How you can look after your own Wellbeing and Mental Health
How you can look after your own Wellbeing and Mental Health. There are many simple ways to look after your mental health on a daily basis.
We are all different and what works for one of us may not work for another. There are little things you can do daily which may help.
Here are some things you can try that may help to look after your mental health and wellbeing:
Look after your mental health
Spend time with others. This is important a very important part of looking after your mental health. Integrating and being involved with things that your family and friends do helps you feel part of life.
Also meeting new people and getting involved in various activities plays a big difference to how you feel. Try and involve yourself in community activities, go on group walks or runs or simply play sports with your friends.
Be creative., get active. Activities or hobbies no matter how big or small are a great way of keeping you distracted, from any worries you may have.
This can also have a positive impact on your sense of mental health and wellbeing and can help increase your confidence and self-esteem.
This could see you taking up gardening, learning to play an instrument, taking up a painting or cooking, course. Small things matter to engage and stimulate your brain.
Invest your time in creating or developing relationships. Making that important connection with new people or spending time with friends are also deemed important for your mental health.
Connect with people you trust or simply feel good around. Pick up the phone and call them to organise some catch up time. It’s always good to talk.
How you can look after your own Wellbeing and Mental Health
Focus on your strengths. By adapting positive thoughts, you can train your mind to make you feel happy which in turn makes you feel better.
Everybody from time to time feels sad and down but concentrate on the things that make you feel good about yourself. If you think positive, then you will also become positive.
Take time to chill out. By taking time out away from the pressures and stress of work or home life presents you with the opportunity to release you from any worries for a while.
Relaxing or “Me Time” allows your mind and body the time it requires to re-boot and recover from the toils of everyday life. Everybody is entitled to a little “Me Time” every day so don’t think you are being selfish as it’s important to your own well-being.
Get sufficient sleep. Contrary to some beliefs, the body is unable to function properly without sufficient sleep. When we close our eyes, it helps us to repair and restore our mind and body.
It’s a type of meditation that frees us from the world out there. Good sleeping time is vital and even if this involves taking a nap for 20-30 minutes a day when tired is a good way of recharging your batteries.
Let’s get Physical
Another important way to ensure “good sleep time` is to get physical and get active. Whether it’s a trip to the gym or a nice walk in the park, physical exercise works the body and plays a key role in keeping you reducing stress levels. It can also mean you get a good night sleep.
We are what you eat. It’s a true saying that if we fill our body with good nutrients, it is does make a huge difference to the way we feel which in-turn may improves our overall mental health and looks.
It’s never too late to change one’s diet and by eating “good food” regular and also intaking 3-4 pints of water a day can add to improving our well-being!
Mindfulness. This is a common word nowadays and rightfully so. We should also take time out for Mindfulness as it can help us feel better and reduce stress.
Mindfulness is the psychological process of bringing one’s attention to experiences what is occurring in the present moment.
Physical Activity
Keeping ourselves active is really important for our mental and physical health. Fitness helps improve our sleep and reduce stress levels while allowing us to relax which in turn adds to our overall better well-being.
Scientific research has proven that physical activity is associated with our better mental health. When exercising, it releases feel-good chemicals including endorphins and serotonin. This improve our moods making us feel good. There are numerous benefits to exercise which includes:
- boosting our concentration, alertness as well as our moods
- It improves our sleep which acts as a distraction from unwanted negative thoughts
- It also provides us with the opportunity to mingle and socialise with other people
- It increases our energy levels
- It improves our blood pressure, cholesterol and reduces our blood sugars.
- It reduces and can prevent our anxiety and depression levels
Stay engaged
Even by engaging in the smallest amounts of physical activity can and will make a big difference to our overall well-being.
Here are some tips that we can all do to increase our daily physical activity levels without going overboard.
- If you work in a building where there is a lift, take the stairs
- If you drive to work, why not park your car in a spot that is further away from your workplace giving the chance to enjoy the walk from your car to the office or work
- If you live within walking distance of your work, why not leave the car at home on the days it’s not raining. Get in touch with the environment around.
- If you have a garden, why not take an interest in growing plants or vegetables. It means you are outside doing physical exercise in the fresh air.
- Get busy around the house. Cleaning actually does count as exercise. Pick up the vacuum cleaner or wash those windows. You will be burning calories at the same time while keeping your mind active.
Other ways to look after your health
Some other ways you can keep yourself physically active that are socially connected that will also help reduce your stress levels can be something you enjoy like Football, hurling, swimming, cycling or even just walking in the park.
