Mental Wellbeing

Looking after your mental health is as important as looking after any other aspect of health.  This page will be developed to give you some information and advice on your emotional and mental wellbeing, as well as information about various psychiatric disorders.  On this page you can read about Safeguarding your mental health, A Survival Guide for your mental health at Christmas, and facts about Schizophrenia. More content will be added soon.

Safeguarding your mental health every day

We’ve all heard the expression mental health, but what does it mean? And more importantly, how do you look after it?

When people hear the words ‘mental health’ they usually think of mental illness, but the phrase is neutral. Positive mental health describes a sense of well-being. It is about the way you think and feel and how you cope with life’s challenges.

If it only when your mental health suffers that it becomes a problem.

So how do you keep yourself mentally healthy, to help prevent yourself from getting ill?

Keep active - regular exercise can help you feel more positive. You don’t’ need to join a gym, regular walking or swimming will help.

Keep in touch – don’t cut yourself off from friends and family. Spend time with them.

Get involved/do something you’re good at – join in local community events, take an evening class, join a choir, take up a new hobby.

Accept yourself – forget trying to be perfect – nobody is! Accept yourself, faults and all.

 
Relax – Make sure you take time to relax, and make sure you get a good nights’ sleep.
Don’t overdo the alcohol – drinking too much can make you feel worse so don’t overdo it.

Eat well – good nutrition will help your body cope with stressed and fight off infection.

Know when you’re feeling stressed or distressed – If you’re finding it difficult to cope with daily pressures, feel stressed or are using drugs or alcohol for release, you may need some help with your problems.

Ask for help – your GP will see many people with similar symptoms in the course of a day. If you’re feeling stressed or unhappy, go to see your GP and seek help.

Mental Health at Christmas - A Survival Guide

The Mental Health Foundation is urging people to look after their own mental wellbeing this Christmas with ten simple steps.


"It's all too easy to feel under pressure to perform at Christmas," said Ruth Lesirge, director, Mental Health Foundation. "There is an expectation that everybody will feel happy and sociable throughout the Christmas period - despite having our normal timetable turned upside down, presents to buy, food to prepare and relatives, partners and friends to be extra-nice to throughout the holiday. It may all be too much, so there are things that everybody can do to help look after themselves at Christmas. But it is important to understand that if you do feel stressed, anxious or depressed you haven't failed."



The Mental Health Foundation's Christmas survival guide includes:



Plan ahead. Break down a big problem into smaller problems which you can feel good about achieving, e.g. buying one present at a time, or in small groups, cooking some Christmas food in advance and freezing it.


Plan some time for yourself. Make you have some time to yourself to do things that make you feel good. It could be having a long bath with the door locked, listening to music, reading a book, or simply calling a friend.


Learn how to relax and practice before Christmas. Tense and release muscles in your hands, then your feet, then your legs and so on. Try a breathing exercise, breathing in through the nose, holding your breath for ten seconds then breathing out through your mouth and relaxing. If you find yourself panicking over Christmas then use one of these techniques.


Dealing with hassles. Concentrate on the things you can change rather than worrying about the things you can't.


Watch what you eat. Eating lots of rich food before you go to bed can ruin your sleep and make you tense and irritable. Try to eat your main meal earlier in the day and don't forget to eat lots of healthy fruit and vegetables.


Exercise will help you sleep better and will also provide you with a distraction from your worries. If the swimming pool's closed then try running round the park with your dog or the children.


Recognise it doesn't all have to be perfect. Some of the best times are had when things go wrong and you find yourself having to improvise instead!


Distract yourself from your worries. If, on Christmas morning, you can't stop worrying about whether or not the turkey will cook in time, or whether Aunt Ethel's present is the right size - try distracting yourself for a few minutes. Useful distraction techniques include counting back from 100 in sevens, planning what you would do if you won the lottery, or just doing the crossword.


Complementary therapies. If you're having problems relaxing try some lavender oil.


Remember you're not alone. The chances are that you will know at least one other person who is going to find Christmas stressful. Why not agree to meet or talk on the phone? Sharing problems often helps, and you'll be assured that what you're feeling is perfectly normal.

Schizophrenia - The Facts

About 1 per cent of the population are diagnosed with schizophrenia during their lives.

Schizophrenia affects men and women equally. It is a complex condition that is still not fully understood.

During a psychotic episode, patients may be completely unable to separate reality from fantasy and may see the world in a highly distorted way.

Some patients may have only one psychotic episode. Others may have many episodes during their lifetime, but lead relatively ‘normal’ lives between episodes.

Those with chronic schizophrenia may need long-term treatment, usually involving drugs, to control their symptoms.

Some patients experience hallucinations; the most common is hearing voices. They may be anxious and confused, or wide awake and alert, and may hold false or irrational beliefs.

They are no more prone to be violent than the general population and typically prefer to withdraw and be left alone. Mentally ill people are much more likely to harm themselves than others.

There is no single cause for schizophrenia. It is thought that some people have a genetic vulnerability and that environmental factors may then trigger the illness.

Treatment with antipsychotic drugs is effective and though modern ones have fewer side effects, many patients dislike them. The demand for talking treatments exceeds the supply.

The outlook for patients has improved over the past 25 years and many patients can lead independent, satisfying lives.

Courtesy of Jeremy Laurance
Health Editor, The Independent.