For Mental Health Awareness Week, we have collaborated with the charity Mid and North East Essex Mind to provide you with 7 tips to help improve your mental health!
Research has shown that in the UK, over two-thirds of us experience a mental health problem in our lifetime. That’s why we wanted to share the positive ways we can deal with stress and show support for those who are going through a stressful or difficult time.
Tip 1: Identify your triggers: Take some time to think about what causes you stress and how you might overcome this. Even if you can’t avoid stressful situations you can be prepared for them.
Tip 2: Vary your activities. Try to incorporate interesting tasks, which are completely different from the ones causing you stress, into your day to day life to balance the demands of you.
Tip 3: Being more physically active can reduce our stress levels and the damaging impact these can have, it is also important for improving our mood and general wellbeing. Perhaps take a 20-minute walk at lunchtime or get off the bus a stop early.
Tip 4: If you are feeling stressed let a colleague or family member know, they could help you work through things, you don’t need to face it alone.
Tip 5: Be straightforward and assertive in communicating with others. If people are making unreasonable demands on you which are causing stress be prepared to tell them how you feel and say no.
Tip 6: Although stress can make it hard to sleep being well rested can increase your ability to cope with difficult situations.
Tip 7: Forgive yourself when you make a mistake. Nobody’s perfect and it's important not to put excessive pressure on yourself.