Many fires and incidents the fire service attend are caused by people suffering with mental health issues.  Here are five practical ways to take care of your Mental Health and get the most from life.

Anyone can follow this advice.

1. Talk about your Feelings and ask for Help

Talking about your feelings can help you stay in good mental health and deal with times when you feel troubled. We all sometimes get tired or overwhelmed by how we feel and when things go wrong. If things are getting too much for you and you can’t cope, it is important to ask for help.

You could talk to friends or family. Additionally, there are professional organisations like your GP who you can talk to which is completely free to use. Lists of organisations are detailed in our links below.

2. Eat well and keep active

There are strong links between what we eat and how we feel – for example, caffeine and sugar can have an immediate detrimental effect. Eating healthy can keep your body and mind strong.

Exercise releases chemicals in your brain that can make you feel good. Regular exercise can boost your self-esteem and help you concentrate, sleep, and feel better.

3. Be kind to yourself

We’re all different in life and remember that it is completely natural to have problems or not always get things right. We are only human!. Do not be hard on yourself if you feel down or disappointed in yourself or others.

There is always hope no matter have desperate it may feel. Try and keep positive.

4. Take a Break

Try and give yourself some’ me’ time and put aside time in the day to stop and have a break. A change of scene or a change of pace is good for your mental health. It could be a five-minute walk, a half-hour lunch break at work or even a weekend away. A few minutes can be enough to de-stress you. Maybe you can listen to music or read a favourite book. Take up a hobby! Anything that makes you relaxed and chilled out. Always remember to manage your stress levels.

5. Drink Sensibly

We sometimes can drink alcohol to change our mood or escape from reality when we feel down. Some people drink to deal with fear or loneliness, but the effect is only temporary. Drinking alcohol or using drugs is not the answer and will only make your situation worse. Speaking to organisations that can help you with drink or drug dependency will help get you on the right path to good mental health. A list is detailed below of organisations that can help. There service is completely free to use.

It is important to take care of yourself and each other.

‘Courage, Compassion, Community’ 

Useful Links

Mind Charity https://www.mind.org.uk/
Samaritans https://www.samaritans.org/
NHS https://www.nhs.uk/