{"id":1793,"date":"2017-05-11T14:06:25","date_gmt":"2017-05-11T14:06:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/?p=1793"},"modified":"2025-11-14T15:51:55","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T15:51:55","slug":"tips-for-good-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/lifestyle-wellbeing\/tips-for-good-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Good Mental Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to establish practices for maintaining your mental health.<\/em><\/h3>\n

Keeping physically fit comes with lots of great, easy-to-follow advice. But keeping mentally healthy is far less obvious \u2013 it\u2019s not just a matter of ‘thinking good thoughts’, and often it can be hard to control the factors that contribute to mental health, especially if you aren\u2019t aware of them.<\/p>\n

The perceived powerlessness that sufferers of poor mental health face is something that needs to be challenged \u2013 just like good physical health, good mental health is worth working towards. And there is plenty we can each do to set us on the path to better relationships, less stress, more balanced moods and a general happier outlook.<\/p>\n

Here are a few tips to set you on your way towards optimal mental health:<\/p>\n

Take Note of Your Behaviour Changes<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Behaviour changes can be subtle \u2013 like sleeping more, or struggling to sleep, appetite fading or suddenly increasing, feeling more worried, etc. Sometimes these changes are quite gradual, making them hard to detect.\u00a0Carol Chapman, registered Psychologist and Performance Coach, says, “Self-criticism, self-doubt – when things sort of increase in the background, perfectionism starts to kick in [The reaction] is different for different people. So, tiredness for some people. The short fuse for others”.<\/p>\n

Recognising when you\u2019re changing can be very tough, and it’s likely to be those around you who notice if you aren\u2019t aware of the ways you react to stress. Try to take note of your feelings around times of heightened emotion or stress \u2013 do you notice any patterns of behaviour? Carol advocates tracing back the behaviour changes methodically to try and establish the cause: “If someone says to me ‘I found myself completely exhausted on Friday’, I say, ‘alright, so what happened on Thursday?’ We try and track it back and see if we can find the first indications of this starting to happen. Self-knowledge is very important”.<\/p>\n

Be open to self-reflection and awareness<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Beyond spending some time observing your own patterns \u2013 taking account of when you\u2019re feeling low, or stressed \u2013 it\u2019s important to know what pushes your \u2018emotional buttons\u2019. Opening up to unwanted emotions, thoughts, memories and images means becoming more accepting. Recognising triggers of these things means being more prepared to deal with them \u2013 it\u2019s all about being prepared and resilient when the time comes.<\/p>\n

Carol goes on to advise, “If there are issues unresolved from the past, it is important to seek out help to resolve them.\u00a0 Consider your emotional quotient \u2013 know your emotional limits and consider how a role will affect you. If there are traumatic experiences that may cause you emotional distress, it is important to address this if you can”.<\/p>\n

Be kind to yourself<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Actors are wonderful at looking in \u2013 it\u2019s part of their training and attitude \u2013 but looking in has its downsides, so you can become very navel-gazing in an unhelpful sort of way, and that goes with the self-criticism.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n