Five behaviours to help mental health
Our mental health determines our experience of the world so profoundly that to view it as something like fitness, which can be improved with straightforward exercise, seems unrealistic.
But this is not the message coming from New Zealand’s top psychologists and mental health academics following Mental Health Awareness Week.
During a mental health seminar at AUT University on Auckland’s North Shore, the Five Ways To Wellbeing were repeatedly endorsed as simple daily behaviours to help stave off mental illness.
Developed by the UK’s New Economics Foundation, the five ways are:
1. CONNECT: making an effort to be part of a network of relationships that you actively work on, by talking, listening and being there for others.
2. GIVE: the act of volunteering your time, words and presence to others, so that relationships become a two-way experience.
3. TAKE NOTICE: looking for and noticing the little things in life that give you joy and make you happy. It can extend through to mindfulness and specific techniques on how to notice your life and live in the moment.
4. KEEP LEARNING: just as we need to keep our bodies active, we need to keep our minds active. We need to be giving ourselves constant challenges that push and stretch us just enough.
5. BE ACTIVE: engaging in
‘‘Five behaviours could improve your resilience.’’
Shaun Robinson
even moderate physical activity three to five times a week has been shown to significantly reduce symptoms of depression.
‘‘These are five very simple behaviours that if you incorporate into your daily life, there is a huge body of research to indicate that they will improve your resilience and overall wellbeing,’’ chief executive of the New Zealand Mental Health Foundation Shaun Robinson says.
‘‘It won’t counter poverty. To say this to a young woman in South Auckland who’s living in a garage and escaping domestic violence would be an insult. It won’t overcome those huge social determinants, but on a population level it does make a difference.’’ WHERE TO GET HELP People in crisis or concerned about someone who may be in crisis can call these confidential helplines:
Lifeline: 0800 543 Samaritans: 0800 726 Depression: 0800 111 757 354 666