Photo credit to www.totalshape.com via Unsplash.
Now more than ever it is important to promote positive mental wellbeing, for ourselves, and for our friends and family. On Saturday 10th October 2020, Audley teams will be observing World Mental Health Day and reaching out to colleagues, friends and family with support and a listening ear.
World Mental Health Day is celebrated every year on the 10th of October and first started in 1992. The objective of this initiative is to educate people on mental health and spread awareness that how this fatal illness can affect one’s life.
The importance of maintaining good mental health is well-documented, but with so much information available it can be quite overwhelming to understand what to follow and implement into your day to day life.
Feelings of low self-esteem, anxiety and other mental health concerns can be particularly profound in isolation at home this year, whether you are working from home or retired and struggling to fill your day. At Audley, we recently shared lots of 'Together at home' activities to promote brain health and increase feelings of wellbeing. Our staff have been following these tips and activities, along with our owners, friends and family. As well as the tips below, our Audley teams have access to health care benefits including wellness therapies,counselling services, a virtual GP, health club discounts, and a life coach app with mood-tracking technology and exercises, providing a toolkit to enable individuals to take better care of themselves. Team members are invited to communicate freely and regularly with their colleagues, and in some cases do so more now than before the pandemic. Individual teams are communicating frequently via Microsoft Teams for both work and play to keep their moods high. There have been cocktail tasting zoom calls, quizzes and even virtual workouts. We want to make sure Audley teams and Audley customers feel safe, happy, and together at home.
Here are some suggested well-being exercises to keep feelings of woe at bay.
Talk about how you are feeling
For some of us the thought of revealing how you are feeling can be an uncomfortable experience. Try to speak to someone who you can trust and you feel comfortable with. By talking about how you are feeling, you can feel supported and not alone. Opening up about how you are feeling can also encourage others to do the same.
Partake in regular exercise
Regular exercise can be essential in maintaining a positive state of mind, when you exercise, your body releases endorphins which help to put you in a positive frame of mind. Exercise can also help to increase your social engagement and create a sense of achievement. Exercise doesn’t need to be running a marathon or playing a 5 set tennis match, try adding supplemental activities to your day that keep you active for longer.
Do something you are good at
When you are doing something that you are enjoying, this helps to beat stress. When you do an activity that you enjoy, it is likely that you are pretty good at it and this helps to increase self-esteem. In addition, when you concentrate on your hobbies, this helps you to forget about your worries and can help to change your mood.
Eat well
Maintaining a healthy diet is just as important for our bodies as it is our minds, if we consume a diet that provides little or no iron or B12 vitamins, this can put us in a low mood. If you feel particularly anxious or stressed, try limiting your intake of caffeine. To keep it simple, try eating three meals a day that provide you with your recommended 5 portions of fruits & vegetables a day and drink plenty of water.
Enjoy a change of scenery
Taking a break or having a change of scenery can be very beneficial for your mental health. This can be anything from taking a 10-minute break from cleaning out your garage or enjoying a weekend away. Even a few minutes away can be enough to help you de-stress and take you away from what may have been a stressful situation. What you do in this break is up to you, you may want to simply catch your breath or relax and make a cup of tea.
Get enough sleep and limit screen time
A good night's sleep can make a world of difference to your mood. Limiting screen time throughout the day and particularly before bed can help. Reading a book or listening to meditation can help ease you into sleep.
If working from home and your job involves working at a computer, then limiting screen time is difficult, but you can follow the 20:20:20 rule to alleviate eye strain and stop your eyes feeling tired. After looking at a screen for 20 minutes, look away and focus on something 20 feet away for a count of 20 seconds.
To find more stories and tips to help with your mental and physical wellbeing then visit the health and wellbeing section of our Audley Stories blog.
