Looking after your mental health – World Mental Health Day 2020

This year we’ve all seen huge changes to the way we live. With so much uncertainty, it can be difficult to feel at ease. That’s why it’s crucial we all make a conscious effort to look after our mental health. So, here’s to World Mental Health Day 2020 – with a few top tips from us on how to improve mental wellbeing during Covid-19 and beyond.

The benefits of exercise

Time to get those endorphins flowing! We all know exercise keeps us healthy, but it’s also a key factor in improving mental health. Reams of research prove that exercise is one of the best tonics for good mental health. And there’s so much to choose from…whether it’s swimming, running, yoga, cycling or even interactive workouts from your home gym, the trick is to pick something you enjoy! After all, exercise really is the key to looking good on the outside and the inside.

Need support? Check out the likes of Joe Wicks to help kickstart your fitness journey. His YouTube channel, The Body Coach provides daily fitness classes for all levels (even kids too!) to do from the comfort of your own home! The online exercise classes are free to access over the internet, so there’s really never been a better time to get shipshape. What’s more, he also offers online nutritional advice and resources through his 90-day plan app, cooking classes and cookbooks too. You’ll become a lean machine in next to no time. Bosh! Head over to The Body Coach Website for more info.

The NHS even recommend regular exercise as a way to help tackle depression. A little endorphin boost goes a long way…

Keep up with your positive habits

Thanks to our digital world, there are now a plethora of self-care apps that make it so much easier for us to forge healthy habits.  Self-care apps? Think of them as your digital mental health coach or guide. Maybe you want a better sleeping routine? Or perhaps you want to inject a little calm into your life to counter anxiety and stress. Maybe you want to achieve a specific goal or fancy trying a habit tracking app to stay on top of your smoking and drinking habits? Or perhaps you just want to zen out and relax into peace and meditation. Whatever the reason, it’s always a great idea to take some time for yourself and indulge in some important self-care. Here’s our pick of the self-care apps to help you kickstart your positive relaxed vibes!

Calm

Ever wanted to fall asleep to the soothing sound of Matthew McConaughey, Stephen Fry or Joanna Lumley? With this app you can calm your inner self to sleep whilst listening to a bedtime story read softly by a familiar voice. The app also offers relaxing music to drift you off to sleep if that’s more your thing. The Calm app claims to help users sleep better, boost confidence and reduce stress and anxiety. Looks like it’s calm by name, calm by nature. Worth a try for calm wellbeing.

Headspace

This app is mindfulness and meditation all in one! Whether you’re looking for help to improve your anxiety, sleep, focus or achieve a fitness goal, it’s the perfect platform to get some headspace quite literally, so you can set your sights for success.

Couch to 5K

If you’re a running novice looking for an intro into self-care and fitness or if you’ve built up an LLB (Lazy Lockdown Belly!), we’ve got the perfect app for you! This digital fitness app from the NHS is brilliant for those who want to start getting active with achievable daily targets. Track it all digitally on your smart phone or smart watch and you’ll be smashing goals in no time. As you lace up your running trainers, remember the mantra: healthy body, healthy mind.

My Fitness Pal

Want to keep track of your exercise and eating habits? This app lets you do all that and more. Enter your food diary for the day to keep track of your nutritional info. You can even customise your profile to your age, weight and height to keep track of your overall health at the same time. Want to chalk up a few steps? This app can monitor your exercise and help you along your journey to achieving your fitness goals.

Access support when you need it

It can be hard to ask for help, but the most important step to looking after your mental health is to recognise when you need help, and access support when you need it. Online mental health support is instantly accessible via the internet, from website advice and telephone numbers to mental health apps to encourage a positive mind. There are is vast resources on the NHS website and other great sites to try are www.mind.org.uk and www.mentalhealth.org.uk which cover the whole spectrum of mental health issues too. You can download helpful guides including: How to look after your mental health’ and ‘How to sleep better’ and ‘How to overcome fear and anxiety’ through their website. The important thing is taking that first step and reaching out for help, advice and support.

Stay connected

2020 has really taught us the huge importance of staying connected – and that a connection is certainly crucial to maintain good mental health. The online world has given us the ability to do exactly that – whether it’s working from home, staying in contact with distant or shielding friends and family, or recreating our own entertainment via the wonders of video calling, (anyone remember the Lockdown quizzes phase?!). We use the internet daily, so let’s tap into its power to look after our mental health online too. It’s all about great connections, which of course we know a thing or two about…

Find connections online

Forget ‘have toothbrush – can travel’ The millennial go-to mantra is ‘have wifi – let’s connect’. And with the advent of social media, loneliness took a Big Hit. Nothing like a scroll through our feeds to help us feel we’re part of a wider whole. And the great news is that social media gives us a fast track to finding connections online so there’s a myriad of ways to make sure loneliness or boredom don’t kick in.

Whether you hit up the ‘gram (or Insta..) for gorgeous pictures and a remarkable array of memes (some admittedly more inspirational than others), or you head to professional networking site extraordinaire (yup, we’re talking about LinkedIn) or even the golden oldy – Facebook – to connect with family and friends – there’s whole worlds out there for you to visit. There’s even Twitter – home of the twitterati – where you can see what’s trending in the world. Be cautious with this one if you’re feeling blue, because it’s often something crazy…but it’s an interesting walk on the weird side…

Social media gets a bad rap sometimes and it’s good to be aware of the pitfalls but there are lots of positives that we can take for granted. Enjoy the simple luxury of being able to check in with friends and family at the click of a button, expressing yourself at your own free will, skill sharing and learning online together, and meeting like-minded people from across the world. Social media has the ability to bring people together from across the globe, to offer support, advice, and a few laughs along the way too.

Maintain connections online

The key to good mental health is to stay connected, both physically and mentally with yourself and loved ones. The internet is a wonderful ever-evolving world full of creative ways to stay in touch. From video calling, to snapping a photo, to instant messaging your loved ones – it’s all done through the internet, and it’s never been easier to stay in touch with those we care about. Disclaimer: providing you’ve got a cracking internet connection – and we can help with that! Use our broadband coverage checker to see if you’re in range for a faster connection with Airband ?