8 Tips To Nurture Your Mental Health

‘Mental health.’ It’s a term we’ve become used to hearing on an almost daily basis. So much so, many of us have stopped paying attention to it. But nurturing our mental health isn’t something we can afford to ignore. We live in a world of increasing stress; where contributors to anxiety and depression are all around us. If you haven’t already started, or you’ve started and slipped, it’s more important than ever to take time out to care for your mind. Here are some achievable mental health ‘to-do’s’ to get you started:

Kiwi connection

Download the soothing ‘Small Steps’ mental health app and use it daily. It’s easy to navigate, and it’s designed with Kiwis in mind.

Sens-ible

Take 2-3 minutes our of your day to focus on the world around you, using your senses. You can do this almost anywhere – on a bus, in the bath, while you’re doing the dishes (just not while you’re waiting for the traffic lights to change!). Try to: look at 5 things, smell 5 scents, hear 5 sounds, touch 5 surfaces, and imagine 5 foods, and what they taste like.

Keep a journal

Feelings come and go, but negative feelings can tend to dominate. Keeping track of feelings in a journal can help you to notice the times when you’re feeling good. Journal regularly, such as morning, noon, and night.

Talk-time

Talking about feelings with someone you trust, helps you stay connected to yourself and the world. Usually we talk with close friends whom we trust, but if you don’t have that kind of relationship with another, check out other opportunities, such as Caring Caller.

Art works

You don’t have to be an artist to gain from the mental health benefits of dabbling with art materials. Making art – whether it’s getting your fingers into modelling clay, picking up a paint brush, creating a collage, or even colouring-in, are all proven ways to reduce stress, improve mood, and lower anxiety. And you don’t have to attend a class to do any of it. Head to the op-shop for next-to nothing art materials, and schedule a 5 minute-art-activity into your day. Hint: leave the art materials where you’re sure to see them.

Sing up

Research shows that singing reduces stress and tension. It even builds self esteem. What’s more, you don’t need to join a choir to sing (although, if you do, it can help reduce loneliness, which is also a boost to mental health). Instead of just relying on songs you already know, why not print off a few lyrics from the net, and tape them around the house as a reminder to sing your heart out!

Catch up on our culture

Relax and learn with All Right’s visually-rich You Tube. It’s designed around Māori breathing exercises and is designed to calm the body and the mind. It delivers added value by helping you learn a little te reo while you de-stress.

In with a sporting chance

Sport New Zealand reports physical activity can help boost mental health. What’s more, you don’t need to be a marathon runner to to benefit. Even switching from sitting to light or moderate physical activity helps. Unless you have reason to be concerned about exercising (in which case, see your medical professional), check out our very own Ministry of Health for advice on physical activity for older people, and get started.

For your own sake, and for the sake of those you love, take your mental health as seriously as your physical health. They go together!