5 tips to help keep in good mental health
Looking after your mental health in the best way possible is very important and there are a few things you can do everyday that will help.
We have some tips from experts in the area about how to help keep in good mental health…
Soocial Media Breaks
“Social media makes many of us feel inadequate, unattractive, envious and jealous. Whilst it can be a useful tool, it can also be addictive. People develop an ‘illusion’ of being popular or having hundreds of friends – when, in fact, they have limited social lives. It is possible to hide behind a screen of social media and still be very lonely and isolated,” explains Psychotherapist and Psychologist Corinne Sweet, working with ThinkWell LiveWell.
Corrine adds that’s many strive for perfection on social media – “perfection is an impossible goal and can never be attained, so striving for perfection is futile. Nobody is perfect and we need to remember there is beauty in human imperfection. Striving for perfection becomes unhealthy when it becomes obsessional.”
If social media is making you feel anxious, The Postcard to Anxiety module on the new mindfulness toolkit, ThinkWell-LiveWell (£8.00 a month, www.thinkwell-livewell.com)can help change your response to the cause of anxiety (in this case social media). No one can live a life completely free of anxiety – because we can’t control the world around us. But we can control how we respond to things we find challenging in our day-to-day lives including the demands and pressures online.
Reframe
Think about the bad and good things. “Did you know that we are hard-wired to register negative thoughts over positive ones? Although this is an in-built tool to help us for survival, it can have a powerful effect on our behaviour, our decisions and relationships. You may get a number of positive comments about your work or appearance for example but dwell on and remember the one negative comment you received.”
“There are a number of ways you can overcome negative bias for example reframing a situation. This means that when you’re recalling events, experiences or people and you find yourself thinking negatively, remember to take some time to find the positives in the situation. It doesn’t mean looking at the world through rose tinted glasses but it does mean consciously focusing on a balanced view,” explains Isabella Venour, Mindset & Marketing Coach (www.mind-style.com)
Movement
Implement walking meetings – these are not only a great way to encourage everyone to get out of the office but it’ll also give their mind some TLC – “Movement is essential, at minimum 20 minutes daily, the mantra is ‘move for mental health’ and a walk around the block is sufficient,” explains qualified psychologist, yoga teacher and health & fitness coach, Suzy Reading, working with the new mindfulness toolkit, ThinkWell-LiveWell (www.thinkwell-livewell.com).
Transition
Let go of emotional baggage. Isabella Venour says, “do you sometimes find your energy levels dropping as the day goes on? Does it take just one thing to happen, for you to know that it’s going to be ‘one of those days’? I use a technique that helps me stay energised throughout the day and go from one part of my day to another with ‘useful emotional states’. As you move throughout your day – from your commute, into the office, off to meet friends and back home – between each stage, do the following steps (they take less than five minutes)”:
1)”Accept the experience and let go of the emotions you felt”
2) “Take three deep breathes”
3) “Set an intention for the next stage e.g. I want to show them I mean business”
4) “Choose three emotional states that will be most useful e.g. confidence, fun, energy”
Invest in Lemon Balm
It may sound unusal but “the lemon balm plant is a member of the mint family, which comes with a beautiful lemony aroma. It has traditionally been used to improve cognition as well as reduce stress and anxiety. Studies have shown that supplementation with lemon balm may help to induce a sense of calmness which may be of benefit for those struggling with anxiety,” explains London’s Leading Nutritionist Lily Soutter (www.lilysoutternutrition.com). So, if you feel like you can’t be without your phone, invest in some lemon balm and allow yourself time to induldge in another hobby – perhaps reading.
