Mental Health Awareness Week 2023: Tips for Looking After Your Mental Health

Mental health is an important aspect of our overall well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and behave, and can impact our relationships, work, and daily life.

Having good mental health is a key factor for studying and success.

Mental Health Awareness Week, which takes place from May 15th to May 21st in 2023, is a great opportunity to focus on ways to improve our mental health and well-being.

In this blog we are going to share our top tips for looking after your mental health.

One effective way to improve mental health is through meditation.

Meditation has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, while improving focus, concentration, and overall well-being.

One popular meditation app that can help with this is Headspace. Headspace provides guided meditations for different situations and goals, making it easy to incorporate meditation into your daily routine.

Just 5 minutes of Headspace a day can make a huge difference to your mental wellbeing and meditation has been scientifically proven to reduce anxiety and depression.

In addition to meditation, there are many other ways to look after your mental health. Here are some of our best top tips:

Top tips for looking after your mental health

Get enough sleep:

Lack of sleep can lead to irritability, mood swings, and difficulty concentrating. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night.

Meditation can help with insomnia, and in addition there are hundreds, if not thousands, of free podcasts available online designed to help you sleep

Exercise regularly:

Exercise is a great way to reduce stress and improve mood. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week.

Did you know that exercise is the most under used, yet most effective way, to help anxiety and depression.

Sounds silly doesn’t it, we literally have a resource that could help us for free without any intervention and most of us don’t use it.

Eat a healthy diet:

A balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can help improve mood and reduce the risk of depression.

Throw out all your processed rubbish and cook from scratch. Yes we know it takes ages but if you have time to watch TV and eat crap then you have time to cook nice food.

Connect with others:

Social support is important for mental health. Make time for friends and family, and join clubs or groups that interest you.

Practice self-care:

Take time for yourself to do things you enjoy, such as reading, taking a bath, or going for a walk.

Seek help if needed:

If you are struggling with your mental health, don’t hesitate to seek help from a mental health professional. We’ve posted some trusted resources below and we beg you to reach out if you need extra support.

Never suffer in silence, you are not alone.

By incorporating these tips into your daily routine, you can improve your mental health and overall well-being. Remember, mental health is just as important as physical health, and taking care of yourself is the first step towards a happier, healthier life.

The trusted mental health resources below can help you when you need extra help and support.

Please do not suffer in silence, others can help.

• UK Campaign Against Living Miserably: 0800 58 58 58 – registered charity based in England aimed at bringing the suicide rate down among men aged 15–35 (daily, 5:00 pm to midnight); https://www.thecalmzone.net/

   

• UK Mental Health Pipeline: list of UK-based helplines, mental health charities, support groups and organizations that can offer expert advice when needing mental health help https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mental-health-helplines/

   

• UK Samaritans: Samaritans Helpline can be reached at 0845 790 90 90; https://www.samaritans.org.uk/ – registered charity aimed at providing 24/7 emotional support to anyone in distress or at risk of suicide throughout the United Kingdom

   

• UK Saneline: 0300 304 7000 – Emotional support, information, and guidance for people affected by mental illness, their families, and carers. (daily, 4:30 pm to 10:30 pm); https://www.sane.org.uk/support

   

• UK Mental Health UK: Mental Health UK supports people affected by mental health problems including friends, family and carers. Working across the UK, we bring together over 40 years of expertise from our four national founding charity partners to improve understanding and provide vital care. https://mentalhealth-uk.org/

   

• UK Mind: We provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. mind.org.uk

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