This month is Mental Health Month. The campaign encourages all of us to think about our mental health and wellbeing, regardless of whether we may have a lived experience of mental illness or not.
This year’s theme is ‘Tune In’. Tuning in means being present, aware of what is happening within you and the world around you.
Tips on how to ‘Tune In’:
Meditation:
There are some great apps available for free and purchase for smart phones or your computer. Sessions run anywhere from 3 minutes – an hour and help you take time out to relieve stress or anxiety.
Find silence:
With the busy lives we live, studies have shown that sitting in silence for 5 minutes a day may help new brain cells form and help us to ‘think outside the box’ – www.opencolleges.edu.au (2016).
Focus on your breath:
Deep abdominal breathing encourages full oxygen exchange as well as slows the heart rate and stabilises blood pressure (www.health.harvard.edu, 2020).
Create a morning ritual:
Get up 15 minutes earlier to make time to sit and tune in with yourself. You may want to set your intentions for the day, spend time meditating, sit in silence or repeat positive affirmations (www.doyou.com, 2020).
Exercise:
According to www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression and negative mood and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function.
Do more of what makes you happy:
What makes you smile? It may me painting, listening to music, enjoying a coffee outside, going for a walk in nature or reading a magazine. Take time out every day to do something you love.
On top of Mental Health Month, this week is Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Week. According to www.bpdawareness.com.au (2020), this year’s campaign aims to change the way we think and talk about borderline personality disorder (BPD). Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental illness that centres on the inability to manage emotions effectively (www.borderlinepersonalitydisorder.org, 2020). The campaign also encourages people living with BPD to be mindful of the way they think about themselves, allow others to see their challenges, move towards strengths-based self-talk and to celebrate their strengths.
Click here to read more about BPD – https://www.borderlinepersonalitydisorder.org