Mental Health & Wellbeing
Mental health. We all have it, but when talking (or not talking) about mental health we often only associate it with poor mental health. So what is mental health and wellbeing? Our mental health is just like our physical health – we can be in good or poor health depending on our personal health situations, emotions with the many things going on in our lives, and if we are taking the time to look after our overall wellbeing.
Between gloomy news alerts, financial worries, and missing our friends and family – it shouldn’t really be surprising that, in a pandemic, our mental health takes a knock. Even if you are a person that usually has good mental health, you might find yourself struggling. During lockdown, there have been reports of people drinking more alcohol and sleeping less, we might be forgetting to look after ourselves and each other holistically (both our physical and mental wellbeing).
What can you do to improve and maintain your overall wellbeing?
During times when you are struggling with mental health, you might find it difficult looking out for your own wellbeing but here are some tips:
Food & drink
Remember to drink water throughout the day to keep your body and brain hydrated. Try to eat a balanced diet getting all the nutrients you need to give you physical energy. Drinking alcohol responsibly and within your limits is another key way to help improve your wellbeing as alcohol can affect your mood and disrupt your sleep.
Sleep
Sleep is an essential part of life, and like food and drink it is important that you find the right balance for you. Sleep helps our brains and bodies reset and ready for the next day. If you struggle with getting to sleep or staying asleep, creating an environment that makes it easier for you to sleep is a good way to get more rest. For more on sleep checkout Sleepstation.
Exercise
Doing some form of exercise daily/weekly is not only good for your physical health, but it is a mood booster as it encourages your body to make serotonin, the ‘happy hormone’. Exercising is also a good way to burn off excess energy, channel feelings, and make you physically tired enough to sleep.
Friends & family
Staying connected with others is beneficial to our overall wellbeing, whether that means checking in with your friends and family with a simple text, or phone or video call, or spending time together doing a shared activity such as playing a game, watching a show/film, going for a walk.
With all of these tips, it’s about finding a balance and routine that works for you, and it’s okay to reach out for extra support.
Where can you find support?
There are many specific organisations, local and national, that can support you with whatever you are facing.
At Miswa we are a company that cares, and we care about our staff and community. We have been working to put together some wellbeing resources for our team members (that we can also make shareable) and we also want to raise awareness of some of the fantastic services and organisations working locally to provide specific support. As well as this we have a mental health and wellbeing mentor available for staff to talk to and who can help signpost them to additional support if need be.
Further to local services, as manufacturers of automotive products and our connection to the industry we would like to highlight the charity Ben and the work they do to help anyone in the automotive industry “navigate life and its challenges”.
