“What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.” Plutarch.

It’s Mental Health Awareness week in the UK this week (May 13-19). Therefore I thought I would cover the topic of mental health in this week’s blog.

As I sat down to the write this piece, it occurred to me that many people spend time exercising to maintain good physical health. However, very few people take appropriate action to sustain good mental well-being.

There has historically been a stigma attached to discussing mental health, with many scared to open up about their challenges for fear of being judged and seen as weak. Mental health issues are growing in young people and some of this is put down to the influence of social media and the pressure people feel to fit in and to look and be perceived in a certain way by others.

My research for this blog enabled me to find some valuable information on mental well-being various websites. I found some interesting statistics.

According to the Mental Health Foundation:

  • Mixed anxiety & depression is the most common mental disorder in Britain, with 7.8% of people meeting criteria for diagnosis.
  • 4-10% of people in England will experience depression in their lifetime.
  • Common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety are distributed according to a gradient of economic disadvantage across society. The poorer and more disadvantaged are disproportionately affected by common mental health problems and their adverse consequences.
  • Mixed anxiety and depression has been estimated to cause one fifth of days lost from work in Britain.
  • One adult in six has a common mental disorder

A World Health Organisation report suggested that one in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives

Mental health problems can affect anyone, any day of the year. This week is a great time to show support for better mental health. You can do this by chatting to friends, family or work colleagues about this important topic. You can also think about your own wellbeing too. You could even join one of the Mind charity campaigns to help make sure no one experiences a mental health problem alone.

The Mind charity do great work and exist to help create better mental health. They suggest that mental wellbeing describes your mental state, how you are feeling and how well you can cope with day-to-day life.

Our mental wellbeing is dynamic. It can change from moment to moment, day to day, month to month or year to year. It’s influenced by life events and experiences.

If we have good mental wellbeing we’re able to:

  • Feel relatively confident in our self and have positive self-esteem
  • Feel and express a range of emotions
  • Build and maintain good relationships with others
  • Feel engaged with the world around us
  • Live and work productively
  • Cope with the stresses of daily life
  • Adapt and manage in times of change and uncertainty

The Mind website covers some ideas to stay mentally well and develop our ability to cope with the up and downs of life. These include:

Think about what is affecting your wellbeing

We’re all different. What affects someone’s mental wellbeing won’t necessarily affect others in the same way. But we all have times when we have low mental wellbeing, where we feel stressed, upset or find it difficult to cope.

Build positive relationships

Connecting with others can help us to feel a greater sense of belonging and can help to challenge feelings of loneliness.

Take time for yourself

At times you may feel guilty for spending time on yourself. But it’s essential for your wellbeing and can help you to be more resilient. This may include regular meditation or mindfulness.

Look after your mental health

If you’re living with a mental health problem, taking steps to look after your mental health can help you improve your wellbeing. Tell people what helps you. Let friends and family know how they can support you.

Look after your physical health

Looking after your body can help to keep you mentally well. Making small, gradual changes can have a positive impact on your mental wellbeing, try to start with one or two things you feel able to do.

Ask for help if you need it

Think about treatment options. If you’re finding things really difficult, you might like to talk to your doctor about any support services in your local area. You might want to try counselling to talk through the things you’re finding challenging with a trained professional.

A final thought from me. Some people take vitamins to help maintain good physical health. We can all take vitamins for the mind. We can do this by feeding our minds with uplifting and positive quotations, literature, music and films etc.

We can read inspirational books and biographies of people who have achieved amazing things against the odds or overcome adversity. Mind vitamins could also include reminding ourselves of our strengths, gifts and achievements. We can all too easily overlook these in the busyness of modern life.

This week why not take a few minutes out to reflect and think about mental well-being. What action can you take to ensure you maintain good mental health? Alternatively, consider what help you can give to someone who may be finding life challenging at present.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk