Taking Care of Your Mental Health
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being and affects how we think, feel, and act.
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Self-care and general lifestyle changes can help manage the symptoms of many mental health problems. They may also prevent some problems from developing or getting worse. Here are some tips for looking after yourself that may be helpful to you.
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Stay aware of your mental health
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Let your friends and family know how they can support you, whether it's listening to you when you're having a bad day, helping you keep on top of your commitments, or being aware of your triggers.
Spot your early warning signs. If you can, try to be aware of how you're feeling, and watch out for any signs you might be becoming unwell.
Keep a mood diary. Tracking your moods can help you to work out what makes you feel better or worse. You can create your own mood diary or find one online – there are many freely available on the internet and as apps for your phone. See this page for more information on mood journaling.
Build your self-esteem to make you feel more confident and able to cope. See this page for tips on how to increase your self-esteem.
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Nourish your social life
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Feeling connected to other people is important. It can help you to feel valued and confident about yourself, and can give you a different perspective on things. If you can, try to spend some time connecting with friends and family – even a text or phone call can make a difference.
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If you don't have supportive friends and family around you and are feeling isolated, there are other ways you can make connections. For example, you could try going to community events where you might have some interests or experiences in common with other people there, or joining a group like a local book club or sports team.
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Look after your physical health
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Get enough sleep.
Keep physically active. Regular exercise doesn’t have to be very strenuous or sporty to be effective – to start with you could going for a short walk, yoga, or swimming. The most important thing is to pick something you enjoy, so you’re more likely to stick with it.
Avoid drugs or alcohol. While you might want to use drugs or alcohol to cope with difficult feelings, in the long run they can make you feel a lot worse.
Make time for personal care. When you feel bad, it's easy for personal care to not feel like a priority. But small everyday things, such as taking a shower and getting fully dressed, can make a big difference to how you feel.
Eat healthily. What you eat, and when you eat, can make a big difference to how you feel.
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Make time for therapeutic activities
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There are plenty of techniques and therapies that you can safely practice on your own:
Relaxation. If you know that a certain activity helps you feel more relaxed, make sure you set aside time to do it.
Mindfulness. This is a therapeutic technique that involves being more aware of the present moment. Practicing mindfulness can help you become more aware of your own moods and reactions. For more information on mindfulness, check out this page.
Getting into nature. Try getting out into a green environment, or even just caring for for plants or animals indoors.
More information
All information on this topic comes from the following sources. Please check them out for more detailed information on this topic.
Information from Mind about self-care: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/mental-health-problems-introduction/self-care/#collapsee871a.