Five tips for looking after your mental health this World Mental Health Day

Today is World Mental Health Day and now, more than ever it’s so important to look after your mental health and wellbeing. According to Mind, at least one in six workers experience common mental health problems, including anxiety and depression. We’ve put together our top five tips to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing.

1. Take care of yourself

It’s really important to take care of your physical health and look after number one, as this can affect your mind. Try giving a balanced diet a go as not only can this improve you physically, this will also make you feel better mentally as junk foods, alcohol and non-prescribed drugs can often affect your mood. Drinking 2-3L of water a day can also increase your brain activity and give you more energy.

2. Exercise 

It’s common knowledge that exercise releases ‘happy endorphins’. Endorphins are chemicals produced naturally by the nervous system to cope with pain or stress. They are often called “feel-good” chemicals because they can act as a pain reliever and happiness booster. By doing gentle exercise everyday can really help release these endorphins. Try going for a 30 minute walk and maybe listen to a podcast at the same time! You’ll be surprised how you will feel when you get back!

3. Socialising

Although it may feel as though socialising with the people you love and care about is frowned upon at the moment due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is still so important. Socialising may not always mean going to the pub or out for dinner, by just being social with a phone call or zoom can do wonders for your mental wellbeing. Surrounding yourself with positive people that care about you is priceless.

4. Be kind to yourself

We’ve all done it but comparing yourself to others can be so damaging to your mental health. So be kind to yourself, unfollow those people on social media you find yourself constantly comparing yourself to and give yourself some rest and downtime to allow some self-care.

5. Accept help

If you are finding yourself really struggling with your mental health, the best thing you can do is accept the help of those who want to help you. Let close friends or family help you work through a problem or if you are finding you need further help, visiting a GP to talk through your next steps can open up many doors to get you on the right path.

We’ve put together a list of resources below, including numbers to call if you want to talk through any problems:

Further Self management of Mental Health

Contact Mind

Supporting Mental Health in the Workplace

If you are wanting to gain a better understanding of mental health for your workplace, at Aspiration Training, we offer a fully funded distance learning course in ‘Awareness of Mental Health problems’ where you can gain a certificate. Click here to read more on our distance learning courses and sign up today