With October being mental health awareness month, it is time to be reminded that our mental health is just as important as our physical health. MyHealthPortal reflects on how to care for our mental health

Most people are knowledgeable about how they should care for their physical health but few of us spend time assessing the state of our mental health, which is not less important, since the two are often linked i.e. those with poor physical health are more likely to have poor mental health and visa versa.

Below are some tips which help promote good mental health;

• Eat a good balanced diet – just recently it has been found that those people who eat a Mediterranean diet suffer a reduced incidence of depression. However, any balanced diet offers some protection

• Exercise – this produces natural endorphins which make people feel better. Interestingly exercise is not only useful in preventing and treating depression but also schizophrenia and dementia.

• Sleep – loss of sleep is often the identified trigger for poor mental health so a regular sleep pattern is valuable.

• Intimacy – to have an intimate relationship i.e. one in which feelings can be discussed honestly offers great protection against any adverse events which life can throw at us. If the intimate relationship is also a sexual one there is the added bonus of natural endorphins being released.

• Mixing with others – as humans most of us enjoy meeting others and sharing their experiences and feelings. Isolation is associated with types of mental illness so it is important that we all make the effort to meet others.

• Work – this is a mixed blessing. Certainly the routine and fulfilment from a good job is associated with good mental health. However, stress from overwork, bullying or mind-numbing tasks can give rise to problems. In some organisations there is competition about who gets in first, takes the fewest breaks and leaves last. Just remember that while most of us can do that for a short while, over a prolonged period we become less productive and we are ignoring all the above points.

• Brain exercise – using our brains helps stimulate us and this is believed to be particularly important in helping preventing and slowing down the progress of dementia. Sudoku, crosswords, pub quizzes, reciting poetry, learning anything new or whatever takes your fancy – they are all good.

• Alcohol – a moderate amount can be helpful, but too much is a depressant and can lead to addiction. Similarly, illegal drugs are associated with addiction and, in some cases, psychotic illnesses so best avoided completely.

• Fun – as we get older some of us forget how to seek out fun – try and aim to do something fun each day.

• Finally, one last very important tip - Enjoy who you are

 For further information you can visit www.mentalhealth.org.uk/