Text Size: A or A

Mental or emotional health issues can affect anyone.  Mental health promotion looks at how individual people, families, organisations and communities both think and feel.

During our everyday lives and especially at difficult times, we need to build and strengthen our mental health reserves or resilience and cultivate a positive outlook.  It is also important to recognise that our mental health is as important as our physical health.

One way of doing this is by looking after yourself, improving self-esteem, improving mental wellbeing, and build confidence.  This will help enable you to cope with life’s day to day challenges.  It is also important to improve your physical health.  

One way to look after yourself is to learn to relax more.  Taking part in physical activity is another way in which we can raise mood, improve depression and is an interest that can be enjoyed by individuals but also by families, e.g. cycling or swimming.

Stress

When and why is stress Harmful?

Stress is something we all encounter.  Life changes, such as moving house, getting married or coping with bereavement, can all cause it.  However, stress also has a positive side.  A certain level of stress may be necessary and enjoyable in order to spark us into action.  (Modified from Mind Information 2008.)

Early recognition of the signs of stress, anxiety and depression is the crucial first step in dealing with problems and preventing them becoming more serious.  One of the key things to do is to seek help as soon as possible, either via your GP or if in the workplace, staff support services where available or self care through for example:  NHS choices – mental health, Mind or Patient UK.

See below Ten tips to tackle stress:

• Make the connection.  Could the fact that you’re feeling under-the-weather be a response to pressure?

• Take a regular break.  Give yourself a brief break whenever you feel things are getting on top of you – get a soft drink or take a brief stroll.

• Learn to relax. 

• Get better organised.  Make a list of jobs: tackle one task at a time: alternate dull tasks with interesting ones.

• Sort out your worries.  Divide them into those that you can do something about (either now or soon) and those that you can’t.  Those that you can’t change, there’s no point in worrying about.

• Change what you can.  Look at the problems that can be sorted and get whatever help is necessary to sort it out.  Learn to say ‘no’.

• Look at your long-term priorities.  Step back and examine what it is about your life that’s giving you too much stress.  What can you off-load, or change?  How can you introduce a better balance between work, social life and home life?  Is it time to reassess your priorities?

• Improve your lifestyle.  Find time to eat properly, get plenty of exercise and enough sleep.  Avoid drinking and smoking too much.  However much you believe they can help you to relax, they’ll have the opposite effect.

• Confide in someone.  Don’t keep emotions bottled up.

• Focus on the positive aspects of your life.

(Mind trouble-shooters fact file on stress 2001)

Please see the Mental Health Promotion – Stress factsheet for further information