Mental health incorporates the psychological, emotional and social wellbeing and affects how you feel, think, relate to other people and how you take everyday decisions. It is not just the absence of mental illness.
Here are some tips to help you take care of your mental health:
- take care of your physical health: sleep enough, eat healthily and get regular exercise
- do activities you enjoy: identify what is meaningful and enjoyable for you and practice these activities regularly
- connect: build relationships with people who make you feel good about yourself, who you can trust and who you can rely on; be the friend you want to have, for others
- set goals and priorities: decide what can wait and what has to be done now
- notice which thoughts are realistic and helpful and which are unrealistic and unhelpful
- use journaling to help you express your thoughts and feelings, in a space that is private only to you.
Tips to try:
Control overthinking and anxiety by focussing on the world outside of you. The body is always in the here and now. Take deep breaths, feel your feet on the ground and notice:
- 5 things you can see
- 4 things you can hear
- 3 things you can feel
- 2 things you can smell
- 1 thing you can taste
This information is provided by the Counselling Service at Junior College.
