Looking After Your Mental Health
So What is Mental Health?
Mental health is about the way you think and feel and your ability to deal with the ups and downs that life brings us. Some people call mental health ‘emotional health’ or ‘wellbeing’ and it is just as important as good physical health. We all have times when we feel down or stressed and most of the time those feelings pass. But sometimes they may develop into a more serious problem and that could happen to any of us.
Being emotionally and mentally healthy doesn’t mean never going through bad times or experiencing emotional problems. We all go through disappointments, loss and change. And while these are normal parts of life, they can still cause sadness, anxiety and stress.
If you are feeling down try and stay in your day to day routine of going to school, work or meeting up with friends, because once you start to neglect your day to day activities it is very easy to become isolated and lonely.
Talk
Talking about how you feel can sometimes help you deal with the situation or when you are feeling down. Talking for some people can be a way of coping and it is sometimes nice to off load the problems that you have been carrying around for a while.
Sometimes just having someone to listen can help you feel supported and not alone. Talking is not a weakness, if you open up it may encourage other people to do the same.
Some people you may feel comfortable speaking to could be:
- A good friend
- A family member or relative
- A youth worker / Info Worker
- A counsellor
Strong family ties and supportive friends can help you deal with the stresses of life. Family and friends can offer different views and may have experienced similar issues and be able to offer you advice.
Keeping in touch with your friends is important. There is nothing better than catching up with your mates, but that is not always possible, so give them a call or chat to them online. Keeping in touch with your mates is good for you.
Sleep
Modern life encourages you to reject sleep in favour of going out with your friends on a Saturday night or by texting, twittering, chatting and playing games with your friends late at night. Healthy brain development and emotional/mental health are encouraged by the benefits of good sleep. Some people who get less sleep than they need – suffer from weight gain, depression, poor performance and concentration, a reduced creative ability and a lower immunity.
So how much sleep do we need?
This mainly depends on your age.
Babies sleep for about 17 hours each day.
Older children only need 9 or 10 hours each night.
Most adults need around 8 hours sleep each night.
Older people need the same amount of sleep, but will often only have one period of deep sleep during the night, usually in the first 3 or 4 hours. After that, they wake more easily. We also tend to dream less as we get older.
There are also differences between people of the same age. Most of us need 8 hours a night, but some need as many as 10 while a few people can get by with only 3 hours a night.
Teenage boys may need some day-time sleep, most likely linked to metabolism changes and puberty. Hormonal changes in teen girls will also have an effect on sleep amount and quality and with the onset of puberty and changing biological clocks, sleep patterns alter.
If you are having trouble sleeping please remember that alcoholic drink, even in moderation, is NEVER recommended to aid sleep; it acts as a depressant, is dehydrating and disrupts natural sleep patterns.
Keep Active
Regular exercise improves mental and emotional health through chemicals and hormones being released into the brain through exercise and can help some people to deal with stress and improve happiness. Regular exercise can also help boost your self esteem, help your concentration, sleep, and help you to look and feel better.
Exercise doesn’t mean just going to the gym there are several ways in which you can exercise. In reality, as little as half an hour of moderate activity every day, such as brisk walking, can be enough to improve health and fitness. There are various ways to exercise, and it is possible to find something to suit every kind of lifestyle.
Did you know that the following activities can count towards your daily 30 minutes or more:
- Cleaning your bedroom
- Walking briskly to school or your mates
- DIY including painting and decorating
- Vacuuming
- Doing your ironing
Try and find an activity that you enjoy on your own or with friends and make that activity part of your day.
Eat Well
Just like the heart, stomach and liver, the brain is an organ that is acutely sensitive to what we eat and drink. To remain healthy, it needs different amounts of complex carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins and minerals, and water.
What we eat and drink affects how we think and feel every day of our lives, regardless of our age, gender or family background. Not only is the UK a nation of tea-drinkers – in an average week we drink 1 billion cups – we are a nation addicted to many ‘feel-good’ foods and drinks, including coffee, soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, cigarettes and chocolate.
A healthy diet includes:
- Lots of different types of fruit and vegetables.
- Dairy products (in moderation)
- Wholegrain bread or cereal
- Fish (even better if it is oily fish)
- Nuts and seeds
- Plenty of water
Drink Sensibly
Using alcohol to deal with stress is a bad idea. Drinking alcohol stops us from sleeping properly and being short on sleep makes life more difficult all round. Hangovers meanwhile, make it even harder for us to function properly. All of this just leads to more stress and the more stress we're under, the more likely it is that we'll develop a serious problem with our mental or physical health.
Alcohol may relieve stress in the short term, but it is a depressant drug. This means that if you're feeling down when you drink, chances are the issues are going to seem worse when you sober up.
Going out with your friends and being mindful of how much you are drinking is perfectly healthy and enjoyable for most people. The recommended daily alcohol limits are:
- Three to four units a day for men
- Two to three units a day for women
Ask for Help
None of us are superhuman. Some times we can take on things that prove to be too much for us, this can be extra hours at work, college work, family and even social events. There is nothing wrong with admitting that you have taken on too much, in fact it is a great skill knowing your limitations. We all get tired sometimes or overwhelmed by how we feel or when things go wrong; if things are getting too much for you and you feel that you cannot cope, ask for help.
This help could come in the form of friends or family who are willing to provide a listening ear or it could be in the form of counselling. Counselling takes place when a counsellor sees a client in a private and confidential setting to explore a difficulty the client is having.
Take a Break
Getting away from it all and putting your feet up is good for your mental health and although we would all love to go away on that special holiday, it’s not always possible. It’s the little things that can help too, it could be a half hour break from college work, taking the time to spend with friends or catch the bus or train and take time out to go to new places.
Taking a break and relaxing means different things to different people, some people may enjoy relaxing on a beach and not doing very much and other people may enjoy a skiing holiday where they are very active throughout the break so it is important to find something that you enjoy.
Links:
Info >> Health >> Emotional and Mental Health
