Good Mental Health is an important part of your overall health

Having worked in the life insurance industry for more than 20 years now, I have seen the increase in mental health claims.  In fact 1 out of every 5 Australians will suffer depression in their lifetime.  In fact mental health has become so widespread that the insurance industry has had to add it to their risk assessment when processing an application for insurance, especially for income protection.

So how can you maintain good mental health?

Obviously some things are beyond our control, the death of loved one, long term unemployment, an accident or illness, divorce, even moving house or losing a pet can trigger an episode of depression or anxiety.  The good new is though that you can proactively help your state of mental health, there are things in everyone's power to decrease your chances of being one of the statistics.

Exercise
This doesn't mean you need to train for a triathalon or marathon.  All you need is a couple of hours of activity every week, whether it is going for a walk or playing a sport it doesn't really matter you just need to move!

Nutrition
The food you are eating can affect your mood, energy levels and concentration.  Fresh fruit and vegetables are an important part of maintaining good mental health.  It is recommend you eat 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegies a day.  It is also important to get enough protein, afterall protein is the building blocks for your entire body including your brain.

Sleep
Medical experts agree that everyone should aim for between 6 and 8 hours of good sleep every night.  Lack of sleep can affect the brains production of important hormones and chemicals that control your mood and energy levels.  Sleep is so important to our body's ability to function that going without sleep for a prolonged period can cause death.

Stress Management
We all suffer from stress from time to time.  Trying to get the kids organised for school while they are fighting over the bathroom and get to work on time, all at the same time - very stressful!  Stress will be a part of normal life and we can't always control stress triggers but we can learn how to cope with them or reduce them.  For example mornings in a house with children who have to go to day care or school and both parents have to get to work too, you can't change the situation you need to go to work and the kids have to go to school but you can minimise the stress by preparing the kids the night before.  Making lunches, setting the table for breakfast the night before, having uniforms etc organised the night before and having a schedule for the bathroom will all help make the situation less stressful.  Learning to recognise stress will help you manage it and most importantly take time out to relax!

I think the secret to good mental health is living a balanced life, it's not easy finding that balance and maintaining it but following the guidelines above will give you a starting point.

WL

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