CALLUM SKEFFINGTON

ONE OF THE MOST COMMON New Year’s resolutions is to go to the gym and to be healthier, physically. Our physical appearance are often prioritised over all else, but is it not more important to improve your mental health first?

Some people are lucky that working out is therapeutic for them. They can kill two birds with one stone, improving both their physical and mental fitness at the same time. For others, the thought of going to the gym is, in itself, anxiety inducing. It isn’t the end of the world if going to the gym isn’t your thing; working out at home is equally as beneficial as going to the gym, and for some the idea of working out is the last thing they would consider to be therapeutic.

If there is one thing you should do in the year to come, it is find your form of therapy. Maybe reading a good book and getting lost in a fictional world will help you detox from life. Maybe you prefer to be creative and create art of your own. Or maybe you simply want to spend more time surrounded by your friends and family.

Whatever it may be, putting emphasis on the things that ease your mind and clear your head will result in more productivity and improved mental health.

We live in an era where we are made to feel guilty for taking care of ourselves. In a time when mental health is more prominent in society than ever before, the need for self-care is higher than ever before, yet between the lacking guidance for mental health in schools and the NHS, and the social stigma against admitting that you aren’t coping with life’s pressures, most find themselves completely unprepared to deal with their own mental health.

These pressure are sometimes heightened in the early stages of a New Year. We have all these aims and goals for the year ahead, but the likelihood of seeing immediate results is slim, but our mental health is more important than anything else. Especially as LGBT+ people, we are more prone to mental health conditions than our straight, cis -gendered counterparts.

health is the only way to destroy the stigma surrounding this topic, and you don’t have to wait for a qualified therapist to be provided six months down the line by the NHS; a friend or family member can provide just as much, if not more, support and guidance than a medical professional. Finding someone to trust your emotions and thoughts with will alleviate the stress you are feeling.

Things not to trust as antidotes to your mental health; drinking, drugs, toxic friendships/ relationships or endless tv show marathons.

It is incredibly hard to put an end to the harmful habits that restrict our mental health. A common ‘anxiety relief’ is smoking, and most can’t even explain exactly why. Well, it’s to do with your breathing. Smoking enables us to take more conscious and deeper breaths, which has a calming effect on our bodies, despite the nicotine that’s rushing through our veins. Taking negative coping mechanisms and replacing them with positive outlets will result in a happier head and a healthier body. If smoking is your vice, perhaps you should try meditation techniques.

As we continue through the year of 2020, I think the best thing we can do for ourselves is to be mindful not only of our own mental health, but also of those around us and the struggles and issues they may be experiencing. It is easy to talk the talk, now walk the walk

One of the things that I have learned through my own struggles with mental health is that talking really is the best way to deal with depression and anxiety. Talking about mental