maintain good mental health

Tips for boosting your emotional wellbeing

We might be tempted to take good mental health for granted, but each year one in five of us is personally affected by mental health issues. Anxiety and depression are the most common problems: anxiety affects around 14 percent of Australians, especially women aged between 16 and 54, while depression is the fourth most common problem managed by GPs in Australia.

Yet just as there are things you can do to help maintain healthy arteries and strengthen your bones, there are positive steps you can take to help improve your emotional wellbeing. Here are our top 10 tips.

1. Make time for family and friends
   

   Support from other people is especially important in difficult times. Being able to work through problems with others may help to reduce stress and it protects us from being socially isolated – a risk factor for poor mental health, says clinical psychologist Dr Sarah Edelman.

   “Close relationships with partners, friends and family members are important but so is being connected to the wider community. For example, going along to community events, being a good neighbour, joining a reading group, being active in a school community or volunteering – anything that brings you in touch with other people and helps build support networks,” she says. “Being with others is a basic need and can help you feel accepted, valued and connected.”

2. Find and develop an interest or a passion
   

   Absorbing interests are good for your mental health – they can be both satisfying and provide a valuable distraction from things in your life that may be causing you to stress, Dr Edelman says. For some people this may be work, or it could be sport, a hobby, a cause such as belonging to an action group or a charity or learning something new.

3. Look outside yourself

   If you’re prone to feeling anxious or depressed, thinking on it for too long can make things worse. Focusing on an enjoyable activity instead that engages your mind can help keep you from dwelling on it, says Dr Edelman.

4. Get moving

   Regular physical activity can work in different ways to improve mental wellbeing.

   “Apart from stimulating the release of brain chemicals called endorphins that make you feel better, exercise also helps to take you out of yourself and can give you a sense of achievement and control,” Dr Edelman says.

5. Picnic in the park or take a bushwalk

   Green spaces like parks, gardens, forests and other natural environments like the beach have a way of lifting the spirits. Research by Melbourne’s Deakin University, supported by beyondblue, Australia’s national program for preventing depression and anxiety, shows that being close to green spaces is linked to decreased depression and anxiety.

6. Clean up your act

   Healthy habits that keep us in good shape physically can be good for your mental wellbeing too. So stay smoke-free – smoking can increase the risk of depression - and avoid drinking too much alcohol as well. Although depression can cause people to drink more, alcohol abuse may also increase the risk of depression.

7. Eat smart

   Enjoy healthy food. Several studies now suggest that diet may affect your mood. Some studies have found that a Mediterranean style diet based on vegetables, fruit, grains, nuts and fish is linked to less depression. Australian research from the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research has linked a diet higher in fruit, vegetables and leafy greens and less junk food with better mental health in adolescence. However, more research needs to be done to confirm the link between food and mood. For more information, see Can Food Affect Your Mood?

8. Think positive

   The way you think can increase your risk of being anxious or depressed. If you tend to exaggerate the seriousness of situations and picture the worst possible outcome, Dr Edelman suggests challenging this thinking. Train yourself to ask ‘will this matter in 10 years time?’ or ‘on an awfulness scale of 0–100, how awful is this? or ‘what’s good about this situation?’ These may help you see the bright side of your situation and improve your mood.

9. Be flexible

   Some people are prone to the kind of rigid thinking that says ‘I should never make mistakes’, or ‘everyone should always like me’. This can set you up for feeling gloomy or inadequate when reality doesn’t meet your expectations of yourself and/or others. Edelman’s advice is to be more flexible in your thinking. It may be more helpful to reframe your thoughts, such as changing from ‘the world should be a fair place’ to a more realistic ‘I’d prefer the world to be a fair place – but I accept that life is often unfair’.

   To find out more about changing your thinking to be more positive, see the Further Information section below.

10. Get the balance right

    Juggling the competing demands of work, family, relationships and other commitments isn’t easy, but trying to balance work with time for relaxation can help your mental wellbeing, says Dr Edelman. And it’s okay to say ‘no’ sometimes.

Do you feel that you need help to cope with anxiety, depression or stress?

Everyone has bad days, but if the bad days are becoming a constant in your life, or if they’re affecting your ability to carry out your everyday tasks for two or more weeks, it may be time to get professional help. Your GP is a good place to start. You may also be eligible for a Medicare rebate for up to five visits to a psychologist over a 12-month period – your GP can tell you more.

There is no shame in getting help if and when you need it. Signs that you may need help with your mental and emotional wellbeing include:

• difficulty sleeping or waking up too early in the morning
• increased tiredness
• physical symptoms like a feeling of tightness in your chest, tension in the neck area, increased heart rate or more headaches than usual
• emotional symptoms like feeling sad or down, feeling overwhelmed, weepy or anxious, loss of confidence and feelings of hopelessness
• having difficulty concentrating or feeling your thoughts are ‘racing’
• behaviour changes such as being easily irritated or short-tempered, having difficulty making decisions and procrastinating
• using too much alcohol or other drugs, or comfort eating, in order to feel better.

Further information

Beyondblue - Change your thinking

Mental Health Council of Australia

The Mood Gym - a free, interactive online program that anyone can use, with self-help exercises to help challenge unhelpful thinking and help you work out how to handle life's challenges more effectively

Sources Black Dog Institute.

Facts and figures about mental health and mood disorders. [online] Randwick, NSW: Black Dog Institute. c2010 [accessed 24 May 2011]
Available from: http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/docs/FactsandFiguresfactsheet.pdf

Edelman S. Change Your Thinking. Da Capo Press: Cambridge, MA. 2007.

Oddy WH Robinson M Ambrosini GL et al. The association between dietary patterns and mental health in early adolescence. Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2009 Aug; 49(1): 39-44.

Disclaimer
This information has been developed and reviewed for Bupa by health professionals and to the best of their knowledge is current and based on reputable sources of medical research. It should be used as a guide only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional medical or other health professional advice. Bupa Australia Pty Ltd makes no warranties or representations regarding the completeness or accuracy of the recommendations or assessments and is not liable for any loss or damage you suffer arising out of the use of or reliance on the information, except that which cannot be excluded by law. We recommend that you consult your doctor or other qualified health professional if you have questions or concerns about your health. For more details on how we produce our health content, visit the About our health information page.