How are you feeling today? Happy, confident, engaged, productive, content? These are all signs of a fantastic mental well-being, one that everyone should be looking to live for every day.
We can’t avoid the usual mundane parts of life, from work stress to finances, confusing situations to missing someone. When your emotions are low, your physical well-being can be affected too, by high blood pressure, poor digestion and headaches.
With a little consideration for yourself, you can improve your mental health and improve your mental well-being. These six simple tips could make a difference to your happiness levels and overall quality of life.
- Keep in touch
It’s so easy to head home after a long hard day at work, to simply throw on some pjs and relax in front of the TV, but doing this regularly won’t do your mental well-being any good.
A quick phone call or inviting someone round for a cuppa can help to develop and maintain relationships with friends, family and colleagues, who you enjoy spending time with. It can also really make a difference to how you feel in the long run.
Negative people can badly impact your happiness and self-esteem, so it’s better to stick with the more supportive people in your life and avoid as much negativity as you can.
- Stock up on vitamins and minerals
Further research from the Mental Health Foundation has found that there’s a key difference between those people who report problems with their mental well-being and those people who don’t - their diet. Those people who binge on junk food and lack essential vitamins and minerals are more likely to have a poorer mental well-being than those who enjoy a healthy balanced diet.
Your diet should be one of the first things you asses and change if required, to improve your well-being. Make sure you are consuming the recommended daily amount of vitamins and minerals, through a healthy balanced diet and plenty of water each day. If you find yourself struggling to get the right amount of vitamins, consider adding a daily supplement to your diet.
- Give something back
How you choose to spend your time can significantly impact how you feel in the long run. A personal achievement that also greatly benefits someone else will instantly boost your pride and self worth. It also gives you something positive to look back on for that surge of happiness when it’s needed!
What could you do this week to help someone else? Do you have an elderly relative that could do with some help decorating, or is there somewhere you can donate blood nearby? These are just a couple of simple ways that you could start making a difference to others’ lives, as well as your own well-being.
- Get a good night’s sleep
Missing out on an hour’s sleep is a surefire way to worsen your mood and develop a poor mental well-being. Lacking rest and recuperation can impact your body both physically and emotionally. From feeling weak and agitated to losing concentration, missing out on those crucial 8 hours could have much more of an impact than you might think.
Giving yourself a routine is the perfect way to start making the most of your snooze. Aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, even at the weekend. Your body will eventually adjust to your sleeping pattern and you will find it much easier to get to sleep and wake up feeling fresh.
Avoid watching TV or using your laptop for at least an hour before you go to bed. Instead, read a book whilst wrapped up in your duvet, with a warm cup of milk or hot chocolate. You could even take a bath and listen to some relaxing music. Whatever it is that helps you to relax, do it.
- Be aware of what’s getting you down
Mindfulness is the act of developing an awareness of what’s happening around and you and how it makes you feel. Take some time to reflect on anything that might be bringing your mental well-being down and do something to change this.
Keep a diary of what’s happened each day and how you felt about it. Eventually you will begin to see a pattern and address the root cause of what’s been making you feel low. It could be anything from certain foods to a negative person in your life.
You might not be able to make changes to the situation, but having an understanding of what is causing these negative feelings can help you to prepare for handling the situation next time you come face to face with it.
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