Maintain a Healthy Mind

What is a Healthy Mind?

It may sound a bit corny but the world seems like a much better place if you can manage to keep your stress to a minimum. Stress is a natural part of life – without it we would never achieve anything, but it’s all about how you manage it (rather than it managing you) that counts. Stress is being found to be a contributing factor in more and more chronic diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and even some cancers, so it’s important to do what you can to manage it.

Research tells us that people who are lucky enough to have a naturally positive outlook, with an optimistic view of the world, do better than the worriers, but that’s not always as easy as it sounds.

Connections, Communication, and Relationships

It’s easy to lose contact with friends as life gets busy and we become time poor, but the value of those relationships should never be underestimated. Whether it’s a game of golf with your mates, remaining part of a team or special interest group, or even a quick a catch up over coffee – human connections are vital to balanced mental wellbeing.

Our personal and work relationships play a huge role in how we feel too. These close relationships usually bring a mix of the very positive, and the not-so-positive with them, and can be the cause of some real psychological challenges. Be sure you have an independent and trusted ‘go-to’ person who can act as a sounding board, but from time to time professional help may be needed.

Support

• Beyond Blue help make sense of those feelings of anxiety or depression
• Find someone to talk about mental health in Penrith, Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury or Lithgow
• Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District Drug & Alcohol Service 1300 661 050
• LifeLine 13 11 14