Although #mentalhealthawarenessmonth is coming to an end, mental health is not. Let’s keep taking care of our mental health regularly, every day of the year!
Our physical wellbeing is closely connected to our mental health and viceversa. Therefore, it’s important to regularly look after them and do more of what makes us feel good, in and out.
Very often, we get caught up in all our pending tasks, calls and to-do’s that we forget to listen to our body. How easy it is to forget about breaks when our phone is on fire? How to disconnect when there are so many to connect with?
Overall, the short answer is: putting your health first. Because when one is unhealthy (physically or mentally) the rest does not matter anymore.
For this article, we have put together 5 useful tips to help you remember to look after yourself. Make sure to put them where you can easily see them.
Make it a healthy habit to take care of you!
Surely easier said than done! Specially because nowadays our phones are the main source of both work and leisure time. And by phone, we mean any other gadget that keeps us connected to this fast-paced world we live in.
Therefore, switching off from time to time can bring you great peace of mind. It can be challenging at the beginning, as we are used to being online 24/7. If so, you can start by taking 15 minutes off, and use that time to go for a walk, do some excercise, strech, eat, read… Or simply laying down!
There are plenty of opportunities out there to bring joy to your day without technology around.
Find what works best for you, or try a different thing each time… You will end up looking forward to that ‘me time’!
How many times have you accepted something that didn’t make you feel right? How many times have you wished you said no before?
We tend to accept certain plans before actually reflecting on whether we actually want to or not.
Here’s an exercise. Next time you are in this situation, take a second to think of this matrix.
It can be easier than you think to figure out what’s your right answer.
It cannot be stressed enough. Studying late, staying up until daylight, answering that last email that ends up taking the entire afternoon…
Our body needs to get enough sleep. Our mind needs to get enough sleep. You, all of you, needs to get enough sleep.
When was the last time you had a proper 8-hour sleep?
Experts also recommend staying away from the phone 30 minutes to one hour before going to bed, so that our natural sleeping cycle doesn’t get interrupted by the screen’s light.
You might also want to try avoiding caffeine or alcohol, specially late afternoon, so that you can get a real rest at bed time.
We are only human. Therefore, we all need help at some point.
It can vary from a small task to a long-term support – and all of them are equally acceptable!
There are plenty of organisations, charities, experts and local support centres that are literally here to help you. To help all of us.
At school, at work, at home… ask for help. Whatever you are going through, there is always someone ready to help you.
Here are some help providers in the UK:
Socialising with people we feel comfortable with makes us feel at ease. The human being is social by nature, we need to feel part of a group to some extent.
It is always on you to decide how often you want to be social, and how often you just want to be by yourself. Whatever makes you feel good.
And if you haven’t found your group yet, it is also okay. It is healthy to stay away from what (or who) doesn’t feel right.
A useful tip to meet some alike people can be to join your favourite activities (i.e. hiking, drawing, gym classes…). This way, you get to enjoy the time and meet new people with the same interests. It’s a win-win!