How to improve your Mental Health

Mental health is how someone is feeling in their mind. Good mental health is about feeling good about your life and being able to cope with problems when they happen. We call good mental health mental well-being.

A mental health problem is a problem with someone’s mind that makes it difficult for them to live a normal life. Mental health problems may be small problems or more serious problems. They may last for a short time or a long time.

People with mental health problems can often live normal lives if they get the right treatment and support. Mental health problems can affect anyone, anywhere. 1 out of 4 people will experience a mental health problem at some time in their life.

Five steps to mental wellbeing

Evidence suggests there are five steps we can all take to improve our mental wellbeing.

• Connect. Connect with the people around you: your family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. Spend time developing these relationships.
• Be active. You don't have to go to the gym. Take a walk, go cycling or play a game of football. Find the activity that you enjoy, and make it a part of your life.
• Keep learning. Learning new skills can give you a sense of achievement and a new confidence. So why not try a new cooking recipe, start learning to play a musical instrument, or figure out how to fix your bike?
• Give to others. Even the smallest act can count whether it's a smile, a thank you or a kind word. Larger acts, such as volunteering at your local community centre, can improve your mental wellbeing and help you build new social networks. Volunteering to help others around you can be rewarding and make you feel valued.
• Take notice. Be more aware of the present moment, including your feelings and thoughts, your body and the world around you. Some people call this awareness “mindfulness”, and it can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges. 

For more information visit www.nhs.uk/livewell/emotionalhealth

For information, help and support on mental health you can contact

 www.mind.org.uk  telephone 0300 1233 393

www.rethink.org.uk telephone 0300 5000 927

www.samaritans.org telephone 08457 909090

You can find lots more resources on our 'It's Kushti to Rokker' page