Five ways to manage your well-being

Lets talk mental health and ways to manage your well-being.

As a mental health first aider, it is important to know some ways to manage your well-being.  Do you know how to recognise your symptoms and when everyday strains become an issue?  We will go into this in another blog, but some include tiredness, muscle tension, tummy upsets, headaches to name a few.

Understanding when mental health is becoming a problem is one step closer in becoming a better you.  Ignoring any signs and symptoms, can lead to mental health becoming a problem or a diagnosed condition.   Sometimes extra help is needed, but knowing how to use self-help can help keep the doctor away.  Don’t let the clock tick; read on to understand how to mange your well-being.

With the rate race of life; getting up, getting out the house, completing a days work or school runs, getting back and completing the evening chores of dinner and cleaning, can lead to stresses and strains to the body.   Taking time out and looking after you can help promote self well-being.

Here are my main ways to improving a better you!

1. Take time out!

Making time out for yourself in each day will help, even if it is 5 minutes a day and building that time up to 10 minutes.  The ways you can be more mindful are;

• switching off technology and having time in the quiet with no distractions
• do something for you, watch a film or read a book
• leave on time from work
• have a monthly habit of treating yourself, to a pair jeans or jumper, or a sweet treat
• be in the present moment, think about your thoughts, feelings, your body and world around you. (Do a little bit of point 3)
• or sit in a quiet room or lie on your bed, close your eyes and let your mind float away.  Don’t forget to try and pass the thoughts away.

2. Education

I find learning something new helps promotes my well-being. This can be in the form of listening, watching or reading.  While driving, I found listening to the radio and news was filling me with negativity, sometimes songs would come on that I wasn’t over keen on.   So to combat that, I saved some podcasts and listened to them instead.  I learnt quite a bit, and found I was very positive and destressed when I arrived to my destination.  If podcasts are not your thing, there are YouTube videos or even Skill Share.  On Skill Share I have learnt how to edit videos, increase my positivity and best ways to create pictures for marketing.  To join click here: https://skl.sh/2JqMTZb
Another option is going to your local library, which is an affordable way to learn something new.

3. Thinking Positive

You may have heard, as humans we are wired in such a way that we think negative.  Going back to our ancestors, we pay attention to bad, dangerous, and negative threats in the world and our flight to fight helps us avoid danger or death.  We need to train our brain to become more positive.   For a while now I get up in the morning and focus on 5 things I am grateful for.

Some things include; I’m grateful – for the sun shining, I am healthy, there is a rainbow, the birds tweeting, seeing deer, my daughter settled in school, I had a class of 6 on my first aid course.  Last week I found myself driving over a huge amount of massive screws scattered across the road, and one went into my tire.  Well, not once I thought how unlucky I was, I was telling myself how lucky and grateful I am for the tire repair shop was open and change the tire for me.   It could have turned into a bad day!
Try and be grateful for a week and see if you feel the change happen.

4. Exercise

Okay, I can hear you say; hear we go again, maybe the hundredth time you heard this!  Exercise can be in many forms, I’m not saying take up a gym membership.

Going outside and making time in your day for a walk.  I awake at 6 to get my daily walk in before I start work, this may not be your cup of tea. Have you thought about parking the furthest point in a carpark to get to the shops? Have you thought of catching the bus, the walk could be a good 10-15 minute walk?
Do you remember Joe Wicks PE classes on YouTube? It doesn’t have to be Joe, there are loads of long/short, easy/hard workouts in the comfort of your own time to complete.
Other ideas are swimming, join your local litter picking group, or meet in the park with a friend.
All these can help increase oxytocin’s to help you feel better.

5. Connect with people

Again, humans are creatures who love to connect, talk and interact for other humans.  During the first lockdown during the COVID pandemic, shown a huge rise in mental health illness due to people not allowed to socialise with their family, friends and loved ones.
Spending time with others help promote our well-being.  When you put the worlds to right do you ever feel a sense of achievement and happiness? It is how we develop or friendships and relationships.
It could be simple as sending a message or positive quote to someone, this may feel awarding and give a sense of pleasure.

Let us know how you feel about our 5 tips, do you do them already? Have you gave them a go? Did they work?

We  hope you have enjoyed our latest blog written by Heather, Director of HMB Training.   To learn more about Heather here; https://www.hmbtrainingservices.co.uk/about