Mental health conditions, from stress and anxiety, can affect us at any stage in our lives. As a result, it’s important that you take a family-centric approach to mental wellbeing, ensuring everyone from great-grandparents to teenagers are given the support they need.
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With that in mind, here are some top tips that you can use to take your family’s mental health into your own hands, even during troubling times.
- Be open and honest about your own feelings. Being open and honest about how you are feeling may seem daunting, but it’s a great way to lead by example. While you should keep certain conversations age-appropriate, transparency regarding mental health struggles shows yourself (and others) that it’s okay not to be okay. It can also help you process how you are feeling.
- Be aware of the services that are available to you. When it comes to boosting mental wellness, it’s important that you know about the different services that are available to you and your family. For example, companies such as The Three Seas offer a range of mental health and well-being support, from couples therapy to child psychology sessions.
- Keep a gratitude journal. When dealing with mental health struggles, it’s important that you find as many ways as possible to maintain a positive mindset. One way in which you could achieve this goal is by keeping a gratitude journal. This is because it helps you identify the ‘good’ in the bad days – even if these details are relatively small, such as enjoying your favorite meal or a stranger smiling at you as you pass by.
- Practicing self-care. Practicing self-care can also improve your mental health, as it simply encourages you to care for yourself (as the name suggests). This means that those who regularly engage in self-care are more in tune with their emotions and feelings, while also being able to find better ways to regulate and manage them. As such, you should encourage your whole family to indulge in self-care each day.
- Follow a healthy lifestyle. Following a healthy lifestyle can also be instrumental in heightening your family’s emotional wellbeing. For example, following a balanced diet helps with hormonal regulation, meaning it can be a great way to keep your emotions in check and care for both your physical and mental health at the same time. Exercise is also a great mood-booster – and there are plenty of ‘workouts’ you can participate in as a family, such as heading for a weekly hike or countryside walk.
- Get enough sleep. Getting enough sleep can also prove essential to improving your mental wellbeing. This is because deep sleep “facilitates the brain’s processing of emotional information”, leaving you feeling less stressed or anxious. However, this is something of a double-edged sword, as the more anxious or worked-up you feel, the harder it can be to sleep. As a result, you should try to find a nighttime routine that works for you. For example, some people find that listening to audiobooks or guided meditation in bed helps them to drift off peacefully (and quickly).
Mental health is important at every stage of life, and it’s crucial that you take a family-centric approach to mental wellbeing. By following the tips above, you can help to improve your family’s mental health – even during troubling times.
