Today, on World Mental Health Day, we’re encouraging you to make time every day to do things that make you feel good.    

You could:

• Read a book or watch a light-hearted movie 
• Talk to yourself in a positive, caring way 
• Sing or dance along to music that lifts your mood 
• Go for a walk or move your body in a way that feels good
• Spend time in nature

You might also find that a few healthy tweaks to your usual routine can strengthen your mental health and wellbeing and help you better cope with stress and anxiety at home and at work or school.  

For example:  

• Getting more sleep helps our problem solving and decision-making ability, and this can help you with work, school and social interactions. 
• Staying hydrated helps regulate serotonin production (that’s the ‘happy’ brain chemical), reduce anxiety and  may help you better manage your feelings. 
• Eating nourishing food like berries, citrus and green leafy vegetables is good for your body and may help you feel more positive and reduce psychological distress, studies show. 
• Reducing your exposure to negative news and media may stop you feeling stress, anger and helplessness from stories that are often dramatised to drum up clicks and views. 
• Limiting drugs and alcohol can give you more control over the way you think, feel and respond to situations. 

Read Inspiro’s guide to surviving lockdown for more healthy habit ideas. 

Talk to someone you trust 

Don’t underestimate the cathartic power of a good chat.  

When something goes wrong or you feel anxious, down or unlike yourself, it can help to talk to a good friend or a trained counsellor or psychologist.  

Talking helps in lots of ways. It may help you: 

• Release built-up tension  
• See the problem in a different way 
• Realise you’re not alone 
• Identify new options or solutions  

Similarly, journaling (that is, putting your thoughts and feelings down on paper) can help you make sense of things and get control of your emotions.  

It’s never too soon to ask for help. 

It’s much better to get your thoughts and feelings out than to keep them in where they can fester and spill out at an inappropriate moment or onto the people closest to us.  

Inspiro’s counsellors can provide talk therapy and counselling for a wide range of areas, including alcohol and other drugs, family violence, anxiety or depression. 

We’d love to talk to you today – give us a call on 9738 8801. 

Other helpful resources:

Check out these helpful mental health resources by the WHO (World Health Organisation). 

• Depression: what you should know 
• Do you feel like life is not worth living? 
• Living with someone with depression? 
• Do you know someone who may be considering suicide? 
• Preventing depression during your teens and twenties 
• Worried that your child is depressed? 
• Wondering why your baby or new pregnancy isn’t making you happy? 
• Depression as you get older