#stayingsane #mentalhealthinfo #healthymind

Cruise through life’s rough patches with these tips for a healthy mind

Healthy mental health
Simple…yet effective
Get your shit done
Ways to relax
Don’t self medicate
Mental illness myths debunked
What to do in a crisis
Don’t make it the end of your world
When and where to get help

Healthy mental health

Just like your body, your mind needs care, and can get sick. Get help early and it’s usually easier to fix.

Hopefully you’re cruising along enjoying the ride in your new place. But, if something crops up, like illness or even just trouble coping with stuff in general, you might need help.

Whatever the problem, it can get better with time. Seriously.

No matter what your problem, just take a deep breath, do something nice for yourself, take small steps to fix the issue, and get help if you need it.

And if you ARE up shit creek mentally, here’s the paddle, with info on when to ask for help, where to get it from, plus other useful tips and techniques to make life easier.

Feel free to contact us or post in the comments if you need to have a chat with someone.

Simple…yet effective

Yes, it’s a cliché. And it sounds stupidly simple, but eating well, sleeping well and exercising staves off a lot of problems – physical AND mental.

Sure, you can hook into junk food, as long as you mostly eat well.

Stay up till sunrise sometimes, but get a good sleep most of the time.

Can’t be bothered to sweat it out in a gym? A walk is fine if it gets your heart rate up, and it doesn’t have to be all in one go – three short walks are as good as one long one.

Also spend some time with friends, hanging out, having fun and talking.

Believe me, you’ll manage life’s stresses much better if you try to keep your lifestyle fairly good in general (plus not enough sleep can make you put on weight – true story).

Keep your routine pretty healthy and you’ll cope better if something goes wrong.

Get your shit done

Do stuff on time

Whatever responsibilities you have – whether they’re uni or work related, paying bills, or whatever – try not to put them off (no matter how tempting the surf, partying, tv, sleeping etc.).

Start early; get it done; stress less. It’s time management 101, not brain surgery (but why couldn’t I ever process that??? Oh well, do as I say, not as I do.).

Ways to relax (healthy…mkay)

Relaxation techniques are a healthy way to wind down rather than getting trashed and passing out

Try muscle relaxation

Lie down, close your eyes and start with your toes
Tense them then relax and let them flop, move to your knees and tense then relax, ditto, all the way up to your eyes and the top of your head
Chill out for a few minutes then gradually move things bit by bit – wiggle your toes, knees, fingers, etc. then open your eyes

The ideal pre-bed routine for good sleep

Drink a cup of something relaxing (like chamomile tea or warm milk, not rum and coke)
Have a warm bath
Do a bit of reading – or share a bit of rumpy-pumpy with someone close

Keep your bedroom for sleep and sex if possible so your mind switches off faster when you get into bed.

Screen time (ipad, computer, even tv) = bad before bed because it doesn’t let your brain wind down; ditto caffeine or too much alcohol or drugs – your sleep quality suffers.

Don’t self-medicate

Drugs or alcohol really helped me deal with my breakup. Said no one, ever.

If you’re stressing out or having trouble coping it’s tempting to have a few more drinks to relax, or a joint, or five bucket bongs, or whatever it is you do to unwind. Don’t.

Seriously, getting wasted will only make problems worse. Shit doesn’t get sorted by starting an addiction.

If you’ve already been using something a fair bit and aren’t sure if you have a problem or not, keep your eye out for the upcoming QUIZ: Do I have a drug or alcohol problem?– “yes” answers can mean you need help to get things under control.

If you need help, start with your doctor, and if they aren’t helpful try another one

You need someone you can talk to honestly (remember, what you say to your doctor is confidential unless there’s a serious risk of harm to yourself or someone else).

Once you’ve got a good doctor, they can help you work out what you need, like counselling, a support group, medication, rehabilitation or even just a friendly ear to discuss stuff – but catch a problem early and it’s usually easier to fix.

Natural remedies: There are plenty of rubbish and fake products along with the good natural treatments and remedies. Check out if there’s any proof or someone’s just trying to make a buck before you shell out your money. If you need help working it out, contact me and I’ll try to help.

Some proven herbal remedies? St John’s wort (mild to moderate depression), valerian (sleep problems), cranberry (mild UTIs), plus lots of products that get used in pharmaceuticals.

Remember, just because it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s safe though – the hemlock plant is a deadly poison that grows wild, for example.

And make sure you tell your doctor if you’re taking any natural remedies, as herbals can interact with pharmaceuticals.

Mental illness myths debunked

There’s a lot of ideas floating around about mental illness that are just plain wrong

It’s not common: Actually it is – around 1 in 5 adults have a mental disorder (higher in young adults).
People get violent: Not usually – people with a mental illness are no more violent than the general population (except to themselves).
It’s all in your head: No it’s not – mental illness has physical symptoms like sleep and appetite changes, panic attacks and hallucinations.
You need to be zonked out on pills: No you don’t – not all treatment needs medication. Things like relaxation techniques, exercise and talk therapy may be enough, and there are different medication and community support options. Discuss with your doctor.
It’s a life sentence: No matter WHAT the mental illness, most people fully recover; others may have occasional episodes with years in between and a MINORITY of severe cases need medication and management long-term.

What to do in a crisis

If a crisis happens to you or someone you know and you’re frightened for your safety, contact emergency (911 or 000) for police help.

Otherwise, in many places you can call your local area health service for free, 24/7 to ask for help (web-search it under mental health service in your area) – they can advise you or may organise a crisis team or other response.

Check out Useful websites: mental health, for more links to help services.

Warning: Drugs like marijuana, LSD, ecstasy and others can trigger mental illness – it’s best to avoid them, especially if you’ve a family history of mental illness.

Don’t make it the end of your world

Tomorrow’s always a new day…

Sometimes just being an adult is overwhelming (there’s a lot of stuff to learn!) but it can get especially hard if there are added issues (like some kind of crisis, for example, or substance abuse, eating disorders or mental illness).

Don’t compare your problems to others’: we all have our own struggles.

No matter what – whether you’ve lost someone, been dumped, you’re failing uni, are addicted to something – you CAN deal with it – bit by bit, step by step. Even when it’s hard to see past what’s happening, to how to fix things, believe it or not, it will get better. Time does heal.

Don’t do something you’ll regret. Wait the trouble out.

If everything’s falling apart… If it feels like your world is a disaster, STOP FOR A MINUTE! It can mean the difference between getting help in a rough patch and not coping.

Make a cup of tea (or whatever is soothing for you, preferable not hard liquor though). Go sit outside. Feel the sun on your skin. Sip.

THIS TIME WILL PASS – think past it. Realise you’re lucky to be alive. You’ll get to do fun things and get to see special things in the future.

Remember, everything is manageable with time (ok, maybe not so manageable if you’re a fledgling serial killer…). But, seriously, time WILL help, and help IS available to get on track.

Make the choice to nurture yourself – it’s better than doing something destructive.

When you’re ready, take things step by step, in little nibbles. Don’t try to fix everything straight away then freak out.

When and where to get help

If you feel you’re having trouble coping you probably need some help – often, things like depression creep up on you.

Make an appointment to discuss things with your GP, university counsellor or book in with a psychologist

Plus there are a lot of resources available online you can check out – watch out for our upcoming post for info and help links.

If you’re not sure whether you have a problem, watch for our upcoming post with 4 quizzes to help work it out, like the QUIZ: Am I depressed or QUIZ: Do I have an anxiety disorder? Make sure you sign up or like us on social media to get it.