Five ways to look after your mental health
Thu 10 October, 2019
Thursday 10 October marks World Mental Health Day 2019. Joanne Sale, Senior Lecturer, Mental Health Pre-registration Course Co-ordinator, offers some advice on how to look after your mental health.
Joanne says: 鈥淓veryone has mental health but we don鈥檛 deal or manage it the same way. It is important to find your own way with the support of others.听For those of you experiencing mental health difficulties, get help now through your local mental wellbeing service (you can get this from the听听or speak to your GP).
鈥淭he 天美传媒 also offers mental health support to students along with a counselling service. For long term wellbeing, there are many charities who are now promoting the five ways to wellbeing such as . I particularly like these top tips from .鈥
- Take it seriously
It can feel embarrassing and exposing to talk about your thoughts and feelings, especially if they鈥檙e disturbing. Don鈥檛 laugh or treat it like a joke. However strange it might seem to you, remember it鈥檚 real to them.
- Listen and reflect
You don鈥檛 have to have all the answers 鈥 just listening can make a big difference. Try and show that you鈥檙e taking on board what they鈥檙e saying. You can do this by reflecting 鈥 that is, saying something simple like 鈥渢hat sounds really difficult鈥. You could also say something like 鈥渢hanks for telling me鈥, to show that you appreciate having the conversation.
- Ask questions
We worry about prying when it comes to others鈥 mental health, but it鈥檚 better to ask questions. It can help them to get things off their chest, and by keeping the conversation going it shows that you care.
Some of the questions you might ask:
鈥淲hat does it feel like?鈥
鈥淲hat kind of thoughts are you having?鈥
鈥淗ow can I help?"
- Don鈥檛 try and fix it
It鈥檚 human nature to want to fix things, but expecting things to change right away isn鈥檛 helpful. It鈥檚 not your job to make their mental health problem go away 鈥 it鈥檚 often more helpful just to listen, ask open questions and do things you鈥檇 normally do together.
- Build your knowledge
You might find it helpful to learn a bit more about what they鈥檙e going through. If they mention a specific diagnosis, you could learn more about it and听听by people who have experienced similar things.
You might want to learn about the professional help that鈥檚 available to them and suggest that they explore those options. 听have a handy guide on seeking help for a mental health problem, and Rethink Mental Illness have听. 听
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