Mental Health & Self Care: Our Top 10 Tips
There are a variety of ways you can look after your mental health, from contacting friends and working with charities, to looking into holistic therapies and medication. Taking some much-needed time out for self-care during this difficult time is imperative for your mental health. We all need to be selfish with our time and happiness sometimes!
At Boutique Lux, our guests have exclusive access to their own private sauna and Jacuzzi at our gorgeous rustic property, The Retreat, to help promote rest and relaxation, and even though you might not be able to stay with us at the moment, why not look at booking with us as a well-deserved treat post-lockdown?
In the meantime, there are many ways and things you can do to help you cope and work with your mental health ups and downs, and please if you need anybody, do not hesitate to reach out. We are always here for you.
If you feel that you need to seek professional help, we have included a list of mental health charities as well as a fantastic organisation, OK Rehab, with information and contact details at the end of this post, to help you with anything from addiction, to eating disorders.
1. Stay in Touch
It might be difficult, but try to maintain a good relationship with those you love. Friends and family can be a great comfort during times of stress, anxiety, and depression. It is important to not isolate yourself because doing so can have negative effects on both your own mental health and also your relationships with friends.
You never know how much a friend could help you, or even how much you could help a friend.
2. Do Things For Others
Sometimes you need to interact with others to get out of your headspace. Why not look into volunteering in the local community, working with charitable organisations, being a good neighbour, or caring for abandoned animals?
Helping others is both good for those in need, but also good for you. It raises your self-esteem and helps you feel like part of a community and a part of the bigger world around you.
3. Ask for Help
Please do not be afraid to ask for help. Swallow your pride and reach out to someone. It could be anyone: a friend, a family member, a therapist, a doctor, or a mental health worker.
If you don’t want to talk in person, perhaps reach out through phone, text, or even email. It is always better to ask for help when you need it and to potentially get advice and guidance, rather than to suffer in silence alone.
4. Cut Down on Alcohol
Sometimes alcohol is a nice relaxer. It is a depressant, it lowers inhibitions and blanks your mind for a little while. But relying on alcohol as a coping mechanism can get you into sticky territory. If you feel yourself leaning towards it a little too much, make sure to cut back and turn to something else to help you cope.
Ring a friend or family member each time you feel anxious or write the thought down and save it for another time to address it with a therapist.
5. Keep a Jar of Happiness
For another coping mechanism, why not get a little jar and fill it with things that make you happy? Little quotes to lift your spirits, little sweets or chocolates, special nostalgic scents or haptic, sensory items, all help to take your mind off the negatives and help to ground you in the present.
‘Grounding’ is a great practise to use when you feel overwhelmed, so include in the jar something you can see, feel, taste, hear and smell to help your wandering mind stay focused and centred.
6. Keep Active & Get Some Sunlight
Being active and experiencing the great outdoors is imperative to good mental health. Yes, the sunlight might not always be as strong and shining, but that doesn’t mean that the rain, the snow, and the wind don’t also deserve our attention!
No matter the weather, you can be active inside and outside. You can do yoga or sit-ups in your front room or jumping jacks and sprints outside in the misty rain. Whatever it is, appreciate the beautiful world around you and the wonders of the human body!
7. Go Holistic
There are so many holistic and alternative therapies suitable to help with your mental health.Why not look into Ayurveda, natural supplements, meditations or vitamins?
If you want to look for natural remedies, there are so many available to you. Ayurveda has strong research, natural supplements such as Ashwaghanda and vitamins such as magnesium are all viable options to help you with your mental health and to lift your moods naturally.
8. Don't Be Afraid of Medication
Natural, holistic therapies might work for some people, but for others, they might not be as effective. That is OKAY. Please do not be afraid of medications or think that they make you less of a human being because your mental health is difficult to handle.
Many people will be on some form of mental health medication at some point in their life and many people will not talk about it. You don’t have to either. You just need to know that it could be the right choice for you at the present moment. It might not be forever. It is just necessary for right now.
9. Play Holidays!
Is there a holiday you particularly enjoy? Christmas? Easter? Summer? Thanksgiving? Why not have a mini celebration of that holiday? Have a little turkey dinner and watch Christmas films in April. Eat chocolate and have hot cross buns in September. Sit outside and read a book with a ice lolly in October.
It might sound silly. But holidays make us happy. If happiness is what you need right now, why not give it a try?
10. Look Into Therapies
If confiding in friends feels too stressful and anxiety-inducing, perhaps look into therapies with a professional? Therapists are trains to help us work through all situations and all emotions. Put your trust in them and in the confidentiality of the session.
Seeing a therapist doesn’t make you weak. It makes you strong to recognise an issue and to address it to avoid it affecting the rest of your life in a negative way.
You never know how much it might help you.
Mental Health Help
Mind:
- Phone: 0300 123 3393 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm)
- Email: www.mind.org.uk
Samaritans:
- Phone: 116 123 (24-hours)
- Email: www.samaritans.org.uk
Rethink Mental Illness:
- Phone: 0300 5000 927 (Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 4pm)
- Email: www.rethink.org
Anxiety UK:
- Phone: 03444 775 774 (Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5.30pm)
- Email: www.anxietyuk.org.uk
CALM:
- Phone: 0800 58 58 58 (daily, 5pm to midnight)
- Email: www.thecalmzone.net
OK Rehab: Specialists in Addiction Treatment
OK Rehab is an addiction specialist organisation which aims to help individuals break free from the shackles of addiction and find a treatment that’s ideally suited to their needs. This treatment is applicable for drug addiction, alcoholism and process/behavioural addictions.
Each member of their team is “in recovery” themselves, which means they have a unique understanding of what you or your loved one are currently going through. OK Rehab is able to locate addiction treatment that’s tailored to your needs and they work in partnership with over 140 treatment providers across the UK and abroad.
Below, is a list of the variety of ways OK Rehab are able to assist you or your loved one in seeking out effective addiction treatment:
- An over-the-phone assessment to determine if you require addiction treatment
- Access to over 140+ clinics across the UK and abroad
- Advice relating to outpatient, residential and home detox services
- Access to detox clinics regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- Fast access to emergency detox treatment, is appropriate
- Access to professional interventionists across the UK
- Advice by staff members who are themselves in recovery
- Information on both private and statutory funded addiction treatment providers
If you feel that you or your loved ones needs support, then contact OK Rehab below or click the link to be taken to their website.
Address: 48B Gun Street, London, E1 6AH
Phone: 0800 326 5559
Email: info@okrehab.org
We hope this list has been informative and has given you the ideas you needed to help you manage your mental health.
Remember to check out our property The Retreat to experience exclusive, private sauna and Jacuzzi use for you and your guests to help you relax and unwind post-lockdown!
We are always on hand to offer any advice, to provide information, or to answer any queries you might have. Just get in touch below, and we will respond to your request as soon as possible!
We are always here,
Team Boutique Lux