- Don’t go mad at the beginning. Go slow to start and aim to increase your activity time by 10 minutes each day until you find a comfortable time that allows you to enjoy your chosen activity.
- Getting involved in group activities or sports is always a good way to meet people like yourself. It’s also a great way to make new friends. If you are shy or nervous about meeting other people, ask a friend to join you and make it more fun which will help you both to commit to it
- Embrace nature and go for walks in the park or forests and enjoy the wonderful sounds of the birds singing. This is a huge way to relax and let your thoughts go.
Good Nutrition is key
The food we put into our bodies is so important and we are all more conscious now or the dangers that fatty foods and sugars can make us look and feel. It also has a huge impact on our own health and well-being.
Eating good foods and drinking lots of water helps us maintain a healthy and fit brain throughout our lives. Eating a balanced diet that includes fresh fruits and wholesome also contributes to our physical health and appearance.
There are small but effective things we all can eat to help us achieve good mental health.
- Get those vegetables inside you. Vegetables such as Broccoli, beans and lentils are rich in nutrients and fibre.
- Don’t abuse your gut. The gut is sometime called ‘the second brain’, therefore it is important to keep your gut happy by eating healthy foods that contain probiotics that can be found in found yoghurts.
- Stay away from processed sugar and additives. Enriched processed food is strongly linked to poor mental health. Avoid fizzy drinks and try replacing it with water.
- Stop and think about how the food and drink you are intending to eat will affect you after you have eaten it.
Look after your body
- Think Omega-3 is good for me! Omega-3 fatty acids that are found in oily fish food like tuna and salmon can have a positive influence on parts of our brain and can help combat depression.
- Choose wholesome nutritious foods. Studies indicate that any poor-quality diet can increase the risk of depression.
- Snack healthy foods. Let’s face it, we all snack from time to time but the next time your hunger pangs strike, think of all the healthy snacks available to us today. Banana’s and nuts or simply fresh fruit are great snacks for people on the go!
- Water is the key to life. Whenever possible, avoid sugary drinks. By drinking at least 3-4 pints of water a day water can help prevent dehydration that can make us irritable and lethargic.
- Reduce alcohol intake. As we are becoming more aware, alcohol is linked to mental health issues, especially depression.
Cut back on alcohol
Of course, a few pints or bottles of our favourite tipple now and then is OK. By reducing our daily or weekly intake of alcohol will have a positive effect on our own well-being and state of mind.
You don’t have to quit drinking just be conscious of the amount of drink you consume and how it is going to make you feel the next day. See Drinkaware for more information.
Remember, you are in control of your life and by making even the smallest of changes to your diet can and will make a difference to your mental health.
Adapting your lifestyle requires strength and determination and if you fall while on that journey, don’t give up. Simply get up and dust yourself down and start again.
Take the stress out of eating
You can take the stress out of eating by taking a few simple steps. Planning is key to healthy eating and here are a few tips in how you can work towards your healthy eating plan.
• Plan your meals in advice. By planning your meals in advance and preparing for the week ahead can help you plan a balanced diet.
• Make out a shopping list. Actually, writing out a shopping list can prevent you from indulging in impulsive buying.
Planning reduces the amount of sugary and fatty foods and drink you buy, as well as helping you stick to a budget. Never shop on an empty stomach.
• Find that healthy restaurant. There are huge pluses when dining socially. It allows us to catch up with friends and family. When choosing a place to eat, always make sure they have healthy food on the menu.
• Don’t eat before sleep. It’s recommended that you should avoid eating heavy foods or large meals a few hours before bedtime. This puts pressure on your digestive system and actually affects the quality of your sleep.
Get in touch try Mindfulness
Whether you listen to the radio or watch TV to reading your favourite magazine or newspaper, we all hear the importance of Mindfulness.
This is about being us taking note of the present and not worrying or dwelling on the past or what the future holds. It’s about the moment of here and now.
Mindfulness helps us all feel better while reducing stress. It improves our overall wellbeing that comes with all the health benefits.
Mindfulness is self-awareness training that originated from Buddhist meditation principles that has been practiced from centuries.
It was initially developed to help people improve their moods and prevent depression. Anyone can practice mindfulness,
When we are mindful, we pay full attention to what is going on in the moment without judgement.
We are fully aware of your surroundings which enables us to observe our thoughts and feelings in a positive way that allows us to concentrate on taste, touch, smell, sight and sound
We can all allow for a few moments of Mindfulness in our day. There are a number of mindfulness programs that are designed to help us deal with stress and daily challenges of life.
How to look after your wellbeing
