Mental Health At Christmas
Intro:
Mental Health is finally coming to the forefront of our Conversations. Sadly, many people will struggle with their Mental Health during this Festive Season, while the best advice is always to seek out professional help, here are a few ways you can improve your Mental Health yourself over the Christmas Period.Stay Active:
Getting Active Exercise is Scientifically proven to help boost your Mental Health. Active Exercise has shown not only to push a chemical change in your brain, it can help you sleep better, improve your memory and most importantly be a massive Stress Relief. You don’t need to spend all day at the gym like the Rock or start prepping for a Marathon. Just a little jog or a few sit ups in the morning can do wonders.Eat a Brain Healthy Diet:
Staying Active may be an amazing way to boost your Mental Health, but what you eat can also have an effect. Firstly, PLENTY of water, it sounds simple but a lot of people forget. Seriously, just simply making sure you drink enough water can really help boost your Mental Health.Wholegrain, Nuts, Seeds, Oily Fish, Dairy, or the old classic, Fruit and Vegetables. Again, you don’t have to swear off your favourite foods, just try to make your weekly diet a bit healthier and see what the results are.Talk About Your Feelings:
Human Beings are social Creatures, we need friends and family around us to help us stay Mentally Stable. Whilst seeing people in person is the best way to help your Mental Health Socially, not everyone may have access to this. With the Pandemic holding a lot of people in doors, or in some cases isolating, it can be an incredibly alienating experience.The online space can be therapeutic, playing Video Games with Friends or talking to the family on Zoom can be helpful. Whichever way you choose, try and talk about what is upsetting you, this can relieve the stress that Mental health can lay on you. You don’t need to suffer in silence.Take A Break:
If you run a car for thousands and thousands of miles, never give it a rest or change the oil, the car is going to break down. Occasionally YOU are the Car. Sometimes you need to pull over to the side of the road, change the oil and let the Engine rest. Its ok to push yourself and give everything you’ve got, but chilling out for a second can be just as important as hard work.Get Creative//Retreat To Your Childhood:
As Kids we are all creative little artists, absolutely full of imagination. Experimenting and breaking your daily cycle by just sitting down to doodle or even writing a small poem can engage your brain in a non-stressful way.As a kid you ran wild with the imagery in your mind and its almost guaranteed that your bedroom wall was covered in cute little doodles at one point or another. Sitting down and taking your time doodling something, like a Dinosaur or a Spaceship can calm you down.Ultimately it's about breaking the monotony but if you're ever stuck or want to get a group of people together to take that trip down memory lane. Definitely check out Doodleledo! Why? Because you can take the office for a chilled out Mental Health Session or get the family together for a Christmas Treat.A Little Walk In Nature:
Research has shown that something as simple as walking through your local park for 30 Minutes helps to reduce Depression and boost well being. After a while you’ll probably find your overall energy levels increase, even if you take an exhausting hike.So get yourself in Nature, it's Scientifically proven to help with your Mental Health!Avoid Alcohol:
It's ok, you can have a couple of Cherry’s for Christmas Dinner. But Alcohol is a natural Depressant, so drinking a lot of it won't help your Mental Health. Like most things in life it's all good in moderation and warrants a discussion on its own.
Definitely listen to your Doctor on this one and take all the necessary precautions when having a Drink.Learn A New Skill:
Similar to taking a trip down memory lane. Learning a new skill can be anything, you just want to engage your brain! Get out the pen and paper and GET DOODLING! Bringing it up again, booking a Doodleledo Event can be great for problem solving and setting your brain to work! Seriously, check it out.
If you don’t fancy doodling you can try your hand at writing, taking a pottery class or learning to dance from YouTube. Just boost your self-confidence and mood by taking a little bit of time to stimulate your mind and potentially boost your mood.Set Realistic Goals:
Your not going to become the King of America tomorrow, unless the universe takes an odd turn. But you can finish that pile of paperwork over a couple days, you can get to work a couple minutes earlier. Set yourself small, simple goals and grow them slowly.
You’ll find a decent boost in mood as you meet these smaller, more regular goals. You can shoot for the stars, but be proud if you reach the moon.Get Some Sleep:
The average adult needs 8 Hours sleep a day, now there are various new sleep studies that say otherwise or are big proponents of different sleeping patterns. Simply find what works best for you! Take a little bit of time to check out some of the best sleep studies and watch your mood lift all on its own.Outro:
Just to reiterate, if you are having Mental Health problems, please seek professional medical advice! You can use all of these tips in various combinations to help boost your mood, especially over the Christmas period when you could be feeling more alone.There is no need to suffer in silenceMerry Christmas from Natalia Design.