Ways to care for your Mental Health

Hello again guys; today’s post is about a fairly important topic. Mental health is no laughing matter and actually many more people suffer from some form of mental illness than they even realise themselves. Anxiety is a massive issue for many people, myself included and so I think that it’s super important to talk about it and also share some advice, some tips that actually helped improve my life in a variety of ways. All of these little additions to my daily, weekly or monthly routines have really helped shaped my mental health over the past year or so and I really want to make a difference if I can. Raising awareness involves talking about things and I do try to be really honest with whoever reads my blog, so here we are;

Find a hobby

This is probably the one thing that really changed my life. I started this blog (with a different name) back when I was at university and unsurprisingly, like many of my projects back in the day, it got shelved. However, roughly a year afterward I decided to give the blog a major overhaul with a new design, name and focus and I haven’t looked back. I don’t stick to a religious upload schedule but instead I post what I want, when I want. I’ve always loved photography, being creative and reading and this blog represents all of those things. Another hobby is reading; I used to read a lot as a child but had never read as an adult, but I've found that it is a great way to pass some time positively. A hobby can be something as simple as reading on the journey to work, anything that will ultimately help you to relax and bring some enjoyment into some of your free time.

Exercise

This isn’t as scary as it sounds; I’m definitely not the most active of people, but I do try and go for a walk every so often to clear my mind and think freely. I enjoy seeing the cityscape and noticing changes across the landscape as I walk. Often, I'll take some photographs of the landscape as I walk to remind myself of why I enjoy seeing the world and how it can change in just a few months or years. Having a good walk does help you to reflect on life and think about the changes you can make to improve how you feel about your life, too. If I'm walking alone I like to put headphones in and listen to music to create a kind of rhythm between my body and my mind.

Talk to people

There is always someone out there who will listen to you; even as an adult I constantly have to remind myself that it is not about how many friends I have, it's how many of them are great friends to me. I don't tell people how I feel often enough, although I'm slowly learning to talk about how I feel much more often, even if talking involves saying that I’m not feeling my best via blog post or tweet; that is much better than simply ignoring how I feel. It’s so important to be aware of how you feel and telling someone, anyone that you’re having a problem is the only way that you can start to rebuild yourself and take control of the negative thoughts and feelings.

Let it all out

Life isn't easy and every person struggles at some point. The important thing is to remember that someone cares about you. If you don't want to talk to someone, write your feelings down in a diary or on a laptop then simply forget about it; the idea is to let it out without involving another person if you don't want to, so you can be as personal as you'd like and no one has to know if you don't want them to.

Just Breathe

It sounds like an easy thing, but sometimes stress and feeling down affect your physical health too; it is so important to take the time to simply breathe. When I'm not feeling my best I try to count to ten carefully breathing in and out to regulate my breathing and stop a panic attack arising. Sometimes without even realising you don’t breathe properly and it is seriously important to think about your physical health as equally important as your mental health as they work together; you have to look after yourself in every way, not just one way.