Skip to main content

Looking after your Mental Health

Eating well

Having a healthy diet is important when you want to look after yourself not just physically but mentally. Your brain needs a mixture of nutrients to stay healthy and function well. Everyone should have three meals a day with two healthy snacks in between. Try to cut down on sugary foods and drinks.
A healthy diet should contain a mixture of these
  • Lots of different types of fruit and vegetables
  • Wholegrain cereals or breads
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Dairy products
  • Oily fish
  • Plenty of water

Exercise

To keep your mental health in good a healthy condition you should try and fit in at least thirty minutes of moderate exercise three times per week. This does sound like a lot but the key is moderate. Try activities such as walking places instead of getting public transport as well as cycling and swimming. Exercise helps with your self-esteem. It can also help make you concentrate, get better sleep and look and feel better.

Having some quiet time

There are many ways which are easier and feel good at the time like cigarettes, alcohol or even drugs but these can have a negative effect in the long term. Time out is really important for looking after your health. It allows you time to relax and reconnect with yourself. Even though some time alone is key to calm down and relax always make time to spend with friends and family. There are many different techniques to help you relax.
Pausing – Taking time throughout the day to take breaks to think about how things are going, maybe write a list of what’s happened throughout the day then before bed to help clear your mind for the next morning.
Deep Breathing – if you feel stressed or need a breather go somewhere quiet and sit down and take five minutes. Close your eyes take big deep breaths through your nose and out through your mouth. Think about your favourite place, could be your home or somewhere you went on holiday.

Family and friends

This can also include the topic ask for help. Friends and family are always the best to ask for help as these people love you and care for you and just want the best for you and your well-being. Knowing that you are not alone is important, surrounding yourself with people who love you and care about you can emphasise this.

Jessica Cuthbertson, CYP Drop-in Volunteer

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Volunteering

Why volunteer People choose to volunteer for many different reasons. For some it offers the chance to give back to the community or make a difference to the people around them. For others it’s too provide chances to develop new skills or build on existing experiences and knowledge. Below are a few reasons why people volunteer Make a difference to the lives of othersHelp others less fortunate or without a voiceFeel valued and part of a teamBoost confidence and self-esteemGaining new skills, knowledge and experience
Regardless of the motivation people who volunteer find it challenging and rewarding.
Why I volunteer I have been a volunteer for Canvey yellow door for almost two years. I volunteer as it allows me to build on my confidence and self-esteem which has grown since I started. It allows me to use my experiences to help others and make them feel good about themselves.  The staff and volunteers at yellow door are so friendly and helpful which makes you feel part of a team. I have gai…
Post a Comment
Read more

Getting A Grip on your Finances

Many money worries can be overcome just by getting to grips with your finances. Knowing what you have coming in and what is going out will help you to understand where all your money is going. Remember knowledge is power! Get organised and take your time Set aside at least an hour before you begin planning a budget. Doing it in a rush is likely to mean you forget something or make mistakes. It's a good idea to gather together all the paperwork you’ll need before getting started, so get together everything you have that  relates to your income and outgoing, the list below will be a guide: ·a few months’ worth of bank statements ·your recent credit card/store card bills ·copies of your household bills ·Details of overdrafts or loan ·Details of any borrowing from friends/relations etc ·details of your savings ·information on any regular incomes you may have such as payslips, benefit information Add up your income Next, you need to calculate your income. Make a list of your regular earnings…
Post a Comment
Read more

Self Harm

What is self-harm Self-harm is when you hurt yourself as a way of dealing with difficult feelings, bad memories or stressful situations and experiences. People have different ways of expressing self-harm such as; Express something that is difficult to put into wordsChange emotional pain into physical painReduce very strong feelings or thoughtsPunish yourself for your feeling and experiences
After you have self-harmed you may feel a short term of release. The cause of the distress has unlikely not gone away and it may have come back worse. Once you become dependent on self-harm it may take a long time to stop. Types of self-harm There are many ways people can intentionally harm themselves, such as: cutting or burning their skinpunching or hitting themselvespoisoning themselves with tablets or toxic chemicalsmisusing alcohol or drugsdeliberately starving themselves (anorexia nervosa) or binge eating (bulimia nervosa)excessively exercising
Why do people self-harm? Self-harm is very com…
Post a Comment
Read more