5 Tips for a Happy Mind
It is Mental Health Awareness Month this month and with the current situation being completely new and unknown to all of us, it’s easy to feel worried and concerned about the future.
One thing we can do, is take advantage of either working from home or being off work, and that extra time that we have. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in preparing to work again or trying to reach targets from home - that we forget this is a great opportunity to look after your mind and ultimately yourself!
Here are our top 5 tips to looking after your mind:
1. Walk walk walk
We are allowed for a walk for an hour or two every day, and while there are no gyms or fitness places open, it is a great chance to just walk around in nature. A key thing to remember is not to go on your phone or watch your feet, but keep looking upwards towards the tree line. Take in all that nature!
2. Meditate
Don’t worry, I don’t mean like the ‘classic’ type of meditation! Meditation in this sense just means taking a few minutes out and allowing yourself to unwind. I use the app Calm and it’s amazing! I recommend doing it when you are naturally unwinding from the day. There are also plenty of meditation videos for free on YouTube.
3. Practise stretches and yoga regularly
If you are a patient with us you should have some at home exercises that we have sent you, please practise these at home and throughout the day.
Yoga routines can easily be found on YouTube, this is one we like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7AYKMP6rOE
We have also posted a little stretch routine on our Facebook so feel free to check that out!
4. Write down 3 things you’re grateful for
It’s easy to get bogged down in the things we can’t do at the moment - and easy to forget all the things we are grateful for. It can be as simple as ‘I’m grateful for Netflix’ (I certainly am!) or deeper such as ‘I’m grateful for the NHS’. Just ends the day on a much more positive note and keeps ourselves in check :)
5. Learn a new skill
Some of us will now have more time than what we did before, and it’s a great opportunity to learn something new! To learn a language, I use the app Duolingo. To learn a handstand, my go to is Tash Balance (you can find her on Facebook and Instagram and she does virtual classes for next to nothing!). To take up a new exercise class my go to is E-Motion (they are also doing Zoom exercises classes). Learn to draw, paint, bake etc. etc. - and have some fun!
Most importantly - enjoy this extra time you have with your loved ones and yourself. If you are working then make sure to take some time out to chill, it’s so important to look after your mental health!