The Nag

DIY Nag # 7: 5 ways to manage your mind

A wise man once say: heal the world by healing yourself.

created by gandy 6 months ago

The general idea

What's the mental health equivalent of 5-a-day?

If you can care for your body by eating an apple, or going for a run, then why not the equivalent for your mind? We have a lot more control over the state of our minds than we give ourselves credit for. I want to find out what we all do to improve our mental wellbeing, and share the results with the world.

Why why why?

I have had experienced depression, stress and anxiety over the years, and yet I self-identify as “sane”. Many people I know have experienced what might be termed “mental illness” and yet they do not fit into what the NHS would classify as the “mentally ill”.

Meanwhile I have watched well-known figures like Stephen Fry raise awareness of mental illness by “coming out” as sick, but no-one who is “sane” talking about the practical tools for managing your mind and staying well.

The 5-a-day campaign raised awareness of the importance of individuals taking care of their physical health, and it did so without mentioning sickness or obesity. Mental health is a much more individual subject than eating more broccolli, but maybe we all have our own versions of a 5-a-day for the mind? And if we start to share them, maybe we'll find we're all doing similar things to stay mentally well?

What do you want me for?

We want to get 1000 responses to the Mindapples test so that we can start telling the press, the major charities and the Government what people are already doing to help themselves, spread the word on what people find works well, and show the world that mental wellbeing isn't just something mad people think about.

How? How? How?

1. Think about what you do already to manage your mind and stay mentally healthy. (Need inspiration? Check out our cheapo website for some ideas. http://www.mindapples.org)

2. Got five things? Then take the Mindapples test and tell us what works for you. (Don't worry, all the results are anonymous.)
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=w1wgI64ILeUlyNWlg6lcGA_3d_3d

3. Spread the word and get everyone thinking about how we can manage our minds. So tell your friends - pretty please...

Who? Where? What? How Many? Can You Prove It?

Don't care? Not to worry, mental health is a very personal thing.

But please do have a think about how you keep yourself mentally healthy - and if you know someone who might like flaky hippy stuff like this, please do us a favour and send it they're way. :-)

Oh, and if you want some expert advice on how we can all improve our mental health with a few simple things, here are ten things from the Mental Health Foundation:
http://mindapples.org/2008/06/24/mhf/

7 people have done something similar. How was it for you?

Tags

5aday | campaign | diy culture | happiness | mental health | mindapples | sharing | wellbeing