Mental Health Awareness Week

It’s unlikely that there are many people that have sailed through the pandemic emotionally unscathed and when it comes to mental health and all that it encompasses, then it would seem that we have all been affected.

The mental health spectrum is vast and it would be hard to cover it all here, but at the moment, feelings of isolation, anxiety, loneliness and depression are commonplace.  During 2020 you may have started to experience these for the first time, or it could be that lockdown 3 has been the final straw and you’re feeling challenged now.  Whenever and however, know that it’s OK and there is help available.     

For some, these feelings will be fleeting whilst for others, they may fester but either way they are likely to impact your productivity and what you feel capable of achieving day-to-day.  Whatever your state of mind, Office Tribe wanted to share with you some advice to help boost your mental health.  Just like physical health, your mental wellbeing requires due care and attention; the right fuel and the right exercise.

Food for mental health

Our brains require nourishment, and the gut is said to be our ‘second brain’ so it definitely matters what you eat and drink.  ‘Healthy in, healthy out’ is a helpful phrase when referring to your output (mood, behaviour, productivity) and what you put inside your body so it goes without saying that the more discerning you are about what you consume, the better you will feel.

A really achievable one that costs next to nothing is water – stay hydrated!  Don’t drink too much caffeine as that can impact sleep and watch how much alcohol you’re consuming too.  Working from home, it’s easy to use alcohol as a way to differentiate between the working day and time for rest but it can lead to disturbed sleep which, ultimately, can have a negative impact on your mood.

Try to eat as healthily as you can.  You may be used to popping out for lunch when you worked in the office and being creative with lunch can become quite tiring, but it really will make a difference to the health of body and brain.  Five a day of fruit and veg (including beans and pulses) is something simple to remember and aim for and if you can incorporate bananas and spinach which boost happy hormone, serotonin, then even better!

There is a great resource for food and mental health on the Mind website, here.

The importance of sleep for mental health

When you consider your mental health, go back to basics:  food and drink we’ve covered; now, what about sleep? 

Everybody (and every body) has their own circadian rhythm which, in its simplest terms, means your body clock - the time that you naturally wake-up, stay awake and go to sleep at night. When we used to have places to be and people to see every day, our lives had routine and although our circadian rhythm may not have run exactly like clockwork, the pendulum would keep its pace most days.

Faced with a lack of routine as we are at the moment, we are more inclined to disrupt our usual circadian rhythms which throws us all off kilter.  It’s important to try to stick to your body’s clock as much as possible (scientists say we should do this at the weekend too) as disrupting the circadian rhythm can seriously impact your mood which is not helpful for our mental wellbeing.

Motion is lotion

We love this expression and although it is generally applied to physical ailments, it works for the brain too!  Move your body in whichever way you can to help the ol’ grey matter.  Exercise has been proven by scientists to help with anxiety and depression – it releases endorphins which make you feel good, gives you a sense of achievement which boosts self-esteem and it occupies your mind whilst you’re taking part, replacing negative thinking patterns with thoughts on your exercise.

Exercise takes many forms and isn’t necessarily all about getting a sweat on or even paying up and attending an organised online class.  A kitchen disco a la Sophie Ellis-Bextor, a brisk walk with a friend or hitting the mat for some online yoga will all help boost your mood as well as the more familiar running, walking and lockdown hero Joe Wicks’ classes (other HIIT instructors are available!).

The healing powers of nature on mental health

And following on from that, if you can exercise outside, then that is so much better!  That’s two mental health treatments in one fell swoop … or jog, or brisk walk.    

Studies have shown that as little as five minutes exercise outside can boost your mood and longer time spent breathing in fresh air will only benefit you more.  Advocates of outside exercise talk about it helping them to gain perspective on their worries and that it leaves them feeling invigorated and alive. 

If you’re more interested in the science behind all this then, being surrounded by greenery has been found to reduce the production of salivary cortisol – cortisol is your ‘fight or flight hormone’ and is a key indicator of stress.

It’s all in the mind

To some people, mindfulness might sound a little fluffy and a bit west coast USA but it’s a tried and tested method of understanding your own mind.  Fiona Murden, Tunbridge Wells based occupational psychologist and author of “Defining you”, explains that ‘Mindfulness helps you to recognise and understand the emotions that you’re experiencing and that is enormously helpful when it comes to your mental health and managing your moods.  Knowledge is power and being able to articulate how you’re feeling places you in a position of greater control.  Mindfulness doesn’t need to be overly complicated – apps like Headspace and Calm are great.’

Writing down your thoughts is also helpful and gratitude journals have been found to help with mental health.  Gratitude in its simplest form is saying thank you but real gratitude goes much deeper than that.  It’s a positive emotion that benefits our psychological state and can have a lasting impact for some time.  Some of the emotional benefits of routinely giving thanks include optimism, pride, life satisfaction and the ability to forgive and they, in turn, can alleviate stress, depression, and anxiety as well as helping sleep and boosting resilience. 

Mental health has long been stigmatised, discussed in hushed voices and spoken about in derogatory terms.  Over recent years that has been slowly changing but the COVID pandemic has really brought it to the fore of public attention as our lives have been forced to change beyond our imagination.  Mental health is finally receiving the attention it deserves – make sure yours does too. 

And don’t forget that if you need some head space, Office Tribe’s central Tunbridge Wells’ coworking space is perfect for a day working away from the home, but still safely.  A change of scenery could really boost your mood and productivity which in turn might help to ease stress and anxiety.  For information on our COVID safe practices, read this blog and for more information, contact Hattie on 07780598808.  

For help with your mental health or that of a loved one, look at this link which also has further links to organisations like the Samaritans.