The World Health Organisation recognises World Mental Health Day on 10th October every year.
The theme of 2022’s World Mental Health Day, set by the World Federation for Mental Health, is ‘Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority’.
For over 70 years, The Mental Health Foundation has been been working to make sure that mental health is treated on a par with physical health. Mental health problems exist in our lives, families, workplaces and communities, impacting everyone. We must do as much as possible to prevent mental ill-health – as individuals and as a society. The MHF will continue to call on national and local governments to prioritise reducing the factors known to pose a risk to people’s mental health, enhancing those known to protect it and creating the conditions needed for people to thrive.
World Mental Health Day is also a chance to talk about mental health in general, how we need to look after it, and how important it is to talk about things and get help if you are struggling.
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The MHF has 12 top tips for improving our mental health:
GET CLOSER TO NATURE. We all live with worries and fears, uncertainties, losses that leave us sad and pressures that make us feel stressed. Nature can have a really calming effect on us. We have been living around other animals and plants for thousands of years. Some people say nature helps them feel calmer, more hopeful and less alone. MHF research found that going for a walk was the UK adults’ favourite way of coping with stress during the pandemic in 2020.
LEARN TO UNDERSTAND AND MANAGE YOUR FEELINGS. Feeling very upset can interfere with our lives, making it hard to think clearly or work, relax, study, sleep or deal with other people. Many of us will know when we’re upset but not be sure what we’re feeling. Is it sadness, fear, shame, loneliness, anger or something else? We don’t always know why we’re feeling that way. It often helps to give our feelings our attention without judging them.
TALKING KINDLY TO OURSELVES IS IMPORTANT. Learn to understand and manage your feelings Some people feel better if they write down how they are feeling; in a notebook or on their phone. You might want to think about how to protect your privacy, before doing this. You could try repeating something positive about yourself to a few times each day. (This is sometimes called a “mantra”. “I am on a journey, growing and developing”, for example.) Research shows this reduces negative thoughts and feelings.
TALK TO SOMEONE YOU TRUST FOR SUPPORT. Many of us have learned to bottle things up inside us and try to ignore painful feelings. It can take a lot of courage to tell someone else about how we’re really feeling or what we’re finding hard, especially if we don’t usually do that kind of thing. Just talking things through with a person we trust can help and feel like a relief. TALKING MAY CHANGE THE WAY YOU FEEL ABOUT A SITUATION.
BE AWARE OF USING DRUGS AND/OR ALCOHOL TO COPE WITH DIFFICULT FEELINGS. Many of us sometimes use drugs to block out “difficult” feelings such as sadness, fear or shame. No-one wants to feel bad and for some people, drugs and/or alcohol offer temporary relief. Unfortunately, they don’t stop the feelings returning and may make things worse or create other problems, including damage to mental and physical health, relationships and work or study.
TRY TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MONEY AND GET HELP WITH PROBLEM DEBTS. Money problems can be unavoidable and we may have no choice about being in debt. Fears about paying debts, bills and essentials such as food and electricity can be very stressful. If we feel responsible for sending money back home, or we’re the only earner in our household, we may feel burdened and isolated. Feelings like this can make it harder to cope with everything, including the money problems themselves.
GET MORE FROM YOUR SLEEP. Anyone who has struggled with sleep will know what a difference it makes to our bodies, minds and ability to cope with life. We all have times when we sleep badly and some of us live in situations that make a good night’s sleep impossible. For many people, sleep is often the first thing that suffers when we’re struggling with our mental health. Adults need between 7 and 9 hours’ sleep a night, including enough dreaming sleep and enough deeper sleep. If you’re struggling with your sleep, think about trying a few simple changes. For example: • Develop a relaxing bedtime routine to help you start winding down before you actually go to sleep • Avoid TV and mobile screens, alcohol and caffeine before bed. This will help you fall asleep and stay asleep. You could also avoid vigorous exercise before bed. • Go to bed and get up at around the same time every day, including weekends.
BE KIND AND HELP CREATE A BETTER WORLD. Research shows that being kind is good for both sides. Being kind can boost our mood, help us feel more capable, strengthen our connections with others and even make us cope better with stress.
KEEP MOVING. Our bodies and our minds are connected, so looking after ourselves physically also helps us prevent problems with our mental health (it works the other way around, too).
EAT HEALTHY FOOD. A balanced diet, with lots of vegetables and fruit, is essential for good physical and mental health. How we eat is also important. Having meals with other people can help to grow relationships – with family, friends, partners, and colleagues. This is really important in protecting everyone’s mental health and prevent problems.
BE CURIOUS AND OPENMINDED TO NEW EXPERIENCES. Life can feel more interesting, lively and rewarding when we are open to trying new experiences and experimenting with how we do things. It could be as simple as what we have for breakfast or the route we walk with the dog. It could also need some planning, like an adventure holiday. We might find a new place that it turns out we love, discover a talent we didn’t know we had or meet someone new and important.
PLAN THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO. Making plans for things we enjoy can increase our sense of hope, which is important for our mental health. Our plan could be for anything from small pleasures, like a cup of tea or your favourite TV programme or dance class, through to a trip with family or friends, or going to see your favourite film, sports team or singer.
The Mental Health Foundation website offers information on mental health, mental health problems, self-help and how to get help.
www.mentalhealth.org.uk
The Samaritans provides emotional support 24 hours a day.
www.samaritans.org
Email: jo@samaritans.org Telephone: 08457 90 90 90
The British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy
www.bacp.co.uk Email: bacp@bacp.co.uk Telephone: 01455 883300 UK
Council for Psychotherapy
www.psychotherapy.org.uk Email: info@ukcp.org.uk Telephone: 020 7014 9955
General health information NHS 111 provides information 24 hours a day.
www.nhs.uk Telephone: 111
