Most people know that you can exercise and eat well in order to keep our bodies healthy, but it can be hard to know where to start when it comes to looking after our mental health.
On this page, you’ll find some quick ideas to help you create some focused time to improve your wellbeing. You don’t need lots of time, 10 minutes each day can make a huge difference to how your day (and beyond) goes.
Find your mind plan
The NHS offer a quick online quiz to find out how you can improve your mental wellbeing with a personalised Mind Plan. With lots of tips and resources, the quiz is a great way to take steps towards and happier, healthier you.
Reading books to boost your mood
Our libraries offer free access to books chosen and recommended by mental health experts chosen, as well as people living with the conditions covered and their relatives and carers.
Live Life to the Full (LLTTF)
LLTTF is an extensive online resource to help with improving feelings, beating stress and boosting the ability to live well. The site is split into 3 sections:
- Living Life To The Full - help with low mood, problem solving, building confidence and overall mental wellbeing
- Enjoy Your Baby - help for new parents, including adjusting to the new role as a parent, building a bond with baby, looking after yourself and being healthy and happy
- Reclaim Your Life - help for those living with a long-term health condition, including looking after your wellbeing, self-care and wider health improvement and lifestyle support.
The courses are free and available in 15 different languages. All modules, books and worksheets are available to download so you can go at your own pace.
Offload
Wigan Warriors Community Foundation offers a free 10-week programme that empowers men to build and maintain good mental wellbeing by equipping them with the tools and techniques needed to tackle issues such as low mood, anxiety, stress and depression.
Podcasts for positivity and mental wellbeing
A great way to learn more about staying positive and improving your mental and physical wellbeing is by listening to podcasts. You can pop them on in your car during your commute, whilst out for a weekend walk, or even whilst washing the dishes or cooking dinner. Here are some of our favourites, spanning a wide range of wellbeing topics:
- Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place (external link) - with over 40 million downloads, TV presenter Fearne Cotton’s podcast is a go to listen for positivity. Fearne chats to inspiring individuals about beating the blues and finding the joy in each and every day
- Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee (external link) - sifting through the plethora of health information flying around nowadays can be a headache. That’s where Dr Chatterjee, star of BBC 1’s Doctor In the House, comes in! With tips, helpful advice, and easy life hacks, Dr Chatterjee makes leading a healthy life simpler
- How to Fail with Elizabeth Day (external link) - if today hasn’t quite gone to plan, How to Fail is just the tonic you need. Journalist and author, Elizabeth Day, celebrates the things that haven’t gone right. Interviewees share their failures and what each of them taught them along the way
- Griefcast (external link) - this award-winning podcast examines the human experience of grief and death. Cariad Lloyd invites a fellow invites fellow comedians to share their experience with losing a loved one. In equal parts honest, emotional, and relatable, Griefcast is a surprisingly uplifting look at one of the darker sides of life
- The Happiness Lab (external link) - if you’re interested in the science behind happiness, look no further than The Happiness Lab. Yale professor Dr Laurie Santos looks into the human psychology and research behind what makes us happy, sharing surprising and inspiring stories along the way
- Mental Health Foundation (external link) - with topics ranging from health and nutrition, to stress and relaxation, the Mental Health Foundation have an impressive archive of episodes covering all aspects of mental health and wellbeing
- Parenting Hell (external link) - comedians Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe look at the lighter side of parenthood in this chart topping podcast. Beginning as a look at family life during the pandemic, the podcast has grown into a hilarious, and often reflective, look at parenting and all the highs and lows that go along with the job
- Power Hour (external link) - for an injection of motivation and positivity, Power Hour is the perfect podcast. Adrienne Herbert shares her tips for getting the most out of each day and achieving your goals. Whether you want to build a business, write a book or run a marathon, this podcast is sure to give you the boost you need to get on the right path
- Food for Thought (external link) - nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert helps listeners learn the fact from the fiction when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. The podcast is not just about eating healthily but about simplifying wellness and taking positive steps towards living our happiest, healthiest lives.
Mindfulness
You know what it’s like. Busy, busy and on the go all the time juggling work, home and family. It can be so easy to rush through life without stopping to notice much. However, paying more attention to the present moment - to your own thoughts and feelings, and to the world around you - can improve your mental wellbeing.
Mindfulness is when you bring your attention back to living in the moment, taking notice of your thoughts, feelings, body sensations and the world around you right here, right now. It can help you relax, beat stress and even combat depression. Mindfulness can help us enjoy life more and understand ourselves better.
You can take steps to develop mindfulness in your own life by watching the following videos, which offer an introduction into mindfulness and a great way to relax and place yourself in the moment. Why not try them at the end of the working day or in a quiet space at the weekend?
Another popular way to experience mindfulness is through 'mindful colouring,' which is similar to meditation. Let go of any thoughts other than 'In this current moment, I am colouring in'. There are lots of websites with templates you can download and print, we’ve shared a few below. If you’d rather have a colouring book, you’ll find most book shops and stationers stock adult colouring books.
Exercise and your mind
A great way of being mindful and benefitting your body at the same time is to get moving and do some gentle exercise you enjoy. This can be as simple as going for a quick walk in a greenspace or putting on your favourite tune and dancing around the living room. Just 10 minutes can make a world of difference.
Yoga and Tai Chi are great forms of gentle exercise which combine stretches with breathing and concentration techniques to help you relieve stress. We have made it easy for you to get active this year with free, regular classes and videos on Facebook and YouTube.
How to hack your happy chemicals
Your body is controlled by hormones that can affect your mood. Even if you’re feeling down or stressed you can tap into your happy hormones with some simple activities to help give you an instant lift.
Dopamine - The Reward Chemical
- Completing a task
- Doing self-care activities
- Eating food
- Celebrating little wins.
Oxytocin - The Love Hormone
- Playing with a dog
- Playing with a baby
- Holding hands
- Hugging your family
- Giving a compliment.
Serotonin - The Mood Stabilizer
- Meditation
- Running
- Sun exposure
- Walk in nature
- Swimming
- Cycling.
Endorphin - The Pain Killer
- Laughter exercise
- Essential oils
- Watch a comedy
- Dark chocolate
- Exercising.
For more ideas on living life to the full and boosting wellbeing visit Greater Manchester’s health hub (external link).
Healthy eating
We know that healthy eating is good for our bodies, but eating a good balanced diet is a great way to improve your mood and energy levels.
The following video from Mind, the mental health charity, is a great starting point to understand how our diet can affect our minds.