The 13th May marks mental health awareness week – a time that’s becoming increasingly prevalent.
In the UK, 1 in 6 adults have experienced a common mental health problem, such as anxiety or depression, and 1 in 5 adults have considered taking their own life.
In a world with so much beauty, wonder, and excitement, something’s clearly wrong.
Unfortunately, we can’t control everything that affects our mental health. There are some massive factors that are out of our hands. However, there are some influential factors that we can control, and we must, such as stress and health.
The worse out health is, the more likely we are to suffer from a mental health condition. What we do for our body, also affects our mind. Therefore, we must do what we can by exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet.
It’s now understood that having low levels of vitamin D can be a prime cause of depression. We get vitamin D from the sun, but as we all know, the UK is often hidden behind clouds. Therefore, taking supplements is the next best thing. The same goes for many B vitamins.
As well as this, we now know that exercise can have an extremely positive affect on our mental health. This can seem a bit of a catch 22 for those who are worried about going to the gym, but there are hundreds of ways to exercise if you’re worried about your social anxiety or fear of judgement. The main factor is boosting your heartbeat and getting a little bit of a sweat on.
I also want to mark the importance of talking. Simply getting your thoughts out into the open opposed to being trapped in your head can make a massive difference. Whether it’s a friend, family member, or counsellor, talking is one of the best things we can do as human beings to relieve ourselves of mental burdens.