Looking after your mental Health and wellbeing Learning
Looking after your mental Health and wellbeing
Learning Outcomes • To improve your understanding of mental health. • To give you tips and ideas of how you can improve your own mental wellbeing. • To provide you with the resources to enable you to access support if needed.
What is mental health? Mental health is as important as our physical health. • If you’re in good mental health, you can: • Make the most of your potential • Cope with life • Play a full part in your family, workplace, community and among friends. •
Your mental health doesn’t always stay the same. It can change as circumstances change and as you move through different stages of your life. There’s a stigma attached to mental health problems. This means that people feel uncomfortable about them and don’t talk about them much. Many people don’t feel comfortable talking about their feelings. But it’s healthy to know and say how you’re feeling.
What is good mental health? Good mental health is characterised by a person’s ability to fulfil a number of key functions and activities, including: • the ability to learn • the ability to feel, express and manage a range of positive and negative emotions • the ability to form and maintain good relationships with others • the ability to cope with and manage change and uncertainty.
Stay connected to others • Maintaining healthy relationships with people you trust is important for your mental wellbeing. • Think about how you can stay in touch with friends and family while you are all staying at home – by phone, messaging, video calls or social media – whether it's people you usually see often, or connecting with old friends.
Talk about your worries • It's normal to feel a bit worried, scared or helpless about the current situation. Remember: it is OK to share your concerns with others you trust – and doing so may help them too. • If you cannot speak to someone you know or if doing so has not helped, there are plenty of helplines you can try instead. Here are just a few; • www. anxietyuk. org. uk • www. thecalmzone. net • www. mind. org. uk
The Worry Tree If you are feeling anxious or worried about something, try this activity to see if it helps.
Keep active and Look after your body • Regular exercise can boost your self-esteem and can help you concentrate, sleep, and feel better. • Exercise keeps the brain and your other vital organs healthy, and is also a significant benefit towards improving your mental health. • Experts believe exercise releases chemicals in your brain that make you feel good.
• Our physical health has a big impact on how we feel. At times like these, it can be easy to fall into unhealthy patterns of behaviour that end up making you feel worse. • Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, drink enough water and exercise regularly. • Avoid smoking or drugs, and try not to drink too much alcohol. Try a Joe Wicks home workout on the next slide.
Carry on doing things you enjoy • If we are feeling worried, anxious, lonely or low, we may stop doing things we usually enjoy. • Make an effort to focus on your favourite hobby, if it is something you can still do at home. If not, picking something new to learn at home might help. • There are lots of free tutorials and courses online. Many people are coming up with inventive ways to do things, like hosting online pub quizzes and music concerts.
Take time to relax • Do something you enjoy, such as watching a film or listening to music. • This can help with difficult emotions and worries, and improve our wellbeing. Doing something you enjoy can take your mind off your worries. • Watch a video on mindful breathing
Look after your sleep • Good-quality sleep makes a big difference to how we feel, so it's important to get enough. • Try to switch off online devices at least half an hour before you want to sleep. • This gives your mind time to relax and makes it easier for you to sleep.
Keep your mind active • Keeping busy is important for mental wellbeing. When we are bored we often fixate on the negative things in life. • Keeping busy can help us stay positive.
Self esteem boosting activities • Take part in activities that make you feel good. • Trying something new or meeting a challenge helps to build confidence and self esteem.
https: //www. mentalhealth. org. uk/podcastsand-videos/i-survive
Mental Wellbeing Apps • Headspace – For guided meditation https: //www. headspace. com/ • Action for Happiness https: //www. actionforhappiness. org/smartphone-app • An NHS Directory of apps to help you cope with your mental health https: //www. nhs. uk/apps-library/category/mental-health/
And Most Importantly…. Ask for help None of us are superhuman. We all sometimes get tired or overwhelmed by how we feel or when things go wrong. If things are getting too much for you and you feel you can’t cope, ask for help. Visit https: //www. nhs. uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression for a list of helplines and guidance on how to manage your anxiety and depression.
Student Advice Team are there for you! • If you would like to speak to a member of the Student Advice Team to follow up any issues emerging from viewing this module… • Please contact: • safe@oaklands. ac. uk • Please provide your contact details so they can reply to you • Alternatively: • Visit the Student Advice desk at either campus to speak to a Student Advisor • Talk to your tutor or any member of the College Staff
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