• Meditation is a good way to calm the nerves and clear a busy mind. It can be done either lying down and concentrating on your breathing or by calmly concentrating on a subject to help clear the mind - like waves on a beach or clods in the sky. Giving the brain 10 or 20 minutes off can produce positive feelings and leave you feeling regenerated.
  
• Environmental factors can also affect a person's stress levels and can cause depression. A noisy or dirty work place or isolation at work, or living with for example a chain smoker can affect your mental health and it's ok to ask for changes to help care for your mental and physical health both at work and at home.
  
• Depression is more common in people who suffer with long term illness so if you have a physical illness it is important to be aware that the stress of coping with your illness or the medication you are given may also affect your mental well being.
  
• Last but not least please remember that poor mental health can affect anyone and is not a sign of weakness. 1 in 4 people will suffer with depression, stress or anxiety at some stage in their lives so don't feel like it's your fault and get some help so that you can feel better all over.
  

Top Ten Tips For Good Mental Health

Taking care of your mental health is essential for a great sense of well being. If your mind is feeling well, generally the rest of you will be feeling well.

But we all know that it's not always easy to control what goes on in your head. So here are a few tips for achieving good mental health.

• Number one really has to be "Talk!" It really I true that it's good to talk and a problem shared is a problem halved and all those adages. The problem can be finding who you should talk to. If you have a friend who can listen without judgement, without advising you but really try and hear what you are saying, then talk to them.
  
• Own your feelings. you have a right to feel the way you do about any given situation that you find yourself in.
  
• Self care is invaluable. Make some space that is just yours and use it well. It may just be sitting down in front of the soaps, it might be a candle lit bath. It could be a game of squash or a session at the gym. What ever makes you feel indulgent do it - leads to number 4....
  
• Be selfish. Most of the time we are last on the list of people who need to be taken care of, don't fall into thinking that you are being selfish if you get a baby sitter so you can do your own thing. It's ok to put off seeing that demanding friend until you have the energy to deal with them. If you don't replenish your 'caring' fuel tank, you'll soon run out.
  
• Good food and plenty of hydration is an excellent way to feed the body and the soul. Ensuring that you eat well and after for your body's nutritional needs with the occasional indulgence has a profound effect on our mental well being as well as your physical self. Remember alcohol is a depressant and if you use it too regularly to help cope you may be masking bigger issues.
  
• Exercise is an excellent way to keep mentally healthy as exercise raises the amount of particular chemicals in the brain that helps to lift a low mood and helps combat depression.
  
• Meditation is a good way to calm the nerves and clear a busy mind. It can be done by either lying down and concentrating on your breathing or by concentrating on a subject to help clear your mind - like waves at the beach or clouds in the sky. Giving the brain 10 or 20 minutes off time can produce positive feelings and leave you feeling calm and regenerated.
  

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