In this fortnights Relationship with Self blog series, we are going on a journey, diving deeper into the world of mental health, and identifying techniques of ways you can ease your own mental health, at home.

It is thought that here in the UK, 1 in 6 individuals aged 16+, suffer with their mental health, and 1 in 10 young people aged between 5-16 suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder. I’ve never looked at the statistics until now, but I think the numbers are utterly shocking!

Venturing back as little as 10 years ago, mental health was around, but not fully understood and carried much stigma – What’s changed in 10 years?

As more of the population came forward with their own mental health struggles, something had to be done. Research into the brain, mind and behaviour were carried out, charities and supportive organisations formed, and provided support for those struggling with mental health concerns. The stigma around mental health has reduced dramatically, but unfortunately, is still out there.

However, that being said, there is so much support and treatment out there nowadays, if you feel confident enough to reach out for such support.

Reaching out for support 

For many, the thought of reaching out for support is near impossible, and therefore much easier to identify their own coping mechanisms and self-treatment, including drug/alcohol use.

There are many reasons that some struggle to seek mental health support – stigma, ignoring or not thinking they need support, mental health conditions make it hard to reach out, feeling ashamed, weak, scared and so on. 

I myself have previously struggled with my mental health, your brain takes over, you can’t think clearly, everyday merges into one and you see things from a different perspective, albeit the wrong perspective. What got me through it? For all of my adult life, I have told myself this:

‘’What happens today, stays today, tomorrow is a new day, and the first day of the rest of my life’’

We all have our own values, and we are all different, so the above may not mean anything to you, but for me it really helped to guide my mind back to the state of ‘myself’, and eventually pulled me through.

Self-care tips for dealing with your own mental health 

Self-care and self-love are so important. If you don’t look after yourself, you can’t take care of other issues, such as your mental health. 

I have set out a simple guide of how you can improve your daily routine, encouraging a healthy mind:

-        Eat well and stay hydrated – Our bodies perform based from what we feed them, lacking healthy food and hydration can slow down the body’s performance, including the brain and thought process.

-        Get enough sleep – Being overly tired, is tiring! This can cause an increase in stress and in turn, triggering mental health issues.

-        The start of the day is the most important part of the day, wake up early with intention. Do something/plan something you enjoy and focus on that.

-        Address your thoughts, pushing the negative thoughts out of the way. If your mind is telling you something isn’t quite right, paying too much attention to that will ultimately make you believe it.

-        Keep a mood diary – Tracking your mood will help to identify what makes your happy and what triggers your mental health. Once you have recognised these triggers, you can plan to avoid/prepare for such situations.

-        Try to be social – Making time to be social and connecting with people will help you to feel valued and is a great confidence booster. It doesn’t have to be physical, even a phone call or text.

At Make Me A Plan, we believe in the importance of a healthy mind & a healthy you – and preach it often? Our inbox is always open across our platforms on social media, so please drop us a message for a friendly chat.

Help & support for Mental Health 

MHF - Mental Health Foundation

MIND - Home - Mind

Samaritans - Samaritans | Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy | Here to listen

Remember: You are not alone. 

PS – If you want some more guidance and to ponder on the big questions in life, why not check out the Philosopher-in-Residence series. Out every fortnight on a Thursday, and written by our Principal Planner, Anna Pascoe.  You can take a peek at the latest edition here https://www.makemeaplan.com/news/on-when/