What is the theory behind this Looking after your mental health worksheet? 

Mental health is essential to our overall health and quality of life. We talk about our physical health but not so much about Mental Health. It is as important as physical health. It affects how we think, feel and behave.  Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being.  

How will the worksheet help?

Looking after mental health is easier than one might think.The worksheet will provide clients awareness about the importance of Mental health and how they can look after their mental health. Practising some simple daily activities will help in maintaining mental health and cope with life difficulties in a healthy way.

How to use the worksheet?

The worksheet consists of some simple activities and techniques related to self-care. It can be given to clients  as a guide to look after their mental health. The clients can choose 1-2 activities every few days.

Looking after your mental health worksheet 

Get closer to nature

Studies proved that nature has the most calming effect on us. A 30 minute walk uplift your mood and improve your health. Take a deep breath and try to connect with the surroundings. 

For nature therapy try running your senses with the surroundings. Listen to the sounds, observe the colours, smell the surroundings and touch the things in your surrounding to feel their texture.   

Learn to understand and manage your feelings

Feelings play an important role in our lives. We experience different feelings but the negative feelings interfere with our lives, making it hard to think clearly or work, relax, study, sleep or deal with other people.

Identifying your feelings and naming them help to deal with the feelings. Identify the triggers without judging yourself. Validate your emotions and accept them. As I am feeling upset because I am on my periods not because I am stupid.

Be kind to yourself. If you are feeling sad, upset, irritated or angry then it is okay. Practise the Mantra that “ It is okay to experience negative feelings along with positive emotions. We all are on a journey, growing and experiencing different things”. Studies prove that practising these positive Mantras help in boosting your mood and maintaining mental health.   

Talk to someone you trust and spend time with him/her

We bottle up things and never share what we are going thorugh. Research proved that sharing or talking through things we are feeling with the person we trust feels like a relief.  Reach out to friends and family members, spend time with them. 

Another possible benefit is that talking may change your perspective of seeing your problem that makes it less problematic and solvable.   

Sharing and talking through things with the person you trust strengthens your relationship with them. This is beneficial for both of you. It makes it easier for other people to reach out to you when they need help for themselves. 

Make sleep a priority Eat healthy, regular meals and stay hydrated 

Physical health and mental health both are important for wellbeing. Mental health is affected by physical health and physical health is affected by mental health so both are equally important to maintain a personal well bieng. 

An adult needs 6-8 hours of good sleep to maintain his/her mental health. 

If you are struggling with sleep, try to practise these techniques 

• Develop a relaxing bedtime routine to help you start winding down before you actually go to sleep.
• Avoid TV and mobile screens, alcohol and caffeine before bed. This will help you fall asleep and stay asleep. You could also avoid vigorous exercise before bed.
• Go to bed and get up at around the same time every day, including weekends.

You may increase your energy and focus throughout the day by eating a balanced diet and drinking lots of water. Also, try to avoid drinking too much coffee or other caffeinated drinks. Sugary foods and beverages can temporarily make us feel “high” or comfortable, which might make them seem attractive. However, they eventually leave us jittery and exhausted. 

Practice gratitude and focus on positivity

Studies proved that practising gratitude has a positive effect on our mental health. 

Every day, remind yourself of the things you have to be thankful for. At night, write them down or repeat them again in your head.

Beside practising gratitude it is important to focus on positivity in our lives. Identify and challenge your negative and unhelpful thoughts. 

Set goals and priorities

Setting your goals and priorities is important to cope with stressful situations. Categorise your works according to their priority. Choose what needs to be done right away and what can wait.

Be assertive. If you feel like you are taking on too much, practise saying “no” to new projects. At the end of the day, try to focus on your accomplishments rather than your limitations.

Be aware of using drugs to cope with negative feelings

No one wants to feel bad so some people use drugs to avoid negative feelings.

Drugs are not the permanent solution to the problem. Drugs just give temporary relief from the emotional pain but give life long sufferings, problems and make things worse. 

Get professional help 

There is no shame in getting professional help. As you find yourself reaching out to a doctor for your physical health then there is no shame in contacting mental health professionals.

You deserve a better and healthy life. When you find things are getting out of your control then contact a mental health professional.  

You can download this worksheet here.

References