Good Mental Health

Intro

What is good mental health?
Mental health is about how we think, feel and cope with life. Good mental health is about physical, emotional and social well-being as well as believing in our own worth and that of others.

Why is it important to talk about our mental health?
Because it affects how we feel about ourselves, our relationships and what is going on in our lives. It can be really difficult to talk about things especially when we are experiencing distress. But trying to cope alone can be even harder. Many of us find that expressing how we feel can improve our well being.

What factors influence our mental health?
Mental health and well-being are affected by all sorts of factors:

How can you look after your mental health?
There are lots of things we can do for ourselves and for each other to improve our well-being and our mental health. There is no one way to improve our mental health. It depends on you and what is right far you in your life.

Being ourselves
We all have something to offer. Some of the things in our background or past experiences may make it particularly difficult to cope with things which happen now, which may mean we need more support now.

Expressing ourselves
Often showing how we feel can help us to feel good about ourselves. This could be through talking, laughing, painting, sport, keeping a diary, music and drama. Other ways to relieve stress may include spiritual support, counselling or psychotherapy.

It helps to talk
Talking to our family, friends and colleagues, seeking independent counselling or specialist help can help some of us in some circumstances to understand and work through our difficulties. Support groups and self-help groups can also be a good opportunity to meet regularly with others and share ideas, thoughts and experiences.

Learning to deal with difficult situations
It is important to consider what are the really important things in our lives. Thinking through your problems, putting them down on paper or talking them through with someone you trust may help us find ways of coping.

Do things we enjoy
Its not always easy but making time for enjoyable activities, whatever they are for you, can help us unwind and relax. They might be going for a walk, reading, listening to music, sharing a relationship, taking part in a sport or meditating.

Learning to relax
Taking time to exercise regularly, eating a healthy, )alanced diet and having enough sleep can improve your overall health, our quality of life and our ability to cope with challenges that arise.

Being involved
Meeting new people, joining a club or learning omething new can be positive ways to balance the demands on us.

Asking for help
You may feel you need to ask for help whether it's rom family, friends, a support group, helpline or other groups in your local community. Or you may need to ask for help from voluntary organisations or agencies in health, social care or other fields. Details of local organisations are provided on the
following pages and your GP is a first point of contact for many services.

Helping your family and friends
If someone close to you experiences distress, can be worrying, even frightening. These are some ways to help them: take time simply to listen. Don't be too quick to judge if someone starts behaving in a way that suggests they may be suffering from distress. You may be able to help them find ways of building and maintaining their confidence. Again, this may just be through listening and not being critical. It is easy to become annoyed or disappointed if someone is behaving unlike themselves or not achieving as much as they previously did, but it helps to remember that the distress they are experiencing may mean that they are using their energies to cope and to heal. Someone experiencing distress may feel they need to ask for help. People may need information, support, reassurance or assistance to take the first step to access it.

Asking for help
Ask for help if you feel there are some issues in your life with which you can't cope alone any longer. In Rochdale there are many organisations offering support, advice and treatment including those which address the specific needs of ethnic communities. The local library or community centre may be a good source of local contacts. Your General Practitioner may be a useful starting point for further help and referral to specialist services if needed. There are a large range of other sources of support and the following can provide a guide to support, information and advice in your area.

For further in formation on local mental health services, pick up a copy of 'The Quick Guide' from libraries, information centres or Gabriel Murray, Communications Officer, Floor 1O, Municipal Offices. Smith Street, Rochdale.

This leaflet stresses the importance of good mental health, identifies things you can do to improve your own mental health and that of
people close to you and also lists local sources of support if you feel you need additional help.

Rochdale& District Mind
01706 345264
www.rochdale.gov. uk
for in formation on how to access services

Contact Information

Good Mental Health

Floor 10
Municipal Offices
Smith Street
Rochdale