Looking after your mind

Our minds are just as important as our bodies, they need to be looked after or we could become ill. Our mental well being describes our mental state, it's all about how we feel and how we cope with life.  Everybody will experience periods of low mental well being, when we find it difficult to cope in stressful and difficult times. When mental well being is low over a long period of time, there is a higher risk of a mental health problem. Whether you have a mental health problem or not, there are several things that can help you to stay mentally well, even during difficult times.

Being able to talk about our feelings with friends and family can really help to keep a healthy mind. They may be able to offer advice and support when you're going through a difficult time. But, even if they can't specifically help with problems, often, talking about issues and problems can really help and make you feel much better.
Looking after yourself physically will help with your mental health too. Diet is a huge part of this, eating well will have a largely positive impact on both physical and mental health. Ensuring you get plenty of water and a good balanced diet with lots of vitamins and minerals will improve your overall health. Cutting out the things that are bad for you like tobacco and drugs and reducing alcohol intake will all benefit. Keeping active and fit is also important. It has been proven that regular exercise can alleviate depression and anxiety symptoms. It can boost confidence and improve your mood because of the release of endorphins. Along with diet and exercise, making sure you get enough sleep is really important. Having trouble sleeping can have a really negative impact on your mental well being so it's important that you have a regular sleeping pattern and ensure your mind gets enough rest.

Another important factor in keeping a healthy mind is learning to relax. It is important to be able to take time away and escape from the stresses of life so that they don't get you down. This can be as simple as taking a five minute fresh air break or more extravagant ideas like learning to meditate.

A hugely important step in having a healthy mind is being able to accept yourself for who you are. Learning to be happy with yourself will make it easier to cope through difficult times. Try and think more positively  and acknowledge your qualities and things that you're good at. Don't try and compare yourself to other people and spend your time with positive, supportive people and not negative people that will bring you down.

Using all these steps, you will hopefully find yourself feeling good inside and out!