Top Tips for Improving Self-Care

You may be noticing some signs of needing to improve self-care, or you may just like to think about how you can improve your mental wellbeing more generally.

Acts of self-care often start with basic essentials, such as: eating, drinking, cleaning and sleeping. We have put together some tips for improving your self-care that some professionals shared with us. These will likely differ from person to person, and may be linked with your hobbies and personal enjoyment. It may also be a trial and error process, so try different things and see which ones you prefer, and which ones leave you feeling the most comfortable and relaxed!

• Exercise – this can take may forms, so find what works best for you. Regular engagement in exercise reduces stress & anxiety, and improves sleep^1,2
• Meditation/Mindfulness/yoga (just a single session has been shown to reduce stress & improve mental health^3,4 – read more here)
• Breathing exercises – these can be done anywhere (e.g. in bed, at your desk) – we have put together a short exercise for you to follow
• Turn off social media for a few hours
• Go for a walk or cycle in the outdoors – as little as 5 minutes in the outdoors has been shown to improve mood & self-esteem3 (read more here)
• Engage in a hobby or something you enjoy – e.g. drawing/art, listening to music, photography, reading
• Watch your favourite film/tv show

References/Extra Reading:

1.Gerber, M., Brand, S., Herrmann, C., Colledge, F., Holsboer-Trachsler, E., & Pühse, U. (2014). Increased objectively assessed vigorous-intensity exercise is associated with reduced stress, increased mental health and good objective and subjective sleep in young adults. Physiology & behavior, 135, 17-24.Büssing A, Michalsen A, Khalsa SBS, et al. (2012). Effects of yoga on mental and physical health: a short summary of reviews. Evidence Based Complementary Alternative Medicine, 2012:165410.  

2.Kelley, G. A., & Kelley, K. S. (2017). Exercise and sleep: a systematic review of previous meta‐analyses. Journal of Evidence‐Based Medicine, 10(1), 26-36.Pascoe MC, Bauer IE. (2015). A systematic review of randomised control trials on the effects of yoga on stress measures and mood. Journal of Psychiatric Research; 68, 270–82.

3.Barton, J., & Pretty, J. (2010). What is the best dose of nature and green exercise for improving mental health? A multi-study analysis. Environmental science & technology, 44(10), 3947-3955.