Mental Health Awareness Week

It’s Mental Health Awareness Week, so we want to make sure you’re doing alright.

It’s been a hard year for most people, and lockdowns, redundancies, sickness and loss of loved ones has made this a tougher year than ever for most people. So it’s more important than ever to not only check in on your loved ones to see if they’re ok, but take time to make sure you are too.

Mental Health issues can manifest in many ways, and some people will push through not realising the extent of their anxiety, depressions and other illnesses until they get to a breaking point. Let’s try to avoid it getting that far with some mental wellbeing tips.

Get Outside

A lot of these tips will seem a bit cliché, but there’s a reason so many people preach it. Most of us have spent more times in our homes this year than ever before. The four walls that surround you can keep you safe from all the bad stuff outside, but keep us away from the good stuff too. Never underestimate what some fresh air and a walk can do for your mental health. Spending time in nature can relieve stress, improve your mood, and even help with your confidence.

Exercise

It can sound ridiculous depending how low you’re feeling - if you’re struggling to get out of bed or off the couch, it can seem impossible to work out, and sometimes it’s just not possible to find the strength. But on the days you can manage, try. This can double up with going outdoors and just having a walk around the block. Being up and active can take your mind off of your worries, as well as helping to produce serotonin. Raising your serotonin levels can improve your mood, appetite, and sleep which will also help your mental health.

Eating Well

Reducing caffeine, alcohol and saturated fats from your diet can help to reduce depression. A well balanced diet can help you feel better physically and mentally. It can also help you to sleep better which can help to improve your mood. You can get advice for this on the Eat Well section of the NHS website.

Mindfulness

More and more people are getting into mindfulness and for good reason! Taking just ten minutes per day to meditate can help to reduce stress levels. Apps such as Headspace and Calm are great for fitting in quick meditation into your busy life, and also have sections to help with sleep. A lot of these apps have a monthly subscription cost, however they often offer a limited service for free.

Be with Friends and Family

Being around friends and family is great for mental health and something that’s been lacking in the past year with the restrictions. Talking to people you trust about how you feel, no matter how intimidating that may feel, can help to take a weight off your shoulders...you’ll probably find they have felt the same at some point in their lives as well.

Ask for help

These tips are for every day well being. It won’t help everyone, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be helped. If you are feeling down, stressed, or have any mental health issue that you are concerned about, talk to your GP. They can give advice, help you to contact a counsellor, or prescribe medication that can make you feel better.

There are also many charities out there wanting to help. You can find some links to these below...

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please dial 999

Sometimes it's hard to know exactly how you're feeling. You can find the SAMH wellbeing assessment tool here

If you need someone to talk to, you can call Breathing Space Monday to Thursday 6pm - 2pm. And weekends, Fridays 6pm - Monday 6am. Or visit their website here

You can call the Samaritans 24 hours a day on 116 123 or get more information on their website here

Campaign Against Living Miserably phone lines are opened between 5pm and midnight every night. You can call them on 0800 58 58 58 or get more information about the work they do to prevent suicide here

Young Minds specialise in mental health problems in children and teenagers. You can call between 9.30am and 4pm Monday to Friday on 0808 802 5544 or find out more here

If you or someone you know is struggling with an Eating Disorder, you can call Beat's helpline on 0808 801 0677 or the Beat Youthline for under 18s on 0808 801 0711 or get more information here

If you're struggling to cope with the loss of a loved one, you can call Cruse Scotland Monday - Friday 9am - 8pm and weekends 1pm - 4pm or get advice here

To find out more about how we can better mental health in the working world, see our Where's Your Head At campaign

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