Looking after your mental health: A guide

Mental health problems affect about 1 in 4 people every year. It could be anxiety, depression, or several other conditions. It might also be a combination of them. Regardless of whether you have an underlying mental health problem or not, it’s important to look after your mental wellbeing in general. Doing so will make your day-to-day and work-life much more easy to navigate. To help you on your path, use this guide for looking after your mental health.

Know when to take a break

If you broke your leg, would you keep running on it? The same logic can apply to mental health, particularly when you have a demanding workload or disruptive personal life.

Taking a moment to be mindful and spot indicators that you might be struggling a bit (or a lot) can help you to identify when taking a break is necessary for personal wellbeing. Here are a few symptoms to watch out for:

• Not wanting to get out of bed
• Constant need for sleep
• Feel tight-chested and short of breath regularly
• Intrusive and unhelpful thoughts
• Less inclination to be around friends or family
• Fluctuations in appetite or eating habits
• Outbursts of anger
• An inability to connect with reality

Looking after your mental health: Get out of the house

Physical activity and connecting with loved ones is very important to looking after your mental health and wellbeing. Even if you simply make time to get out for a short, brisk walk, you may find that doing so improves your mood.

Also, when it comes to getting social, get outside of the house to do so. It’s a better option than sending an email, message, or text. Get out and visit a coffee shop or arrange to meet up with friends.

Adding some sport or group activity to your week can be incredibly helpful too. That’s because you’re combining social time with the benefits of exercise on mental health.

Another advantage of leaving the hose is that you’re distracting your mind. If none of the options above appeal to you then here are some more ideas:

• A life-drawing class
• Dance studio session
• Short jog
• Read a book

What’s important here is doing something that you enjoy, or at least an activity that preoccupies you. Doing so can be helpful for intrusive or unpleasant thoughts.

Acknowledge the possibility of a more serious condition

If your mental health has been deteriorating, and you’ve noticed more challenging symptoms, it may be time to consult your doctor. And be patient as you do start treatment as it can take time to feel improvement.

If it’s an eating disorder, seek professional help to gradually overcome this condition. Finding help and support to re-establish a positive relationship with food can take time, and treatment facilities are one way of doing this. Visiting edentreatment.com, for example, will help you to discover more information.

Looking after your mental health is sometimes easier said than done. If you have children or a busy work schedule, it can be difficult to schedule in pleasurable activities.

However, it is always possible to slot in time for yourself, even if you must ask for support to do so. It is also extra important to request professional help if you need it.