How to take care of your Mental Health

Mental health is more important now than ever before; it impacts every area of our lives. The importance of good mental health ripples into everything we do, think, or say.

From family and work stress to the cost-of-living increase, they all add up and it’s important to know what you can do to keep on top of everything life can throw at you.

Even little changes can have a big impact on your mental wellbeing, and they don’t have to take up too much time or cost much money.

Check out these top tips to take care of your mental health from AWARE NI.

BE ACTIVE

Exercising has a feel-good effect; it can boost your self-confidence, help you sleep, and generally make you feel better.

Importantly, it doesn’t have to be a marathon or race either, just a simple walk around a park or to the shops can make a difference.

Not a walker? There are other ways to stay active... like playing with the dog, or going for a bike ride, or swimming.

BE MINDFUL

Try to be more aware of yourself and your surroundings. What can you see, hear, smell, touch, and taste? Reflect on your experiences, this will help you appreciate what matters to you.

Paying attention to ‘now’ and making sure you’re present in the moment can help you feel on top of things. It could be as simple as downloading a meditation app, taking a few minutes out of your day to focus on your breathing so you can look at the bigger picture.

However you choose to do it, you’ll want to make sure you’re in control of your feelings, and how they can affect your thoughts and actions.

GIVE

How about doing something nice for a friend or colleague? Even something as simple as offering a smile could make all the difference to someone, and help you feel good too. Think about the little things that could make someone’s day!

If you have a little spare time, you could volunteer for a good cause? With so many good causes in need of a helping hand, it needn’t be about the cost to make a difference.

KEEP IN TOUCH

Having strong relationships with family and friends can help you deal with the ups and downs of everyday life.

Be brave to talk have those tough conversations as admitting there’s a problem could mean you can come up with a solution together.

It's important to remember that this doesn't all need to happen through DMs and texts - actually picking up the phone has a much bigger impact than explaining through 'emojis'.

KEEP LEARNING

It might be years since you last opened a textbook, but it needn’t be Maths or English that gives you reason to learn again. It could be something practical like learning to wire a plug, or picking up a new language for your next holiday.

Set yourself small challenges, enjoy trying to achieve them and celebrate when you do!

TIME FOR YOU

Whatever it is that you love to do to relax, make time to do it regularly.

Having an opportunity to step away and think about something completely different might give you a different perspective and put you in a better frame of mind to make decisions.

Listen to your body and take a break when it feels too much.

GET FINANCE FIT

We’re all feeling the squeeze at the minute, and as it can be hard to feel comfortable about talking to your mates or family about your money worries, the main thing to remember is not to keep it to yourself.

Just like each tip on this page, taking the first step can mean you discover people and organisations that can get you the advice and help you need.

If you have a money concern, Danske Bank have practical ways to help. Visit the Danske Money Worries Hub for more tips & tools to help you stay in control of your finances.

Or if are experiencing poor mental health as a result of money worries, you can reach out to AWARE NI.