Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health

1 Improve your sleep – The quality and quantity of sleep we get has a major impact on our mental health. Your body and mind simply need the time to relax and recharge, otherwise they do not function properly. For more on the importance of sleep Why Is Sleep So Important For Good Mental Health? – Green Oak Therapies

2 Do exercise– Being fit and healthy physically will help you to become and remain fit and healthy mentally. Exercise releases serotonin, a happy hormone. Being fit and healthy is also great for our self-esteem. For more on the importance of exercise How can Exercise help our Mental Health? – Green Oak Therapies

3 Eat a healthy diet – Food is our body and mind’s fuel. Therefore, you need to ensure that you have good quality fuel in order to keep your body and mind at peak performance. We need fruit and vegetables, protein and carbohydrates to be healthy. for more on the importance of a good diet How Does What We Eat Affect Our Mental Health? – Green Oak Therapies

4 Relax and recharge – It is very important that in addition to sleep, we also relax and recharge. It is impossible for us to be on the go all of the time. If we try to, it usually leads to collapse mentally (anxiety or depression) or physically (injuries, aches and pains). Try meditation & mindfulness to really rest and recharge both your mind and body. For more on the importance of relaxing and recharging Why are Relaxing and Recharging Essential for Good Mental Health? – Green Oak Therapies

5 Be positive – Having a positive mindset is essential for good mental health. This does not mean being fake and pretending that everything is perfect. It just means finding the happy things in each day. Try reframing something and seeing the silver lining. Learn to challenge your negative thoughts. For more on the importance of positivity The Power of Positivity – Green Oak Therapies

6 Take responsibility – You are responsible for your own life, for your physical and mental health, for your own thoughts, emotions and behaviour. Once you realise this, you will regain power over your life to change the things you do not like or want. This is called a cause mindset. For more on the cause mindset What is a Cause Mindset? and Why is it Good for your Mental Health? – Green Oak Therapies

7 Be kind to yourself – We are often our own worst enemy and are incredible critical of ourselves. Learning to be kind yourself and give up the idea that you must be perfect is often the most powerful step you can make to improving your mental health. For more on looking after yourself What is Self-Care? – Green Oak Therapies

8 Connection – Humans are social animals. We are at our best when we have a supporting, nurturing group of friends and family around us. Our connection to others is therefore very important. Loneliness can be the single most damaging thing to our mental health. We also need connection to our surroundings, and so access to nature is also often very good for our mental health. For more on the importance of connection Why do we Need Connection for Good Mental Health? – Green Oak Therapies

9 Don’t bottle things up – Us Brits are very good at bottling up our emotions. The old ‘stiff upper lip’. However, this is really damaging to our mental health. If we do not find a way to safely release and express our emotions, then they will build up and eventually explode and overwhelm us. This is why we have angry outbursts or panic attacks. Often, we bottle things up as we are scared of becoming out of control, however ironically by bottling things up we increase the likelihood of becoming out of control.

10 Have purpose – We all need to feel that we have a purpose in life. Be that to be a great parent, or to invent the next techno product. We need our life to have meaning. We need something to get out of bed in the morning for. If we have no purpose, we often give up and become depressed.