5 ways you can improve your mental health and wellbeing

The Mental Health Foundation recently highlight that depression is now the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. Statistics from the UK indicate that two-thirds of the UK population experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives and only 13% of the UK's population are thriving with good mental health.
 

We spoke to leading psychiatrist, Dr Sunil Raheja, to find out the best ways of dealing with mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
 

How can mental health and wellbeing be maintained?

Over recent years, through increased research, psychologists have gained a deeper understanding of the contributing factors that lead to poor mental health. Common mental health problems can be prevented.

For prevention to be effective and appropriate, relevant education is essential to encourage self-care for the management of our own wellbeing.

Five ways of maintaining wellbeing and mental health include:
 

Connecting with others

Good relationships really help our overall wellbeing and they are not just beneficial for us on a social level. There's evidence from a study that those who are most satisfied in their relationships at age 50, are also healthiest by the age of 80.

The research shows that strong relationships also many from the physical consequences of growing old. For 80-year-olds in happy relationships with their partners, many had reported that when they had more physical pain, they were still feeling happy.

However, those in unhappy relationships, on days they felt more physical pain; they reported it was made worse by the emotional pain they were experiencing. (For more on this see here ).

Some of life's most enriching experiences are when we meaningfully connect with others.
 

Being active

Physical exercise has a positive impact on emotional and mental health. The key is to discover a physical activity you enjoy and one that suits your level of fitness and mobility. The goal for most of us is not to win a competition, but to do just enough exercise to notice the beneficial effects in our lives.

Ten minutes of physical activity a day is beneficial to mental wellbeing. Taking a break from your normal work roles and responsibilities can make us feel guilty. However, a break as short as 5 minutes every 30 minutes to positively refresh ourselves can help bring us into a more resourceful state and therefore enable us to use our time productively.
 

Taking notice

In our chaotic and fast-paced world, it is so easy to rush from one thing to another. Previous generations would complain of boredom. Now with so much available through technology, you hear that a lot less often. Our mind is active throughout the day.

There always seems to be something more to do, and then there's all the information we are bombarded with on social media.

Alternatively, we may not be doing much, but we may be lost in our thoughts. We find ourselves focusing on the things not working in our lives and end up being busy doing nothing of any meaningful value.

When we notice we stop to pause, even for a brief period. We spend time reflecting in silence on our past experiences. We look up and give time and attention to be aware of where we are and what we have in front of us.
 

Learning

For many of our negative experiences at school have led to reluctance and resistance to learning new things. A large number of people never read a book after finishing their formal education. Often it can be hard to feel motivated to learn new things, especially if we are told we have to learn specific things whether we are interested in them or not at our day jobs. However, learning something that genuinely interests us can be enormously rewarding and can give us a sense of fulfilment. A lifestyle that includes valuing learning is positively associated with mental health and wellbeing.
 

Giving

In our lives, a lot can seem transactional and functional. Often, we give what we can to get something from somebody, or for the sake of politeness, obligation or duty. However, giving out of a genuine desire to help or to encourage another person can feel like a reward in itself. The ability to look beyond our own needs and looking out for others is very beneficial for our mental health.
 

If you feel you will require treatment to improve your mental health, we recommend booking an appointment with a leading psychiatrist such as Dr Sunil Raheja . Visit his Top Doctors profile today for more information.