If you are worried about your own or someone else’s mental health call the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 24/7 NHS mental health response line on 0800 038 5300. It's free to access by anyone, any age, any time, day or night.
Evidence suggests there are 5 steps you can take to improve your mental health and wellbeing.
Trying these things could help you feel more positive and able to get the most out of life.
Connect
Whatever your age or situation, it is important to stay in touch with friends and family and even making new friends.
Getting together with a group of friends or family isn’t the only way to stay in touch, you can also chat via social media, email, facetime/video calling or just picking up the phone.
It is a good idea to discuss your worries with someone you trust and focus on positive things, practice gratitude together and talk about a mutual topic such as a book or film. If you feel that you are unable to talk about your worries with friends and family, then there are people you can speak to via NHS recommended helplines.
Be active
Being active isn't just good for our physical health, it's great for your mental health too.
There's plenty of ways to get active including walking, dancing, running, gardening or going for a swim to name just a few. Having a daily routine in place is a good idea and you don’t even need to leave your home to stay active.
There is a range of exercises at home guided videos designed by our Healthy Cornwall service. They have been designed for anyone to use, you can make them as easy or as hard as you feel comfortable.
They have been designed for people who might have low mobility or a cardiac condition too. You won't need any special equipment just a chair, a couple of tins of food or bottles of water, and a couple of shopping bags.
There are also free easy 10 minute work outs and other NHS Fitness Studio sessions.
Keep learning
Doing something different such as trying a new hobby (e.g. a puzzle, craft, drawing, listening to new music or photography) is also a good way to keep your mind active.
Whilst it is important to be factual, it is also important to take time away from the news and take part in the things you enjoy.
This is particularly important for children and older people, so the activities need to be age appropriate.
Give
Supporting others in the community who are in need of help, or volunteering can help make new friends, keep active and gain new skills.
Helping others in your community can also make a real difference to your own and someone else’s wellbeing. Lot's of people are offering to help at this time, if you'd like to volunteer you can register with Volunteer Cornwall.
Take notice
Try to be mindful of your environment and make the time to get as much sunlight, fresh air and nature as you can. If you can’t get outside much you can still benefit from these positive effects by spending time with the windows open to let in fresh air and get some natural sunlight.
If you'd like to try mindfulness, Louise from Healthy Cornwall has created a short guided session you can follow online at home.
Videos about the five ways to wellbeing
It's ok to not to be ok
British Sign Language video on the five ways for wellbeing
