Reducing stress and improving our own mental well-being
Low mood can strike at any time of year, but many of us find the winter months - and January in particular - more difficult.
A combination of post-Christmas blues, cold, dark weather and the tightening of purse strings may be some of the reasons why January can feel like a long and difficult month to get through.
With the past few years being a challenging time for us all, the need for us all to look after our mental health and support each other, is all the more important. So, what can you do if you need a mood boost?
How to reduce stress and improve our own mental well-being
Below are some suggestions on how we can reduce stress, boost our mood and improve our own mental well-being and provide some excellent advice for any time of the year. These are:
- Activity
- Social support/closeness with others
- Self-awareness and compassion
- Attention processes and mindfulness
- Problem solving
Activity
Try to be more aware of how you are spending your time each day. Aim for increasing structure, meaning and routine to your daily activities.
It is generally accepted that striking a balance between enjoyment and achievement-based activity can help reduce stress and improve mood.
Try and find time for some form of daily physical exercise - benefits to mental and physical health are well documented. Evidence shows it can also improve your mental wellbeing by:
- raising your self-esteem
- helping you to set goals or challenges and achieve them
- causing chemical changes in your brain which can help to positively change your mood
Invest in activities that fit with areas of your life that you value and are important to you.
Social support / closeness with others
We are social beings and have evolved to benefit psychologically and emotionally from time with others. It is important to:
- engage with others more when there is an opportunity to - ask for direct help and be responsive when it is offered.
- develop empathy for others and offer to help if you can.
- list six people with whom you would like to improve your relationship and, in each case, identify one action you will take toward such an improvement. Tell the members of your support network that you value the relationships shared with them - practice providing compliments when the opportunity to do so arises.
Self-awareness and compassion
Learning to develop ways of becoming kinder to and more accepting of ourselves and our achievements and moving from self-critical thoughts to more compassionate responses, helps to improve mood and motivation.
It is important to take time to recognise situations that trigger stress in our lives, and separate our thoughts, emotions, physical changes in the body and how we respond and cope with these situations.
Attention processes and Mindfulness
Try to spend more time paying closer attention to the present moment (through all the 5 senses) which can help with both lowered mood and acute stress. Be aware of too much time spent looking at the past or future in unproductive ways.
Attention training can also include teaching ourselves to recognise positives each day by keeping a positive data log at the end of each day.
Ten minute mindfulness 
- Close your eyes - let any thoughts go without judgement.
- Focus on your breath - notice your chest rise and fall as your breathe in and out.
- Be aware of your body - are there any areas of tention? let these go.
- Notice your surrondings - What can you hear? what can you feel?
- Bring your yourself back - Gently wiggle your fingers and toes, open your eyes.
Problem solving
- Attempt to take a systematic approach to problem solving
- Define your problems specifically. Divide it into manageable components that can be dealt with more easily
- Gather sufficient information about the problem to put it into perspective
- Discover why the problem exists for you
- Review your experience with the present problem or similar ones
- Develop and evaluate a set of alternative courses of action
- Select a course of action and proceed with it
You may also find the five steps to mental wellbeing on the NHS website useful. These are scientifically proven ways to improve your mood and are excellent advice at any time of year.
If you are struggling with your mental health, make sure you speak to your GP. You can also get the support you need from our Mental Health Support page, or other services in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. You can get a personalised mind plan from Every Mind Matters to help you deal with stress, anxiety, sleep and mood.
