Taking care of your own mental health

• Exercise: poor mental health can leave you feeling completely drained; exercising may be the last thing on your mind, but afterwards it actually makes you feel like you have more energy. Try to create a regular routine that you’ll stick to, or get someone else to hold you accountable. If you have a physical health condition which limits what you can do, be careful, follow medical advice and think about what you can do, not what you can’t.

• If you find walking dull, go somewhere new or with someone you enjoy chatting to. If you’re stuck at home, youtube has everything from gentle yoga to energetic dance workouts lasting as little as 3 minutes (still counts)! 
• Get outside: no, this isn’t your grandma telling you to get some fresh air – exposure to sunlight gives us Vitamin D, which releases endorphins and serotonin, which boost our mood. Just sitting outside/by a window for 30 minutes a day can make a difference. In winter, some people struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder (the lack of sunlight makes them feel low) – you can get special lamps which help with this.
• Dress to impress (yourself): when we feel low we can fall into a very negative mindset that we aren’t worth the effort of nice clothes or makeup, or they make no difference. Looking good on the outside isn’t just superficial or vain, and of course it won’t solve every problem, but it can make us feel more confident on the inside. You don’t have to do it everyday but invest time in making yourself feel good because you need to teach yourself that you’re worth it *swishes hair*. 
• Eat well and avoid alcohol/smoking: again, we apologise for this public service announcement on behalf of the government. Getting a balanced diet affects not only our physical health, but the chemical balance of our brain which can improve our mood (and healthy eaters are less prone to acne which always makes you feel better!). Eat regularly, energy / sugar spikes can be brutal. Caffeine can make you jittery so beware the slippery coffee slope; likewise alcohol is a depressant, so it can lower your mood and disrupt your sleep. Aside from all of the horrible physical effects of smoking, it also makes you tense and anxious; just don’t go there!
• Do things you enjoy: sometimes when we feel low, what makes it even worse is that some of the things we love can stop being as enjoyable. Is there a reason for this – if you confront something that’s been making you worry, will you feel freer to enjoy it again? You deserve to take time to do things that you love, just as you deserve to feel happy. It could be reliving your favourite childhood film or book, singing at the top of your lungs to the radio, playing a computer game, baking a cake, having a long bath & pamper session…. It’s up to you!
• Be sociable: sometimes, social situations can be the thing that’s making you nervous – you don’t have to be sociable all the time, but it’s all too easy to not see anyone in-person and become lonely. If you’re nervous in bigger groups, focus on seeing the 1 or 2 people you always feel comfortable with. 
• Manage stress: sadly, it isn’t always possible to avoid stress or stressful situations altogether. Try to minimise the stress – if you’re uncomfortable on your own in social situations, plan to go with a friend. If you can’t minimise it, know how to respond, e.g. make plans to take time off from exam revision & schedule something fun to do afterwards. You don’t have to become a yoga or mindfulness pro to manage stress (again, I’d like to suggest baking, which I prefer), but they have helped many people so why not give them a go?
• Be kinder to yourself – we usually hold ourselves to a far higher standard than we would anyone else, snapping and calling ourselves an ‘idiot’ (and that’s the polite version) for making so basic a mistake as losing homework or dropping something by accident. The way we talk to ourselves shapes how we view ourselves, so be kind and check your language – you’d never talk to someone else like that! It’s easy to think other people have their lives far more ‘together’ than we do, simply because we can’t see the messy chaos going on inside everyone else’s heads, only our own; really, we’re all feeling the same way! 
• Do things for other people – selfishly, no matter how much being kind helps someone else, it’s worth doing it just for yourself, as it offers you a sense of purpose, making you proud and giving you a more positive perception of yourself, lifting your mood. You don’t have to run a marathon and raise £1 million for charity – just messaging an old friend who you think might be lonely is a great, simple way to help someone else.
• Express how you’re feeling – even if it’s just one bad day, bottling it up will mean that those bad feelings bubble back up, possibly making you snap at someone else for no (direct) reason. Always try to tell someone, especially if this is not just a one-off; if you can’t tell a parent or guardian, find a friend you can talk to. 

You don’t need to wait to hit ‘crisis’ to start expressing how you feel – writing a diary each day can help to balance your moods and emotions. You might start to notice patterns affecting your moods (e.g. your menstrual cycle, or which foods or activities make you feel low/anxious) and you can then make positive changes or prepare and manage symptoms. A diary or bullet journal lets you reflect on things; some people list what they’re grateful for each day, to celebrate the positives. 

These tips are designed for everyday self-care, to supplement but not to replace medical advice, counselling or medication. If you are struggling, don’t wait to seek help: everyone feels low now and again, but if your symptoms persist or you feel unable to cope on your own you should tell someone, and seek help from a medical professional. 

You can find a list of symptoms which can be warning flags for poor mental health. We’ve also made a list of resources and charities offering advice and support tailored to specific mental health issues and conditions. 

There’s a link between physical and mental health conditions – for more find our page of info, advice and resources on mental health specifically for anyone with a physical health condition.