Looking after your mental wellbeing

There is a lot in the press at the moment about mental health and mental well-being. It is about time that mental well-being was considered important.

Every single individual has mental health which they need to care for and maintain before a problem occurs and there are various ways of doing this that everyone can try at home.

Time out

One of the most important things for mental well-being is to take time out every day for yourself.

In the modern world, we are always so busy. We are bombarded 24 hours a day with information, messages, emails, and notifications. We never seem to take time for ourselves.

This can literally be 10 minutes to listen to music, read a book,

or meditate. Or it could be a couple of hours at a spa, a yoga class, or going to a life-drawing class.

It doesn’t matter what the activity is, or even if there is no activity, it is important to have time just for you every day. How you use it is up to you.

Live healthily

There is the old adage of “healthy body, healthy mind,” which whilst a cliché has an element of truth in it.

Leading an active life can boost self-esteem, and help you concentrate, and sleep better. Being active doesn’t mean running 10k before breakfast (unless that is what you want to do) – it means getting out in the fresh air to walk the dog, going to the gym, or meeting a friend for yoga or a cup of coffee. Any activity is good – and if it is outside all the better.

It is also good for your mental well-being to eat more healthily, and cut down on caffeine and refined sugars. Cutting back on these is good for your physical health which is then in the long run, better for your mental health.

Research has shown a direct link between the balance of healthy bacteria in the gut and our mental health, so by keeping the good bacteria at an optimum level can help our mental health too. You can eat fermented foods or take a good quality probiotic which can help.

Talking

Being open about your feelings and emotions is vital for mental health, whether that is speaking to friends or family or a professional. This isn’t necessarily about asking for advice, but about being heard.

If you need some ‘me’ time why not come and join us on a retreat, we would love to see you there.

Bonny & Sadie