using social media alone to build relationships. It is easy to get into the habit of only texting or messaging people, aim to spend some time speaking to them in person or with a phone call.

Evidence has shown that physical health can improve mental wellbeing, as well as fitness. By raising your self-esteem and boosting the chemicals in your brain that can positively change your mood, exercise is a useful tool in the improvement of mental health.

Do:

• If you have a long-term health condition or a disability, get advice from your GP or health practitioner on getting active
• Search free fitness activities in your local area. This will allow you to keep costs down while also meeting new people.
• Take up simple but effective forms of exercise, such as swimming, cycling or dancing
• Try the NHS’ couch to 5k

Do not feel that you need to spend hours in a gym, working up a sweat and not having fun. Find activities that you enjoy and make them a part of your life.

Learning new skills can help you to boost your self-confidence and raise your self-esteem. Being able to learn something new can help you to connect with others in your community and build a sense of being as a person. It does not matter the size of the skill or the time you might have available, even the little things can help.

• Learn to cook a new dish, this will help you to switch up your diet and find new and exciting flavours to explore
• Look at courses at your local college, they will have plenty short, and often free, courses for you to try your hand at
• Try and do something that challenges you, such as learning a new language or having a go at some painting
• Try taking on a new responsibility at work, such as teaching a junior member of the team the skills that they will need to do the job
• Work on a project at home, such as fixing a broken item or trying some gardening

New skills do not always need to be a new qualification or need an exam. Find something that interests you and that you enjoy doing.

It has been shown that acts of kindness and giving towards others can help to improve mental wellbeing, whether it is the sense of reward or the positives feelings that deprive from the act.

• Ask the people in your life how they are and really listen to them
• Offer to help someone you know with a project or a bit of DIY
• Say thank you to someone for something that they have done for you
• Spend time with people who need support or some company
• Volunteer in your community

Mindfulness can help to improve your mental wellbeing. Pay attention to the world around you, your body, you thoughts and your feelings. This kind of awareness is often referred to as “Mindfulness” and can assist you in learning to understand yourself better and enjoy life that little bit more. It focuses on the way you feel and how to become more positive about that and your life.