Celebrating World Mental Health Day
World Mental Health Day (WMHD), held every year on the 10th October, is a World Health Organisation initiative, designed to raise the profile of mental health issues and to challenge stigma. This year’s theme is ‘Mental health and older adults.’
To mark this year’s date Mike Smith, AFG’s Clinical Director for Mental Health Services shares his top tips on good mental health and wellbeing, which he believes is as important in older age as at any other time of life.
10 top tips to look after your mental wellbeing and maintain resilience
- Keep perspective in your life, remember all that doesn’t kill you really does make you grow.
- Think of what you have and not what you don’t have, appreciate them more.
- Laugh out loud whenever you can, even if you feel sad it really helps.
- Eat well and value your health
- Remember life’s pleasures and consider how many of them are free or around you every day. Think of the top 3 things in life you love that cost no money!
- If you can’t change things or directly influence them learn to accept or reframe (see them in a different way) them (humour helps to reframe) don’t fret about the things you can’t alter. Try the lead to gold exercise with a friend, think of something you don’t like about yourself and ask your friend to try to see it in a positive way: stubborn = principled, sad = sensitive
- Help others and do something positive
- Find an interest or pleasure
- Give yourself time to dream and encourage your dreams. Dreams and aspirations are what motivate us to change and grow. They don’t have to be realistic or achievable they have to bring you pleasure and energy, the bigger the better, if you cant think of any then find some as often occasionally sight of our dreams.
- Stay connected; value your relationships and your connections with others, friends, associates, families and society. There is a time to be on our own but there are times when we need others “interdependence is as important a goal of man as independence.” (Mahatma Ghandi, 1929)
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