Getting Outside

How can you take advantage of the summer months to improve your mental health?

The simple answer is…… get out more.

Yes, this is a very simplistic answer but it has merit. Fresh air can naturally improve mental health and can create a feeling of overall wellbeing.

Being exposed to sunlight can lift mood and your body will make more serotonin (the feel good hormone) in response to increased tlevels of sunlight. Getting outside and being active can also have great results for mental health, not only will being active improve physical and mental health but it also increases social interaction.

Socialising
Socialising with friends or meeting new people has been proven to boost confidence, improve mood and reduce social isolation. With the summer months, come longer days and lighter evenings. This means that many people are tempted to stay up later resulting in less sleep. While the amount of sleep each person needs is varied and individual, a good amount of sleep to aim for is approximately 8 hours a night. Try to resist later nights.

Plan something
Think about organising a day with friends or family, perhaps visit a local park, gardens or forest. If this seems like too big a task try to get out for 15-30 minutes a day in your garden. With most of us spending over 8 – 10 hours a day in work it is about fitting the outdoors into our lives. This may be the last thing that we feel like at the end of a long day or after a busy week, but it has great benefits for our mental wellbeing; it really is worth it.

So, that is the summer sorted but what about the rest of the year?

There are things that we can do to encourage better mental wellbeing. Some top tips for good mental health all year round include;

Get some sunlight – use a light box if necessary during the winter months

Be active Socialise
Get enough sleep
Talk about your feelings
Take a break
Accept who you are
Drink sensibly
Ask for help
Give something to others
Be mindful/ take notice

Hopefully these tips will help you to experience better mental wellbeing. However, should you find you are experiencing mental health problems then talking treatments can help you to cope or better manage the symptoms. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), counselling and psychotherapy are all types of talking therapies that can help with stress and mental health issues.