Improve your Mental Wellbeing

Table of Contents

Your Mind Plan

Your Mind Plan is part of the Every Mind Matters mental health platform from Public Health England. By answering five simple questions you’ll receive an action plan to improve your wellbeing and look after your mental health.

Your Mind Plan

Five Ways to Wellbeing

There are many things we can all do to improve our mental wellbeing every day and also to help ourselves cope during times of stress and difficulty. The Five Ways to Wellbeing include some of the most widely accepted and current approach to positively managing your own mental wellbeing.

Five Ways To Wellbeing

Promoting Positive Mental Health

Promoting Positive Mental Health –  a 90-minute webinar course to improve skills and confidence.

We all have mental health. This free introduction is the starting point in this area. The course aims to raise general awareness, so we can better look after ourselves and support others who may be struggling.

Dates: Various dates across the year

By the end of the course participants will have had opportunities to:

  • Increase awareness of factors involved in our emotional health.
  • Highlight the basics for maintaining wellbeing.
  • Think about how we could support someone who is struggling.
  • Clarify the range of services and support available in South Gloucestershire.

Who should attend: Members of the public, volunteers and any professional who comes into contact with the public.

Sign up and play your part in improving mental wellbeing in South Gloucestershire.

If you would like to find out more about this webinar, please contact:  mentalhealth@southglos.gov.uk

Do One Thing

Whether it is going for a walk, learning a new skill or doing something creative, taking the first steps to getting support for yourself or reaching out to someone else; take the opportunity to do one thing for you. Mind have put together a calendar with ideas of different things you can do for better mental health.

World Mental Health Day Calendar

10 keys to happier living

Everyone’s path to happiness is different. Based on the latest research, the Action for Happiness movement have identified 10 Keys to Happier Living that consistently tend to make life happier and more fulfilling. Together they spell “GREAT DREAM”.

10 Keys for happier living

Time outdoors

Being outside and in the natural world can have big benefits for mental health and well-being that can be simply for leisure and relaxation.

·       Parks and open spaces

·       Nature reserves and woodlands

For some people growing your own food, planting trees and helping to restore the natural world can be really beneficial. To find out about local groups that you can join please visit the links below.

·       The conservation volunteers

·       Avon Wildlife Trust

Healthier with nature (Green social prescribing)

Connecting with nature is good for both our mental and physical health. In its recent ‘Thriving with Nature’ report, the Mental Health Foundation (2021) highlights research which links access to green space to: – a reduced risk of mental health problems – improved mood – increased life satisfaction – reduced stress – increased physical activity – better physical health

What is Green social prescribing?

The Green Social Prescribing Directory aims to showcase some of the many and diverse local organisations offering outdoor and nature-based activities and services.

Woodland wellbeing

The Woodland Wellbeing Project aims to support people who have been struggling with their mental health and with isolation by offering weekly nature based sessions in our beautiful woodland.

The Hawthorn Project is a nature based wellbeing project for women in recovery from substance abuse. Throughout the programme participants will develop skills and confidence that will support their ongoing recovery and improve self-esteem and wellbeing.

Resilience

Resilience is a widely used term and most often describes how an individual copes and thrives with the different challenges in life.

Some examples of these challenges are:

  • family or relationship problems
  • health problems
  • workplace and financial worries
  • worries about the big issues facing the world (climate change/nature decline, poverty etc…)

No one, irrespective of gender, race or wealth is immune from such challenges.

Likewise resilience is a trait we all have to different extents and also a skill we can all work on developing. Overcoming challenges can often help us develop resilience and helping people (children included) to understand this can be a useful process.

Some skills, beliefs and behaviours contribute to resilience

  • Understanding what causes your stress
  • Having your own strategies for coping and managing stress (self-talk, breathing exercises, finger tracing, being mindful)
  • Accepting yourself and your own shortcomings
  • Accepting that others have shortcomings
  • Understanding that we all face some challenges in life
  • Understand everyone fails sometimes
  • Understand everyone has talents
  • Keeping things in perspective
  • Learning to resolve conflicts and overcoming difficult tasks
  • Recognising when you need help and knowing where to get it

One You national website – Mental Health

How are you taking care of your mental health? Get expert advice and practical tips on the national One You website.

One You national website

One You recommended digital apps

Below are a range of apps, relating to mental health and wellbeing, which are recommended by One You.

 

  • Calm Harm is an app designed to help people resist or manage the urge to self-harm. It’s private and password-protected. Download from the Apple Store or Google Play.
  • Catch It teaches you how to look at problems in a different way, turn negative thoughts into positive ones, and improve your mental wellbeing. Download from the Apple Store or Google Play.
  • Cove helps you to create music to express complex feelings. Cove is a personal musical journal to help you with your mental health. Download from the Apple Store.
  • distrACT provides quick, easy and discreet access to information and advice about self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Download from the Apple Store or Google Play.
  • eQuoo Uses adventure games designed by psychologists to increase your emotional fitness and learn new psychological skills. Download from the Apple Store or Google Play.
  • Feeling Good uses the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy to help improve thoughts and feelings, self-esteem and self-confidence. Download from the Apple Store or Google Play.
  • MyPossibleSelf helps you manage fear, anxiety and stress through taking control of your thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Download from the Apple Store or Google Play.
  • Stress & Anxiety Companion provides guided breathing exercises, relaxing music and games made to help calm the mind, and handle stress and anxiety on the go. Download from Google Play.
  • Student Health App provides access to more than 900 pages of reliable, regularly updated health information created for university students by NHS doctors. Download from the Apple Store or Google Play.

 

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Reading for health

We work with partners to provide lists of recommended reading on a range of topics

Reading for health initiative

Useful resources and information