George Bell leads partner development at mental health startup Sanctus, on a mission to change perceptions of mental health and open the world's first mental health gym on the high street. Now, they are creating safe spaces in the workplace where people can address their mental health. We spoke to George to get some tips on the best ways to take care of your mental health in 2019.
Leave it to you, George.
George Bell, Sanctus
Mental health has become one of the most widely discussed topics in recent years, and the stigma around it is slowly being removed.
More people than ever are opening up, governments are putting mental health at the forefront of policy, and businesses recognize they need to do more for their employees.
However, this broader conversation about mental health is still fairly new, so it's understandable that many people still don't know how to talk about or care for their mental health.
Here are some tips on the best ways to maintain your mental health in 2019.
#1 Check your connection to mental health
The first and most important thing to do is to identify your relationship with your own mental health.
It sounds obvious, but we all have mental health issues, we're just at different points on the spectrum.
Much of the conversation at the moment is focused on the 1 in 4 people who suffer from mental health issues, which is extremely important, but leaves out 3 in 4 people who don't think they need to address them. There is a possibility that their mental health.
The truth is, everyone should work on their mental health just as much as their physical health.
Just like you go to the gym to get physically fit, even though you're already healthy, you should do the same for your mental health, even if you already feel mentally “healthy.” Must be.
Prevention is always better than cure, especially when it comes to our minds.
#2 Create greater self-awareness about what you need
Once you understand your relationship to mental health, it's important to take the time to understand what you really want and need.
Again, this sounds like an obvious point, but you'd be surprised how few people actually understand what it takes.
It's easy to turn to “vices” like alcohol, caffeine, social media, socializing, and being “busy,” but in reality, these are more escapism strategies than actually good for us. There may be.
Similarly, although these things may make us happier, we feel pressured to avoid them.
Therefore, it is important to look at things in your life and ask yourself:
“Does this make me feel better or worse?” “Am I doing this because I really want to, or am I doing it because I feel pressured?” Do you really enjoy this activity or are you just doing it to fill a gap?”
Also, ask yourself what you can replace something with. If you're scrolling through social media just looking for something to read, why not read a book instead?
#3 Don't be afraid to open up and talk
The conversation around mental health is changing. Don't be afraid to join that conversation.
Being open and honest about your true feelings, good or bad, can be difficult, especially for men.
But everyone has thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and you'd be surprised how often people empathize with your feelings.
It has been proven that talking makes you feel better and psychologically reduces the scale of the problem you are facing.
And when you take the initiative to open up, you give others permission to be vulnerable too. One of the most powerful things you can ever do.
#4 Physical health and mental health
Another thing that's going wrong with the current conversation about mental health is that it separates mental health from physical health.
In reality, the mind and body are intrinsically linked, making these two terms almost separate entities in and of themselves.
One always influences the other. When you feel stressed, your energy decreases. Eating certain foods can change your mood.
With this in mind, working on your physical health, whether you go to the gym or just go for a walk, has a direct impact on your mental health as well.
#5 Meditation for mental health
Like mental health, meditation has faded from the shadows in recent years. It no longer just evokes connotations of a mystical robed monk on a mountaintop, but has become a useful and practical everyday tool used by millions of people around the world.
There are many studies and reports that highlight the benefits of just 10 minutes of meditation a day. It can improve memory, improve mood, reduce stress levels, and even extend your lifespan.
Apps like Headspace and Calm make meditation much more accessible, making it easy and cost-effective to meditate to improve your mental health.
#6 Is social media affecting your mental health?
As mentioned in point 2, it's important to check your relationship with social media. The platforms we use have the ability to do a lot of good, and it's fun to see what people are doing.
Make sure you are using these platforms in the right way and be aware of reality when looking at them.
Remember that everything you see on social media is carefully filtered. It's easy to compare yourself to others because people rarely share difficult times in their lives.
There's also a lot of research proving the link between social media use and mental health issues, so be careful that your social media fix doesn't make you feel worse.
#7 Ask for help
We will all experience challenges, problems, and conflicts in our lives.
That's just life, and sometimes life throws us curveballs just the way we want them to.
It's not a sign of weakness, a sign of failure, or a sign that you're not good enough.
Asking for help is also not a sign of weakness, failure, or not being good enough.
Whether you're struggling with a project and need to ask a colleague for help, or you're having a mental health issue and need to rely on professional support, it's important not to let problems go. Just my shoulders.
As the saying goes, “A problem shared is a problem halved.”
#8 Don’t overwhelm yourself!
We live in an age where we are bombarded with dozens of pieces of advice every day from friends, family, advertisements, social media, news reports, etc. telling us how to live a physically and mentally healthy life.
It is impossible to listen to a lot of information, especially when the information is contradictory. In fact, it can be overwhelming in itself and you can start to put pressure on yourself that if you don't meditate, drink too much, or don't eat enough fruit, you'll be doing yourself permanent harm. there is.
As mentioned in #2, take the time to understand what you need. It's not as important as your friends and family or the BBC News coverage. The most important thing is what makes you happy.
If you don't like meditation, don't meditate. If you want to drink beer every night, that's fine too.
Again, as mentioned in #2, be sure to ask yourself why you do certain things and how it affects you. But more than that, don't feel pressured to justify your decision to anyone or to follow through. Any advice out there.
Above, we've provided some tips on specific topics like fitness, meditation, and social media, but there are thousands of other details you can cover, from nutrition, nature, and shopping to gaming, watching TV, and hanging out. There is also. Go out with friends.
We all have different activities and habits that we do for our mental health, too many to list in one article.
So the single best advice I can give is to first combine #1, #2, and #8. Check your relationship with your mental health and then ask yourself what works for you and what doesn't.
It could be something specific to you. Perhaps you've found that going for a walk around the park at 11am on a Sunday is a big deal for you. You may not find such advice on dozens of health websites, but it may work for you.
And get used to being honest with others and being open about your mental health. You'd be surprised how often people want to have conversations like this. You just need someone to give you permission to open up.
A huge thank you to George and Sanctus for writing this blog and providing tips on how to take care of your mental health. you can find george linkedin and find sanctus Website.