4 ways to bring happiness to your life on Mental Health Awareness Day

Get out and about

Spending time outdoors can help improve your mood and reduce feelings of stress. Getting some fresh air every day, whether this be a quick 10-minute walk during your day to get a breath of fresh air, or an evening stroll with friends in a park – Mayfield Depot has the perfect one and it can boost your mood more than you realise. This means that with the weather getting warmer, you can head outdoors more and give yourself the little boost that you need, as well as top up on your summer tan - we might live in Manchester, the Rainy City, but we can still keep fingers crossed for a bit of sun here and there!

Say goodbye to the FYP's

Having a little break from social media and doom-scrolling makes more of a difference than most people realise until they give it a try. You might find yourself feeling some serious FOMO at first, but don’t worry, we aren’t suggesting that you never look at your phone again. We bet that the first thing you do in the morning is open your socials, right? Even just changing your morning routine by avoiding your phone in the first half-hour of your day can completely turn things around with minimal effort. By doing this you can disconnect from the online world and focus on the other things that matter in your life, helping your mood. This break doesn't have to be long; it could be for a few hours a day, and top tip – we recommend to set yourself time limits on your phone to decrease the amount of time you spend on social apps that end up weighing on your mind. Trust us, it is easier than you think to remove yourself from the digital world.

Build your own self-care kit

Another way to help your mental health is by making yourself a self-care kit, which can include a range of things that you know will help you if you find yourself having a bad day. This kit is something you can pull out and it will help you relax and take your mind off things when you need that extra support. For example, it could include your favourite book, meaningful pictures of family, friends or fond memories, a comfort blanket, and even your favourite snacks – something we all know we would love to have on hand. If you don’t want a physical kit, or you’re not sold on the idea, why not create a digital self-care kit on your phone instead? This could be a folder on your phone where you can save photos, music, videos, messages, and sayings that give you the lift that you need when things are getting a bit overwhelming.

How well you sleep can massively affect your well-being without us even realising, and if we’re so if you’re struggling with your mental health, you want to make sure that you’re looking after your sleep pattern as much as you can. Getting yourself into a good routine can help you get a good night’s rest, which is important at the best of times, but especially when you’re not feeling your best self. As well as this, give yourself some time to wind down before bed. Try to get away from your phone in bed, as bright lights and blue light can affect how you sleep; so how about listening to music or even a podcast to help you drift off instead?

With some of our best ways to help improve your mental health, We hope that you can give some of these a try and see the benefits. By improving your mood with some of these little changes in your lifestyle, you can boost your mood without even realising it. This Mental Health Awareness week, give some of our suggestions a try and see what changes you notice.

Is there anything that you recommend we should try? We’d love to hear about them! Reach out on our socials to share some of your best tips.