Mental health

Mental and emotional health problems such as depression and anxiety are common; however, by developing and maintaining mental and emotional wellbeing you can decrease your risks of such problems developing, and you may be better able to manage them if they do develop.

Being emotionally and mentally healthy doesn’t mean never going through bad times or experiencing emotional problems. We all go through disappointments, loss and change, with some people having to face great hardships in their life. And while most of these are normal parts of life, they still do cause sadness, anxiety and stress.

Here are some ideas for maintaining your mental and emotional health:

Stay healthy and active 

• Be physically active
• Eat well
• Get enough sleep
• Get outside every day

Maintain positive, strong, supportive relationships

Develop and maintain good relationships and friendships with people you trust, who you can talk to and who make you feel good.

Keep your brain healthy

• Keep your brain active – learn a language, do crosswords, develop a new skill.
• Engage in meaningful creative work – whether you can paid for it or not.
• Strive for balance – it can be difficult, but allow time for yourself, your work, your friends and your family.
• Learn to reflect – make time for contemplation and appreciation for what is good, positive and beautiful in your life.
• Work towards goals – achieving milestones towards goals naturally leads towards hopefulness.

Learn and maintain good ways of dealing with difficulties

• Be positive – try to recognise and be grateful for whatever brings you happiness and a sense of fulfilment.
• Learn from life’s lessons – we all make mistakes, but try and learn from those poor decisions.
• Limit unhealthy mental habits like worrying and regret – they waste time and drain your energy. Distract yourself with a physical or social activity.
• Learn to release anger and let go of grudges – work constructively through anger via positive actions towards better outcomes.
• Manage your stress levels and learn to relax – integrate relaxation strategies into your routine. Take yoga classes, learn to mediate, garden or play music.

When to seek professional help for emotional problems

Consider seeking help from a doctor if you:

• have difficulty sleeping
• are feeling down, hopeless or helpless most of the time
• have concentration problems that interfere with your work or home life
• are using nicotine, food, alcohol or drugs to cope with difficult emotions
• have negative, destructive or self-destructive thoughts or fears that you can’t control
• have thoughts of death or suicide.

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