Page 6 - MENTAL HEALTH: The Yorkshire Post Covid-19 2020 Help E-Mag

Top Five Tips To Help Yourself
Research has shown that anxiety can be reduced – and, indeed, mental health in general improved – through five actions, all of which you can undertake on your own initiative and in your own time. They are simple, need not cost much and the results will help you feel more positive and get more from life.
Take exercise
Exercise is a great way of boosting both physical and mental health. Obviously, the current restrictions on being out and about,, along with the closure of gyms, swimming pools and leisure centres
have restricted the options but, remember, you are still permitted to go out once a day for the purpose of exercising.
So, take a brisk walk or – if your fitness is up to it – a run or cycle ride each day (the quieter roads are a boon for cyclists). Alternatively, look online for resources showing how to exercise at home. Try, if your work and/or home commitments allow, to take your exercise at the same time each day so it becomes a regular part of your daily routine.
The sense of achievement after undertaking exercise, especially once physical and fitness improvements become
apparent, can do wonders for self-esteem, too.
Interact with other
people
Again, something which is less straightforward than usual at present, but good relationships with people develop a sense of belonging, provide emotional support
and allow experiences – both good and bad – to be shared.
Pay attention to
the here and now
Otherwise known
as mindfulness: an
awareness of yourself,
of others and the world around you.
According to Professor Mark Williams of the Oxford Mindfulness Institute: “It’s easy to stop noticing the world around us. It’s also easy to lose touch with the
way our bodies are feeling and to end up living ‘in our heads’ – caught up in our thoughts without stopping to notice how those thoughts are driving our emotions and behaviour.
“An important part of mindfulness is
reconnecting with our bodies and the
sensations they experience. This
means waking up to the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of
the present moment.”
So, take your daily exercise walk or run
but, rather than wearing headphones or thinking about what you’re planning later
in the day, take a good look around you and concentrate on the moment. It is relaxing and, in appreciating and understanding what is around
us, a state of mind is achieved in which can better understand ourselves.
Learn something new
Learning a new skill or developing your knowledge of something which already interests you provides mental stimulation which, in turn, increases self-confidence and esteem, provides a sense of purpose and can help you interact with others.
If you enjoy cooking, for example, try some new
(and possibly challenging) recipes; take on a DIY or gardening project – both
of particular relevance in current circumstances – or
do some online research
into something, someone or somewhere which you’ve always been curious but might not have thought about deeply before.
The internet is a great resource for online tutorials and instructional videos for
all manner of practical tasks: do a quick search and you will soon find something to take your fancy.
Small acts of kindness
It has been proven that acting in a positive way toward other people, however small the gesture might be (even the act of saying ‘thank you’), creates positive feelings, a sense of self-worth and purposefulness.
Ask friends how they are and show an interest in
their opinions and actions; offer help to someone who might be having difficulties; get involved in community groups and projects: the range of options (and level of commitment required) is almost limitless.
Again, with the huge number of opportunities for voluntary work currently available
to help people through the COVID-19 crisis, this could be the ideal time to put this suggestion into practice.