What does Mental Health mean?
We all have mental health, sometimes we can feel low and lose interest in things. Having poor mental health can make us think, feel and act differently. Having a healthy mind and body are both very important.
How to help your own mental health.
Talk to your friends
The best thing to do if you are worried about your mental health is to talk to someone you trust– this person could be a family member, a friend or even a teacher at school. Sharing your feelings can often help reduce the feeling of ‘you are on your own’.
Looking after yourself
Eating and sleeping properly can make a huge difference to your mental health. Try and get at least 8 hours of sleep a night, this can help boost your mood and mental wellbeing.
Avoiding junk food, eating lots of fruit and vegetables and drinking loads of water can also help you feel good physically and mentally.
Exercise and activities
As well as being good for your physical health, taking part in some exercise or activities can be another way of meeting new people and making friends.
Exercise can have many benefits. Some people find that exercise helps them to concentrate and sleep better.
Different activities can help to boost your mental health and can help you to relax. Here are some examples of things you could try:
- singing
- writing in a diary or journal
- watching TV
- looking after a pet
- listening to music
- having a bath
- exercise
- cooking
- reading
- going for a walk
- going to see a friend
- meditating
Resilience is the ability to cope when things go wrong. It can also be described as bouncing back after difficult times, dealing with challenges and still holding your head up.
There are lots of things you can do to help develop your own resilience.
Here are some ideas:
- Think positive thoughts
- Look after yourself
- Talk to someone
- Learn from mistakes
- Work towards your goals
- Accept that change happens all the time
- Accept that negative things can happen
- Find things that help keep you calm
Who can you ask for help?
Your family – parents or carers, siblings, grandparents or aunts and uncles.
Teachers, classroom assistants or a school counsellor.
Professionals – a doctor, nurse or your social worker if you have one.
There are many helplines available to use which we will include in the resource page.