10th October – World Mental Health Day
According to the Mental Health Foundation, one in two of us will suffer from a mental health problem in our lifetimes. In fact, recent stats show that 1 in 10 of people in the UK are suffering from depression and anxiety, the most common mental health issues, with the prescription of anti-depressants rising by 47% in the last decade.
So, what can we do to help ourselves and our loved ones maintain optimal wellbeing? Seed’s counsellor, Helen Evans, provides some practical advice on how to navigate through stormy waters
“What is mental health? What does it mean? How do we know if we have good or bad mental health? How do we actually get ‘good mental health’ if we don’t have it? Is it permanent or temporary? Do we need to be medicated or not for mental health problems?
As with most things in life, it depends. Because just as we are all unique individuals, so our ‘prescriptions’ for what may or may not help will differ. There are a whole host of things which contribute to the feeling of either ‘good’ or ‘poor/bad’ mental health. The trick is in working out what will work for us individually. That might be incorporating some form of exercise into your routine which can lift your mood, for others it may be something soothing like a massage, or starting a meditation or mindfulness practice. The thing is to work out what is restorative to you personally.
In his book ‘The Four Pillar Plan’, Dr Rangan Chatterjee divides our lives into four areas or ‘pillars’, Relax, Eat, Move and Sleep. The key with these areas are that they are all in balance, so it’s not about doing one area perfectly, but more about achieving a balance in all of those areas, which will then help to set good foundations upon which to build our positive mental health.
We will all face difficult times in our lives. They may happen early on in our childhood, during our adolescence, early adulthood, during parenthood, or later on in life. Certain challenges are unavoidable, but what we don’t know is what they might be and how we will deal with them or be shaped by them.
These difficult times may be brought on by a trauma or unexpected event which throws us completely; we may experience loss and/or bereavement of important people; we may experience neglect by carers who are unable to adequately care for us due to alcohol or substance misuse or their own mental health issues. We may feel an overload of stress or anxiety brought on by our fast paced lifestyles. Or we may experience no obvious ‘trigger’ or event but just feel mentally unwell.
The important point is being able to recognise when we might not be coping, work out what may help us, and try to commit to making the time to address those issues.
Views on anti-depressants differ, and it is down to personal choice. But getting better, much as we want to be able to wave a magic wand, does take time. And once we put the right steps in place, we can begin to take charge of our mental health rather than let it take charge of us. Making small changes that we can incorporate into our daily routines, can incrementally have a big impact on our lives.
For some people anti-depressants may feature. For others they may be keen to try other options first. If we look at Rangan Chatterjee’s simple steps we could aim to include one of each of his suggestions from his four pillars into our lives, for example;
- Relax – keeping a gratitude journal – when we are not feeling good, we can forget to appreciate the things which are good in our lives, that can be as simple as our family, or flowers outside, nature, animals, just things which we are grateful for. And actually writing that down makes us stop and think about them and not take them for granted.
- Eat – this could be as simple as making sure that we do drink our 8 glasses of water a day or trying to add a couple of new vegetables to our diet each week. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut of teas, coffees, & carbonated drinks. If we do our best to remember to drink water, that can help our mood and performance.
- Move – new research from the Lancet Psychiatry Journal showed that just 45 minutes of activity 3-5 times a week can significantly improve mental health. Try to make a pact to incorporate movement into your daily life, be it a walk with a friend, committing to a monthly running group, a yoga class or joining a gym.
- Sleep – think about what helps you have a good night’s sleep and be conscious of trying to avoid caffeine from noon, and screens right before bed, in order to prioritise a good night’s sleep.
While this may be nothing new, the fact is that when our lives are so busy and we are constantly bombarded by instant messages, social media, to do lists, phone calls and emails, it’s very easy for the basics to be forgotten, our bodies and minds are running on empty and stress overload and subsequently our mental health suffers.
If you don’t prioritise yourself, no-one else will. So, you owe it to yourself and those you love and who love you, to take responsibility for your mental well-being so you can be the mum, wife, dad, husband, son, daughter, friend that you want to be.
Talking therapy can also make a huge difference in ‘seeing the wood for the trees’ and finding a pathway to better mental health. Sometimes just prioritising the time to talk through an issue that is on your mind, can make a huge difference. Or it may be that unresolved hurts, losses, or life experiences feel like they are preventing you from moving forward.
Looking at these and working out how you would like your life to be and what feels possible can be a very cathartic and fulfilling process, leaving you free to lead the life and be the person you wish to be.”
Helen Evans is a qualified counsellor and registered member of the BACP (British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy). Helen offers counselling in Beaconsfield and surrounding areas. She is highly experienced in counselling both young people and adults, working from a private, safe and non-judgemental space in Old Beaconsfield.
If you would like to contact Helen, call 07710 499723 or email helen@seedewellness.co.uk