A healthy headspace allows us to live our lives in a productive and meaningful way.
We can work, study, feel c onnected to others, be involved in activities i n our community and bounce back when life’s changes and challenges come along.
There are a number of things you can do to look after and maintain your mental health and wellbeing. These include:
Stay Active
Staying active can help you sleep better, manage stress and boost your mood.
The key to getting active is finding something you like to do. Whether it’s going to the gym, kicking a ball around with a friend, or going for a walk – make sure it’s something you enjoy, that way you’re more likely to stick with it. Start with small, manageable goals. Asking a friend to join you can help with motivation.
Create connections
Spending time with family, friends (including pets), your mob and people in your community can help strengthen your mental health and wellbeing.
You can try things like:
The following tips are helpful in the initial days and weeks following exposure to a natural disaster:
Keep doing the stuff you love to do and the things that are important to you. It can help keep the fun in your life, give you a sense of purpose, boost your confidence and help you connect with others.
Some of these things, such as skating, reading or playing the guitar, might just be for fun, but other things like work or study can give you other skills and can help to give your life meaning.
Eating well can improve your mood, energy levels, and your health and wellbeing. Eat nutritious food (like veggies, fruit and whole grains) and drink plenty of water to give your body and brain all the power it needs to function well. Sometimes we turn to snacks that aren’t nutritious when we’re stressed, so it’s a good idea to develop coping strategies that aren’t related to food for these times (e.g., relaxation activities).
Getting good quality sleep can give you more energy, improve your concentration, and helps protect your mental health and wellbeing. But getting a good night’s sleep isn’t always easy – some tips:
Cutting down on the amount of alcohol and other drugs that you take, or avoiding alcohol and other drugs altogether, can help you sleep better, feel better, and keep a healthy headspace. Even though alcohol and other drugs may make you feel good in the short term, they can impact your mental health and make you feel much worse in the long run.
There are lots of ways to look after your headspace. Check out headtohealth.gov.au, or if you’re 12-25 the headspace website, for tips on how to look after your mental health. If you’ve tried some of these strategies for some time without improving despite your efforts, it’s time to reach out to a trusted friend, colleague, family member, Elder, teacher, counsellor, or a health service.
Taking time to think about how you handle tough times is really important. Sometimes the things we do naturally can help, and sometimes they don’t. Build your options for handling tough times, they’ll come in handy now and into the future.
Things like:
If you or someone you know is going through a tough time you can get help and support from headspace, your school, TAFE or university wellbeing service or your local health provider. For more information, to find your nearest headspace centre, or for online and telephone support, visit headspace.org.au
The headspace Clinical Reference Group have approved this clinical resource. Fact sheets are for general information only. They are not intended to be and should not be relied on as a substitute for specific medical or health advice. While every effort is taken to ensure the information is accurate, headspace makes no representations and gives no warranties that this information is correct, current, complete, reliable or suitable for any purpose. We disclaim all responsibility and liability for any direct or indirect loss, damage, cost or expense whatsoever in the use of or reliance upon this information. 03 October 2022
