Positive Mental Health

Every day, we are given messages on how to look after our physical health, eat well, exercise and drink plenty of water.

But it is also important that we look after our mental health too – an area that we sometimes ignore.

What is Mental Health

“Your mental health affects how you feel, think and act. It refers to your emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. Your mental health can change and fluctuate on a daily basis and over time, and can be affected by a range of factors.” www.annafreud.org

Positive Mental Health

Things you can do to help your Mental Wellbeing:

Learn to identify what you are feeling and how this affects your behaviour

Do you sometimes feel angry only to discover later that you were actually feeling sad and alone? This is very common. Sometimes what we feel does not always tell the full story. By learning to identify and label your feelings you will become better at handling situations which will support good mental health.

What we feel affects how we behave. If we feel sad, we might withdraw from our friends and want to be alone. If we are angry we might shout and scream and become threatening. Everyone has their own way of reacting to feelings. To help promote good mental health it is helpful to become aware of how you act when you are feeling a certain way. Does the way you act work well for you? Does it make you feel better? Does it affect others in a bad way?

Think about your relationships with others and discover whether they are healthy or unhealthy

Our relationships and the people we surround ourselves with are very important for promoting good mental health. Good positive relationships help us grow into healthy, positive individuals who are able to successfully tackle life’s ups and downs. Bad, negative relationships have the opposite effect. They can leave us feeling sad, worthless, and demotivated and unable to cope.

Learn about self- control

Self -control means being able to discipline yourself. It means perhaps doing things you know you should do (like homework or walking away from trouble) even when you don’t think you should. Self -control can be described as having the will power to resist temptation.

Understand how to resolve conflict

Being able to resolve conflict (a struggle between two or more people which may become physical) is a valuable skill to master. It will help you avoid potentially threatening situations and enable you to calm yourself, others and the situation down. Resolving conflict means learning the skills of compromise and working together. It also involves recognising the need to avoid situations/people/ things that cause conflict and distress.

Develop Self Awareness

Self- awareness means having a good understanding of yourself, your strengths, your weaknesses, your beliefs, your values and your faults. Being self- aware means you will be able to take control of your actions, your thoughts and your feelings. Start with taking time to think about yourself and identify things you are good at, not so good at, what makes you happy, what makes you sad, what values you hold, your goals and ambitions. If you feel brave you can ask a trusted friend to describe you, and if you feel particularly brave ask them to include the bad as well as the good.

Understand how you can overcome difficulties

I wish I could tell you that life is free from difficulties and that you will have a trouble free life. This would be lying. Throughout life we face many difficulties. These difficulties help shape us into the people we become. Understanding how to get through difficult times is important for positive mental health. Talking with people, understanding how to change your negative thoughts, dealing with worries, and taking time out of your daily routine are just a few ways to get through tough times.

Develop your decision making skills to make good choices

Throughout life we are faced with many decisions. Such decisions will range from small “shall I spend an extra hour in bed this morning” to important and far reaching “what shall I do for the rest of my life”

Sometimes we can tie ourselves in in knots wondering what choice to make. Some people are afraid of the consequences of a bad decision and therefore never grow and move forward.

We cannot escape decisions but we can prepare and teach ourselves to become better at decision making. To help develop your decision making skills consider the following:

Speak with an adult – people who are older have obviously had to make more decisions throughout their lifetime. Use their knowledge to help you.
Accept guidance – Don’t be afraid to ask for guidance before making important decisions. Seek advice from a trusted friend or family member.
Consider your options – Sometimes we have many choices. Take time to consider all of your options. Writing them all down helps to make your options more clear
Review the pros and cons – Think about the choices you have and make a list of the good and bad of each choice. This will help you think more about each choice and be less emotional
Consider the consequences – Think about the consequences of any decision, not only for yourself but for those around you.

Self Esteem and Confidence.

Self-esteem is the way we think and feel about ourselves. If we feel positive about ourselves them we are better able to cope with life’s challenges. We are more able to problem solve and move forward. People who do not value themselves tend to think and feel negatively about life’s difficulties.

It is very important to remember to compliment yourself, record your achievements and remember what makes you a good person. This does not have to be done every day but occasionally take time to stop and think about all of the positive things about you.

Adapted from www.annafrued.org

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