Thankfully, mental health awareness is on the increase due to efforts to de-stigmatise mental health. It is therefore important now to offer advice to those who feel like they are struggling with their mind and wellbeing. Whether you are going through a difficult phase in an ongoing struggle with your mental health or you have been experiencing the occasional down day… some of these ideas may help.
Physical activities
It is a known fact that being physically active is great for your body. There are proven and noticeable benefits like weight loss and increased fitness level. However, it is less of a known and advertised fact that being active is also really great for your mental health and wellbeing. When you think of physical activity, you may get an image in your head of a sweaty, stuffy and busy gym, but it doesn’t have to be. Go for a quick walk or bike ride, attend a class like yoga or join a running club… There are so many opportunities available for you to try and figure out the type of physical activity that you enjoy the most. The endorphins released when being active help increase alertness, energy and mood. So if you’re having a down day or feel groggy, why not just get yourself outside and go for a quick brisk walk down the road? Physical exercise is one of those things that although you might dread it, it is impossible to regret afterwards.
Travel
Another idea for an activity which may help with your mental wellbeing and state of mind is travel. This doesn’t have to be booking a flight to a country on the other side of the world, you just could go on a road trip to a new place in Britain. Seeing new sights and having new surroundings for a while could be a great way to improve your mood and distract yourself from any niggling negative thoughts. SLV GLobal offer worldwide mental health internships opportunities for students and graduates wanting to gain experience working in the mental health sector. The work experience they offer is original and great for spreading mental health awareness as they allow students/graduates to travel abroad to countries like Sri Lanka, Bali and India.
Leisure activities
Another tip for making yourself feel better mentally, whether you have struggled with mental health long-term or are just having a bad day, is to make time for your personal hobbies. It is a great feeling when you find an activity that you thoroughly enjoy, so an easy way to make yourself smile is to invest time in doing these things. Whether your favourite leisure activity is gardening, window-shopping or something more adventurous like rock-climbing… Make the time. Part of improving mental health awareness is acknowledging the fact that people do need time away from work to focus on their personal well being.
Meditation and less screen time
Recently, alongside a rise in mental health awareness campaigns, there has been an emphasis placed on meditation. There are now even a range of apps that you can download on your phone which give meditation tips and instructions so there is really no excuse to give it a miss. The basic gist is to find a quiet room to sit and focus completely on your own thoughts and nothing else. This mental health tip seems to go hand-in-hand with the notion of having too much screen time. Scrolling through your phone without even thinking at pointless rubbish could be replaced with meditation, reading a book or writing a daily journal.
Sleep and eat
You might think that this goes without saying, but the benefits of getting a good night’s sleep can’t be underestimated. It’s a good idea to figure out the number of hours sleep that works best for you and get your body clock into a good routine. There’s nothing worse than waking up and having to start the day but feeling like you could sleep for another twelve hours. On the other hand, part of mental health awareness is understanding that sleeping too much and not getting outside enough can have an adverse effect on your wellbeing.
A final point but one that is still very important of these activities for your mental health, is eating. There is more and more research being done into how the health of your gut can affect your mental state. So be aware of the types and amount of food that you are consuming. You don’t have to go all out and become vegan, although if you do then congrats, but every little healthy decision you make with food makes a difference.
If you are someone who has just graduated and wants to be involved in helping to promote mental health awareness, why not gain some work experience in the field? Visit SLV Global at https://slv.global/ to see the opportunities that are available to experience a new culture and work at the same time.
It’s really important to take care of yourself emotionally. If you don’t do this, physical care takes a back seat. I like to meditate.
All of these are important though my go-to ones are physical exercise and meditation. Though I really do need to eat better as well. #AnythingGoes