World Mental Health Day 2020

World Mental Health Day 2020 is the most important one yet.

This year has been a tough one for us all. The months of lockdown and loss have had a huge impact on our mental health. Take time today to relax and take care of each other. 

10 TIPS FOR SUSTAINING HEALTH IN THESE CHALLENGING TIMES (Shanemartinmoodwatchers)  

1. Exercise (daily). Studies have emphatically proven the link between increased exercise and better mood. We need a brisk walk of at least 30 minutes once a day. It helps burn off excess adrenaline, gives us energy when we need it and aids sleep in the long term.
2. Social connectedness – people need people. With social distancing we have to tap into technological resources to do this. But it’s still very important to remain social, keep your friends and make new friends.  Start with family and work your way out into the community.
3. Reach out to those in need. Kindness makes you feel good. It helps you put your problems into better context. Is there an elderly or sick person living in your neighbourhood? Have you rang them to see how they’re doing?
4. Think more about the things that are right about your life. We spend too much energy focusing on the things that we have lost in life and frustrate ourselves with lists of things we need. Look right under your nose at what you are blessed with. We take a lot for granted.
5. Dig up a long lost hobby or start a new pastime. Happy people do things that they love doing. This creates flow in their lives. We lose sense of ourselves and time when we become engaged. This deep engagement is called flow. Regular experiences of it contribute to a feeling of fulfilment and satisfaction. We need flow in our days or we start to feel deprived and frustrated. You used to complain about not having time for hobbies. You’ve no excuses now.
6. Eat slowly, taste the food as you eat. Mix fruit, veg and oily fish into your diet. Families need to sit at a table. We need to be aware of the gifts of flavour and taste. 
7. Meditate – focus on your breathing and remove yourself from the worries of the current situation. Bask in the glory of ‘now’. Prayer has been shown to be a powerful resource during difficult times.
8. See the world around you and marvel in it. Feel the breeze, smell the flowers, watch the sun rise. There is therapy in the clay, calmness in the sky and energy in the animals, trees, plants and flowers. The beauty of the world has not disappeared. Focus more on it now!
9. Watch out for faulty thinking cultivated by emotional distress. Don’t be over-analysing coughs and splutters. Consult and seek advice, if needed. But don’t over-dwell on the negative. 
10. Allow yourself to laugh more. Mingle with good humoured people. Laughter is a therapy and lifts mood.