What Is Mental Health?
When we talk about mental health there always seems to be a negative connotation. We immediately think of ILL health and not GOOD health. When you ask people what is mental health the often come back with answers that include, anxiety, depression, bipolar, schizophrenia – all of which are a diagnosis of a mental illness or disorder. In a nutshell, mental health is just how we think, how we feel and how we behave and some days this is good, some days this is not so good and sometimes we are truly not well.
Our mental Health influences how we think and feel about ourselves and others, our behaviour and how we interpret events. It affects our capacity to learn and to communicate. It influences our ability to cope with change, transition and life events, for example, moving house, moving countries and experiencing bereavement.
Mental Health is something we all have, just remember our brain is just another muscle that we need to take care of.
There are many risk factors to our mental wellbeing. Sleep (lack of), too much alcohol and lack of exercise and fresh air being the obvious ones. One of the less obvious ones that we may not consciously think about is having positive emotions
Some simple yet effective tips for creating positive emotions:
➔ Have a relaxing bath / shower
➔ Do something nice for someone else
➔ Watch a favourite movie / TV program
➔ Spend time with friends (maybe on zoom or FaceTime)
➔ Exercise – even walking, just get up and moving
➔ Cuddle a furry friend (not the hairy bloke from next door. I am thinking more dog or a cat!
➔ Develop a Healthy Sleep Routine: Sleep health can prevent mental health issues, help an individual cope with stress and improve physical health.
➔ Take Omega-3 Fatty acids: Omega-3 fatty acids can improve brain function and improve moods.
Blog provided by BMR Health & Wellbeing