Mental wellbeing
Mental wellbeing is something that every single one of us have and different life events could have an impact on our mental wellbeing, the same as it might on our physical health. If we all have it, then hopefully we can all understand how important it is to take positive steps to look after it.
We are working in partnership with a range of organisations to raise awareness of the importance of looking after your mental wellbeing and supporting your friends, family members and colleagues to look after theirs
The 5 ways to wellbeing
Created by the New Economics Foundation, the 5 ways to wellbeing helps us to embed 5 actions into our day to day lives which looks to improve our mental wellbeing.
- Connect with the people around you. With family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. At home, work in school in your local community. Building these connections will support and enrich you every day
- Be active, go for a walk or run, step outside, cycle, play a game, garden, dance, exercise makes you feel good
- Take notice, be curious, catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual and notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you
- Keep learning and try something new. Rediscover an old interest or sign up for that course. Take a different responsibility at work or fix a bike. Learning new things will make you more confident as well as being fun
- Give by doing something nice for a friend or a stranger. Thank someone, smile, volunteer your time. Seeing yourself and your happiness linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and creates connections with the people around you (Ref: New Economics Foundation)
Looking out for the signs and symptoms of poor mental health
Everyone is different and mental health problems show themselves in different ways however, the following signs and symptoms are common indicators that someone may be experiencing emotional or mental health problems.
- Changes in sleep patterns
- Changes in appetite
- Feeling low, sad or anxious
- Feeling hopeless, helpless and negative
- Loss of interest in things that you are usually interested in
- Feeling tired, lethargic or having no energy
- Difficulties in concentrating and making choices
- Morbid thoughts of death or suicide
- Restlessness and irritability