The first week of exams (and SATs for those younger students within the Learning Trust) coincides with Mental Health Awareness Week 2019. Poignant as this is a time of heightened anxiety and increased stress, it is vitally important that students look after both their mental and physical health. Below are some top tips for self care from the Mental Health Foundation.
Top ten tips for you
Below are some top tips to help keep you mentally healthy:
- Talk about your feelings
Talking about your feelings can help you maintain your mental health and deal with times when you feel troubled. - Keep active
Regular exercise can boost your self-esteem and can help you concentrate, sleep, and look and feel better. - Eat well
What we eat can affect how we feel both immediately and in the longer term. A diet that is good for your physical health is also good for your mental health. - Drink sensibly
We often drink alcohol to change our mood. Some people drink to deal with fear or loneliness, but the effect is only temporary. - Keep in touch
Relationships are key to our mental health. Working in a supportive team is hugely important for our mental health at work. - Ask for help
None of us are superhuman. We all sometimes get tired or overwhelmed by how we feel or when things don’t go to plan. - Take a break
A change of scene or a change of pace is good for your mental health. - Do something you’re good at
What do you love doing? What activities can you lose yourself in? What did you love doing in the past? - Accept who you are
We’re all different. It’s much healthier to accept that you’re unique than to wish you were more like someone else. - Care for others
Caring for others is often an important part of keeping up relationships with people close to you
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/how-to-mental-health
