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Mental Health Awareness Week

Today marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Week and this year's theme is anxiety.

Here are some tips for how you can look after your mental health and wellbeing by connecting with others and keeping active.

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Take Notice

Taking notice can help us appreciate the world around us. Finding time to be aware of the present moment can help you to positively change how you’re feeling about life.

Consider these ideas to change how you feel each day.

  • Do something creative
  • Have a tidying hour
  • Try a different route to or from work
  • Sit in a new place for lunch
  • Take some photos of the world around you
  • Enjoy the moment
  • Ask someone how they are feeling
  • Listen to music
  • Be curious

It might be as simple as taking five minutes from your day to appreciate something new or noticing the seasons changing.

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Connect

Feeling close to and valued by other people is a basic human need, one that fosters wellbeing and is beneficial for mental health.

With this in mind, try to do something different today and make a connection.

  • Eat your lunch with a colleague
  • Arrange a day out with friends you haven’t seen for a while
  • Speak to someone new today
  • Call someone instead of sending an email
  • Ask how someone how their weekend was

Take a few minutes to try something different to change how you feel each day.

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Be Active

Across all age groups, regular physical activity is associated with lower rates of depression and anxiety, contributing to better mental health overall and promoting well-being.

It doesn’t need to be intense. Slower-paced activities, such as walking, can have the benefit of encouraging social interactions as well providing some level of exercise.

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Keep Learning

Engaging in work or educational activities can help to lift people out of depression. Learning enhances self-esteem and encourages social interaction and a more active life.

Find out something about a topic you know nothing about,
through learning you can gain new skills, find a hobby, meet new people, build confidence and much more.

If you're struggling with anxiety or know someone who is find out more about how you can cope with anxious feelings at Mental Health Foundation.