Maintaining your mental health

Published in

University of Leeds

5 min readMar 27, 2020

It is always important to take care of our health — physical, emotional and mental. Below you’ll find a few tips on how to care about your wellbeing.

Connect

Connecting with others is really important, and there are things you can do: phone, text, email, message… the possibilities are endless!

Be mindful of how much information you are taking in from social media — whilst it can feel like human connections, it’s easy to compare yourself to others, and not feel great. Remember that beautifully created ‘natural’ photo where everything looked on point? You didn’t get to see the out-takes, the ones that weren’t edited or where the person had food stuck in their teeth!

Check out

Togetherall
Elefriends
Nightline (please note this service will stop running on the last day of term).

Good relationships build a sense of belonging and self-worth and provide emotional support.

Be active

Keep a routine (keep a similar wake/sleep pattern, too!), do some light exercise. Try to plan your days with time for work and pleasure; this will help you to stay positive, calm and productive.

Exposure to sunlight and fresh air is essential for wellbeing; if you can, take some time outside, or sit by an open window, maybe consider some houseplants? Keeping moving, even if it is just little and often will really help to boost your mood. Continue to take your medication — remember you can order repeat prescriptions by telephone and can always ask for delivery or someone you trust to collect it for you.

Check out:

If you don’t fancy going outside, then online are so many ‘cook-alongs’ / sing-alongs / dance-alongs.
Check Youtube for small Yoga and fitness routines (think Joe Wicks or FitnessBlender and remember not to over-exert yourself, please!).
NHS 10 minute workouts

Being physically active raises self-esteem, and causes chemical changes in your brain which can help to positively change your mood.

Keep learning

We know that learning new skills and learning new things can help boost our self-confidence and raise self-esteem, so this is a great time to think about what you can give a go for the first time. Take time to be creative (maybe you can discover new talents or nurture some of those old ones?) Listen to new Podcasts that you’ve always wanted to try. Take a look at Pinterest for loads of ideas for things to do around the home. Any courses, groups or volunteering opportunities available nearbly?

Check out

BBC Sounds (Podcasts such as ‘In Our Time’ are a great way to learn about a diverse range of topics in a very short space of time!)
Pinterest
Subscribe to Wikipedia’s Future Article List — get something new and interesting every day to your inbox.
TEDTalks

Learning new skills can give you a sense of purpose and builds self-confidence and raises self-esteem

Take notice

When we feel really overwhelmed, we can find it hard think, make decisions and know what to do next. We often find it hard to be in the ‘here and now’ — here’s a quick tip you can try anywhere to help you reconnect:
If you feel overwhelmed, slow your breathing and take some nice, slow even breaths:

Take time to notice 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste. Reconnect with the here and now.

Check Out

Other Sources of Support (these are specific coronavirus links):

Being aware, or ‘mindfulness’ helps you enjoy life more and understand yourself better

Keeping safe

There are times when we are finding it hard to cope with difficult thoughts, feelings and images in our minds. Sometimes these thoughts and feelings cause us to think about suicide, self-harm or harming others. Below are some services you might find helpful to access if you are worried about your ability to keep yourself and others safe.

Nationally:

The Samaritans — 116 123 (Freephone) open 24/7.
Connect Helpline — 0808 800 1212 open 6pm to 2pm every night of the year.
SANEline — 0300 304 700 open 4:30pm to 10:30pm 7 days a week.
Papyrus HOPELINE — Open weekdays 10am-10pm, weekends 2pm-10pm you can call 0800 068 4141, email pat@papyrus-uk.org or text 07786 209 697.
You can use the MIND website to help you look for support in your area:

Local to Leeds:

Single Point of Access at LYPFT: NHS Crisis Team -For urgent self-referrals, you can call 0300 300 1485. The team are available 24 hours, seven days a week.

Dial House — If you are feeling desperate or need someone to talk to then Dial House is a safe place in a time of crisis. Call 0113 260 9328, available every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday 6pm — 2am.

Dial House @ Touchstone — Dial House @ Touchstone is open 6pm-11pm on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at the Touchstone Support Centre. The service provides crisis support to people from Black and Minority Ethnic Groups. The service is staffed by a Manager, Senior Crisis Support Worker and three Crisis Support Workers who are all from BME groups. Dial House @ Touchstone provides a place of sanctuary, emotional support and information. It is a safe and confidential service.

Dial House @ Touchstone is available for anyone from a BME group, including Refugees and Asylum Seekers. As with Dial House, transport and childcare are provided. Call 0113 2609328.