Mental Health

Although we often prioritise our physical health, our mental health can often be equally if not more debilitating to out day to day lives. Sometimes without us even realising the effects of our mental health issues can start to have an impact on the rest of our lives, including our lifestyle, relationships and opportunities we receive. Therefore, it is important that if you feel that you are struggling with your mental health, you ask for support form your Doctor and the people around you so that they can help to get you back to being your best self. Please remember, everyone struggles with their mental health indifferent ways at some point, there is absolutely no shame in speaking out about your problems and we will always be happy to help you.

NHS Self-care tips for Boosting your Mood

If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed or down in the dumps, the NHS have put together a few techniques which may help you to feel better. These techniques are excellent for helping to ease your mind in the short term, but if your low mood has been a persistent issue please reach out for help. But for now, why not try:

• Focusing on the present moment and thinking about what you are doing now. Take a minute to relax and practice mindful breathing techniques.
• Spending time with family and friends. Speak to the people who yo enjoy spending time with to help you feel connected to and supported by others.
• Getting a good nights sleep. This helps you to think more clearly and have more energy, making it easier for you to have a more positive outlook on the day ahead.
• Trying to keep a positive mindset. Although it can be difficult not to let the bad things cloud your mood, try to make the effort to focus on all the positive things in your life, and everything around you that brings you joy.

For further tips and guidance on how to improve your mood, try listening to the NHS Mood Boosting audio guides.

Useful Mental Health Resources

• Anxiety UK – Help for those diagnosed with anxiety disorder
• The Calm Zone – A campaign against ‘living miserably’ for men aged 15 to 35
• Mind.org – Mental Health support forum
• NoPanic.org – Voluntary service offering support for panic attacks and OCD
• Papyrus UK – Young suicide prevention
• AMPARO – Local guidance for those suffering with suicidal thoughts or bereavement
• Samaritans – Support for those feeling distresses or in despair
• Youngminds.org – Information on child and adolescent mental health issues to support parents and professionals.
• Beat – Support for eating disorders
• Big White Wall – Support for those who are stressed/anxious/feeling low
• Advice for supporting others with their mental health

Body Image

The theme for Mental Health Awareness week this year is Body Image, how we think and feel about our bodies. For many people, our bodies and body image are a source of shame or distress. No matter what your age, gender, sexuality or religion, everyone is vulnerable to feeling the pressure of how they ‘should’ look and what their bodies ‘should’ be able to do. Unsurprisingly, having a negative relationship with your body can have an extremely detrimental effect on your physical and mental health. The more comfortable you are in yourself, the less likely you are to engage in behaviours which may be destructive to your well being.

we recognise that learning to be happy in yourself can be a challenging process, so here is a list of things to keep in mind to help you to stay positive and improve your relationship with your body:

• Instead of thinking about a body part critically, for example “I hate my arms” try to remember the strengths and abilities that your body gives you, “I love that I can hug my family with these arms”.
• Try to think about yourself the way you think about a friend. When you look at a friend, you probably see all the things that you think are best about them and never even consider things that they might think of as flaws. Try to see yourself through a friends, don’t pick yourself apart.
• Declutter your social media accounts. Often the source of our insecurity is comparison to unrealistic goals, go through your social media and unfollow or mute any account which post images which make you think negatively about yourself. Following these people is not adding anything to your life, it is not worth the impact on your mental health.
• Fake it until you make it. It may feel stupid, but try telling yourself everyday that you love yourself and love your body (or even just like/accept), you could even name three things everyday that you love about yourself – not necessarily body related. By doing this, hopefully over time your mindset will start to shift and you will start to have a more positive attitude towards yourself.