World Mental Health Day reminds us to pause and reflect on our emotional wellbeing. Poor mental health can impact on our physical health, our relationships and how we feel about ourselves.
The 5 C’s of Mental Health can help to improve our emotional wellbeing.
- Connection
Social connection helps you to feel less alone and is so important for emotional wellbeing. Meet a friend for a coffee, call your grandchildren, pause and have a conversation with your neighbour, join U3A, volunteer, give your pet a cuddle.
- Communication
Tell people how you are feeling. It sounds simple, doesn’t it! But we often don’t truly tell people when we feel stressed or overwhelmed, and then feel frustrated when they don’t guess how we are feeling. It may feel strange at first, but being open and honest can help other people realise that we need support. This can also encourage others to do the same, being brave enough to show vulnerability can help to forge deeper relationships.
- Compassion
Be kind to others, but remember to also be kind to yourself, you deserve the same level of compassion you show to other people. This doesn’t always come naturally and can take practice, but being kinder to yourself can really improve your overall wellbeing
- Coping
Healthy coping strategies such as exercise, journalling, listening to music, being creative (drawing/painting) and breathing exercises can all help with life’s challenges.
- Confidence
Have faith in your ability to cope with challenges. Feel confident in asking for support. Allow yourself to feel proud of your achievements, acknowledging all that you have achieved, rather than focusing on what you haven’t done.
If you find that you are really finding life stressful and overwhelming, and feel you need more support, it can be helpful to talk to a therapist.
Call Reclaim Mobility to find out more about how psychological therapy may help improve your mental health.