Be Kind to your Mind

Today is World Mental Health Day. 🧠

Do something today to be kind to your mind.

For a lot of us, the days are getting shorter. It is dark when we wake up and dark when we finish work.

It can feel harder to get up and you may then not want to do anything after work.

It is so important to get outside and stretch your legs during the day.

Why?

For that Vitamin D: Yes there may not be as much sun at the moment (always good to take some Vitamin D tablets during the winter months), but you can still increase your VitD outside which has loads of benefits.

Mood booster: Sunlight and being outdoors boosts your serotonin in the brain, which is the feel-good hormone.

Helps your brain: It improves your attention and working memory (especially in women). Who else has some of your best ideas, whilst out walking?

Helps you sleep: It impacts how much melatonin is produced in your brain. Melatonin regulates your circadian rhythms and helps you sleep.

Some other ideas to lift your mood:

Listen to your favourite songs, watch your favourite film, delete social media from your phone for a while and say no to plans if you are not feeling up to it.

   1 in 4 suffer from mental health problems each year, so it is more common than we think.

Do check in with friends and family today (and whenever you can). You never know what someone might be going through.

Remember, It’s ok to not be ok.

We have lots of Mental Health information and tips from our friends over at Tula Wellbeing:

• Opening up conversations about Mental Health 

• Reframing Unhelpful Thinking Styles

• Men, Mental Health and Emotional Literacy
• Understanding the Gut Brain 

For more information on Mental Health Awareness, please head to The Mental Health Foundation or Mind.org