Good mental health

What does mental health mean?

FACT: One in four people will have a problem with their mental health at some point in their life. Good mental health is not something you can take for granted -looking after your mind is just as important as looking after your body.

The word 'mental' means 'of the mind'. It describes your thoughts, feelings and understanding of yourself and the world around you.

The word 'health' generally describes the working order of your body and mind. So when we talk about 'mental health' we are referring to the working order of your mind.

Mental illness

Sometimes things go wrong with our bodies. We may catch a bug and become ill or we might get hurt in an accident. In the same way, we can have problems with our mental health. There are different types of mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. We will look at these in more detail in a little while.

Mental distress

If we have problems with our mental health we might feel:

In addition we might think that we are:

• unlovable
• guilty
• bad
• evil

These feelings can become so strong that they start to overwhelm us. We feel they are too much to cope with and we become distressed by them.

Top Tips for Positive Mental Health

Staying mentally healthy isn't just about treating illness—far from it! There are lots of things we can do to help prevent ourselves getting ill in the first place, and plenty more we can try if we (or those around us) do encounter problems.

So, to get you started, we've put together these Top Tips for Positive Mental Health. Don't keep them under your hat either—tell your family, friends and colleagues. Everyone should know this stuff!

Talk about your feelings

Sharing your feelings with others and being listened to can help enormously.

The very act of trying to put how we feel into words makes us think more clearly about a situation and can help cut the problem down to size.

If there's nobody you feel you can turn to, call or email a helpline. By talking to others, we can get fresh perspectives on what's happening to us – something that's usually in short supply if we're feeling the effects of mental health problems.

If we talk to someone about what's happening, they might have useful suggestions about where to go for help or support.

If not, even just the knowledge that someone else has tried to understand can go a long way towards helping us feel better.

Write it down

Putting whatever is troubling us into words can help us to think more clearly and cut problems down to size. Some organisations (e.g. Samaritans and Childline) run email helplines—great for those of us who find talking difficult.

Lots of people find that keeping a record of thoughts and feelings is useful in helping to understand how their mental wellbeing changes over time.

It's also useful, given the short time doctors usually have to see us, to write down what's wrong beforehand, as it can help make sure we give them the right information.

Keep active

Physical activity is a proven way to keep mentally well. Exercise makes us feel better immediately through the release of uplifting chemicals into our bodies.

Even just half an hour's brisk walk every other day can make all the difference. Joining a gym or taking up a sport are also great ways to meet new people and to see new places and things. For more information have a look at the physical activity pages of this website.

Eat well

A balanced diet is essential to maintaining good mental health. A growing body of research shows direct links between what we eat and how we feel.

Mind, the mental health charity, has produced a useful guide to mood and food. For more information, go to the healthy eating pages on this website.

Drink sensibly

Avoiding too much alcohol is crucial for both our mental and physical health, but particularly when we're feeling low or anxious. For a guide on how many units are in a particular drink have a look at the alcohol pages of this website.

Keep in touch with friends and loved ones

Close relationships have a huge impact on how we feel on a daily basis. A phone call, a couple of emails or a few texts, can help us feel connected to those we love. Or why not meet up for a quick tea or coffee?

For people who are depressed or feeling low, regular social contact can make all the difference—but don't wait for them to get in touch with you.

Even just lifting the phone can be incredibly hard for someone in a low mood. However, the support that person will feel following that phone call, email or text, are well worth the effort.

Go for green

Spending time outdoors in green spaces is calming and helps lift mood.

Get out for a walk or a cycle, or do a spot of gardening. No garden of your own? Local conservation projects and community gardens are always looking for new volunteers. Or, you could join a cycling or running club.

You could get more ‘green time’ by taking a walk into work.

Go to the physical activity pages of this website for more information.