Our Guide to Looking After Your Mental Health

Throughout life, your mental health is going to have moments when it’s at its high and moments when it’s at its low. You can’t predict when this will happen, because the reasons for the fluctuations mainly depend on what’s going on in your life. Work may go really well, and your home life is very positive, helping keep your mental health high. On the other side, it may be that your finances have taken a hit or you have had a loss in the family, which gives your mental health a big dip.

When you are going through a difficult period, this is when you should be kind to yourself and make adjustments to your routine to help your mental health. Prioritising your diet will help, as will ensuring you get enough sleep. Exercise also helps, and for some people, using CPD from a Dispensary to help with stress is beneficial.

To point you in the right direction, we have put together a short guide on looking after your mental health.

Our Guide to Looking After Your Mental Health 1

Improving your diet

A good place to start is looking into your diet. Your diet can significantly impact your overall mood, especially if you aren’t eating well. Good foods help your focus more, improve your concentration, and stabilise your mood throughout the day. Try to eat around five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, and drink 3 litres of water – staying hydrated is important! If you struggle to eat enough vegetables during the day, the best thing to do is try to add as many as you can to your dinner. For example, making spaghetti bolognese and adding carrots, onions, peppers, peas, sweetcorn, and tomatoes. Or find some other recipes that include plenty of veg.

Getting enough sleep

Sleep is something everyone should pay attention to and ensure they are getting enough. The aim should be around 7 to 9 hours of sleep a day (the exact number varies depending on age). If you aren’t getting enough sleep, this can negatively affect your mental health, as often, people who lack sleep struggle to focus and process things. If you are unsure how much sleep you are getting, it’s best to track your sleep using a phone app for a week; this way, you can get a realistic number.

Our Guide to Looking After Your Mental Health 2

Exercising regularly

Finally, exercising is also very important for your mental health. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, which can make you feel good and improve your overall mood. These endorphins help reduce stress, improve sleep quality, and boost energy levels, among many other things. If you don’t get enough exercise, try to work out around three times a week, doing anything from solo sports like running to group sports like playing football.

Take Time To Be Grateful

Take time each day to be grateful for at least 5–10 things. Write down a list of all the good stuff — big or small — that brightened your day. Maybe it’s a kind word from a friend, your morning coffee, or simply getting through a tough moment. Focusing on gratitude shifts your mindset from what’s missing to what’s already good. Over time, this simple habit can boost your mood, increase resilience, and remind you that even on hard days, there are still plenty of reasons to smile.

Let us know in the comment box below.

What changes are you currently making to your routine to help your mental health? Which of the above tips did you find most useful? Is there anything missing from our guide that you think we should add?