Looking after yourself
Staying healthy means looking after yourself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. By giving a little attention to these areas each day you can help yourself to stay well and strong and to feel good about who you are.
Our mental health can be affected by all kinds of things but if we take care of ourselves in a balanced way we will be able to cope better during the difficult times. When we feel down mentally we can still do things to make ourselves feel better. By focusing on what we can do rather than what we can’t do we help ourselves to stay strong.
Ways you can build up and maintain your mental health include:
 Eat well - |
‘Good food is brain food’ – eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, cut down on coffee and sugar, and drink lots of water. Good food is good fuel for our mind and body. mindbodylife.com.au/Nutrition/index.cfm |
| Do regular exercise – |
As little as 15 minutes a day keeps your whole body working and feeling better. Go for a walk, ride a bike, have a swim, play your favourite sport or try some yoga. Most of all, enjoy what you do. mindbodylife.com.au/PhysicalActivity/index.cfm |
| Get enough sleep – |
It’s when we rest that our body repairs and renews itself. If you can, aim to go to bed around the same time each evening. If you have trouble sleeping find ways to reduce your stress and calm your mind. www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Sleeping_Well |
| Make time each day
to relax – |
Regularly give yourself ‘time out’ from over-working and worrying, whether it’s going for a walk, doing some yoga, reading a good book or having a cup of tea. You deserve it. |
| Do things that make
you feel good – |
No matter what age you are it’s important to ‘play’ and have fun – whether it’s learning a new hobby or doing things with people you like. Catch up with a friend, or check out your local library or newspaper for activities, courses or groups you can join. www.lifebeinitnt.org |
| Talk through any problems instead of letting them build up – |
Our problems don’t just go away by themselves and it helps to find someone you can talk to help you work things out. Sometimes this can be a friend, other times we benefit from the more skilled and objective help of a therapist or counsellor Resources |
| Be aware of how smoking, alcohol and drugs affect your health – |
It’s never too late to turn unhealthy habits into healthy ones, and there is lots of information and support available to help you link to Resources |
Ask questions:
reach out and research– |
Take responsibility for your wellness. Research information on different aspects of health and how stress can affect illness. Discover new ways of taking care of yourself. The internet is a great place to start, or visit your local library, newsagency or bookstore. See also Resources and links page. |
Get back in the driver’s seat
Whether we’re feeling stressed, recovering from a more serious illness or just trying to stay healthy, no one knows us better than ourselves. Looking after yourself means ‘getting back in the driver’s seat’ - taking charge of your health and wellbeing.
Speaking on recovery, mental health consultant and a person with a lived experience of mental illness, Helen Glover, highlights the importance of people actively directing and participating in their own recovery. Getting back in the driver’s seat, Personal recovery, Raising the bar.
Just as we go to the gym to strengthen our physical muscles we also need to strengthen our ‘mental muscles’. Helen highlights the following as five key elements of an individual’s recovery:
1) Hope:
Live ‘as if’ recovery is a reality. Life moves in cycles and distress is never permanent. Surround yourself with people who nurture and activate your dreams (no matter how big or small) of what you want to do and who you can become. Remember your ‘wholeness’ – at any time an illness is only a part of who you are. Recovery involves redefining how we see ourselves and focusing not on the problem but on the solution.
2) Active Sense of Self:
Connect with your active self rather than expecting others to do it for you. Sometimes we think others create the change in us, but they cannot make the changes for us, we must contribute to our own wellness. We are active beings - we are constantly trying to find ways to meet our needs. We do not get up in the morning and say, ‘Gosh, how can I make my day as bad as possible.’ It is important to acknowledge and honour our courage and determination, and the active things we constantly do that affect our wellness. Be curious about ‘being well’ – explore what is helpful to your recovery and what works. Ask for help if you need it, but remember, you are in the driver’s seat.
3) Personal Responsibility:
Aim to take more personal responsibility for your wellness rather than relying on others. Sometimes the things that are stopping us taking responsibility are not just motivation but maybe things like fear, inexperience, lack of support, lack of skill, lack not of knowledge, not enough money or resources etc. Ask, “What is stopping me taking this step?” Look for opportunities that will help you feel good about yourself, eg. trying something new like join a local hobby group. Making decisions and taking small risks one step at a time helps us to grow.
4) Discovery:
Try to discover the meaning and purpose regarding what is happening in your life. We do not just get unwell out of the blue. There are mnay small triggers that lead to us feeling distressed. What are they? How do they work together - how can you make sense of them? If you can understand how it works then you can manage them a little better or a little earlier. If you feel alone do you need to reach out for support? If you are confused do you need to talk to someone? Difficult times are an opportunity for further growth and change.
5) Connectedness:
As humans we all have a primary need to belong. As well as receiving support we also help to support others. This is important to remember, even more so when things are challenging – it helps us to not become so disconnected from ourselves, our friends and families, our roles and responsibilities and our community. Aim to find a balance between doing things on your own and doing things with others. There are many ways you can participate – play a sport, join a local club or library, or volunteer some time with a community organisation. By surrounding ourselves with positive people and role models and giving back to others we learn to feel good about ourselves.
Finding a way through
Every person experiences the ups and downs of life in different ways. If you’re feeling troubled or don’t know what to do, know that there are resources available and professional people in your community you can talk to. Sometimes friends and family can help, other times we benefit from the more skilled and objective help from a counsellor, therapist, teacher or support group. Resources and links – helplines and Alice Springs Services Directory.
There is no right way or wrong way, we all do the best we can. When you make the decision to commit to your wellness you will find people to help and support you.
Something to get you started …
Choice Theory
US psychiatrist William Glasser has written a book about a new psychology of personal freedom called “Choice Theory”. It highlights that by taking responsibility for what we think and feel we stop blaming and/or controlling others and in turn create healthier relationships with people in our lives. Glasser believes that the primary cause of mental unwellness (which commonly leads to illness) is troubled relationships, and that by learning to communicate more honestly and effectively with others we free ourselves to lead happier lives. Choice Theory is a reader-friendly informative book outlining how we can get back in the driver’s seat of our lives. www.wglasser.com/whatisct.htm
Your rights to appropriate treatment
As a consumer of mental health services you have the right to stand up for your rights
Statement of rights and responsibilities. If at any time you believe that you are not being treated
appropriately, that your medication does not seem to be working, or that a practitioner is not treating you
with respect or not valuing cultural understanding, you have the right to speak up and tell them, or to let
someone else know. For further information and/or support contact:
Disability Advocacy Service - “Helping You in the Right Direction”
We are a community-based advocacy service providing information to people with disabilities to help them to obtain their rights. We work with both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, and support and encourage people with disabilities to advocate for their own rights.
Visit DAS at Shop 1a, 63-65 Railway Tce, Alice Springs, phone: (08) 8953 1422 or email
das@disabilityadvocacyserv.org.au
Community Visitor Program
CVP is an external and independent mechanism which tries to resolve any complaints, concerns or problems that people may have with mental health treatment and care. Anyone, individuals or organisations, can talk to us as long they are a consumer, patient, carer, representative of, or have an interest in, a consumer or patient.
Phone CVP freecall: 1800 021 919 visit www.cvp.nt.gov.au or email cvpprogram.adc@nt.gov.au
Australian Mental Health Consumer Network
AMHCN is a nation wide network of consumers of mental health services which exists to: Promote equity and access for mental health empower consumers to utilise all means to achieve and maintain their mental health; and promote the expansion of consumer participation and influence within the community.
Phone AMHCN on (02) 62850111 visit www.amhcn.com.au or email: secretariat@amhcn.com.au
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