Discover why giving your time, energy and support can be so beneficial this Mental Health Awareness Week (May 10-16) …
Mental Health UK is running a fantastic ‘5 Ways To Wellbeing’ campaign this week to help people across the country learn how to care for their mental health. The theme is nature, and it’s a great way to make your wellbeing a priority.
What Are The 5 Ways To Wellbeing?
They are five simple pillars to help you focus on your mental health:
- CONNECT
Work on building and nurturing meaningful relationships with friends, family, or colleagues.
- BE ACTIVE
Increase your physical activity to keep anxiety at bay!
- TAKE NOTICE
Be mindful and aware of the world around you.
- KEEP LEARNING
Challenging ourselves can improve confidence.
- GIVE
Giving back to the community or giving our time to help others can be so rewarding.
We’ve given you lots of great ideas for CONNECT, BE ACTIVE, TAKE NOTICE and KEEP LEARNING. For the last in our five articles, we’re taking a look at GIVE. What is it about giving that improves our wellbeing and mental health? Well, it’s quite simple. Being good and kind to others makes us feel lovely and warm inside. It’s like karma if you think about it. Here are some top ideas on how to give more of yourself to increase those happy, positive vibes!
TASKS TO TRY:
- RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS
Do something nice for someone else today. It could be an act of kindness towards a stranger, a family member or a friend. Leave some money behind the till in your favourite coffee shop to pay for the next customer’s drink or donate food to your local foodbank. You could make dinner to give Mum or Dad the night off from cooking or surprise a friend with a treat. Putting a smile on someone’s face is always lovely and knowing you’ve done a good deed can make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
- WRITE A KIND LETTER
Choose someone special and write them a letter about why you love them so much. If you’re not one for the lovey-dovey stuff, send a text to a mate with a compliment – it’ll make their day! It’s good for the soul to think about all the amazing things our loved ones bring to our life and feels even better to let them know about it!
- OFFER A HELPING HAND
Reach out to an elderly neighbour to offer your help with getting shopping, taking out their bins or cutting their grass. Or why not see if there’s a local charity who desperately needs help? You could volunteer to help out in a charity shop or muck out stables or clean kennels at your local animal rescue centre. Don’t forget about home – there’s always something you can do around the house to help your mum or dad.
- GIVE YOUR SUPPORT
There are lots of ways you can give your support. It can be as simple as being a sympathetic and understanding ear for a friend or offering to show the new kid at school around the campus. If you’ve experienced difficulties in life with your physical or mental health, you could offer peer support to others who may be going through the same thing. Sharing your experiences and advice could make all the difference to someone who is struggling. To get more advice and ideas from Mental Health UK, click here to sign up for daily content direct to your inbox!
