World Mental Health Day

Thursday 10th October is World Mental Health Day for 2024. The aim of World Mental Health Day is to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and help people understand what can often be something that people struggle with everyday.

Everyone has bad days and that’s okay. Don’t let one day take a toll on your mental health. Here are some tips you can try to improve your mental health and being more comfortable in your day-to-day activities:

Get closer to nature

We all live with worries and fears, uncertainties and pressures that can leave us stressed. Nature can have a really calming effect on us, sometimes enjoying the calmness of nature and just taking a breath can have a really positive effect.

“Going for a walk was UK adults’ favourite way of coping with stress during the pandemic in 2020.”

- the Mental Health Foundation

59 percent of UK adults who expressed stress during the pandemic in 2020 said walking helped them cope and deal with stress according to research done for the Mental Health Foundation.

Even going on a small walk for 10 minutes could really make a difference. The WWF and the Mental Health Foundation have created a guide to help you explore different aspects of nature and make the most of it.

Be curious and open minded about new things

It’s easy to get stuck into our routine and sometimes we pick up bad habits, such as not having a healthy work-life balance, struggling to leave time to relax and take care of yourself. Trying new things may come across as a little daunting to some, that’s normal! If this is the case why not try to do something small to begin with, such as maybe going on a solo walk to grab a coffee or riding your bike around the park, even just 30 minutes trying something new, changing up your routine and giving you a moment to reset and relax, can really help.

Talk to someone you trust for support

A lot of us have learned how to bottle up our feelings and keep them trapped inside, trying to ignore our feelings the best we can. Bottling your feelings up often only makes it worse - talking to someone you trust can help you lift a massive weight off your shoulders, even if it’s just to voice things out loud and have someone else hear what you are going through even if they aren’t able to help directly.

Talking to someone may also help you change the way you see or feel about the situation, by gaining reassurance. It takes a lot of courage to talk to someone and tell them how you are feeling, but it can definitely be beneficial in helping you feel like there is a weight off your back and you can be more comfortable in being more certain in how to deal with what you are going through.

Your mental health is important and it’s okay to feel. Don’t bottle your feelings up because it will take a toll on your health and it will become draining. World Mental Health Day is a day to raise awareness about mental health, but don’t wait until then to talk about how you feel, and hopefully with these tips, it all becomes a little easier to deal with and move towards feeling your best self again.

There are further resources and guidance available from the NHS, detailed here if you feel you need medical help and support in handling what you are going through.  – Mental Health - NHS