Wednesday 20 - Be kind to yourself - looking after you physical health
It is important to recognise that our physical and mental health are delicately intertwined and at times like these, it can be easy to fall into unhealthy patterns of behaviour which in turn can make you feel worse.
Get moving to manage stress
Exercise in almost any form can act as a stress reliever. Being active can boost your feel-good endorphins and distract you from daily worries.
You know that exercise does your body good, but you're too busy and stressed to fit it into your routine. Hold on a second — there's good news when it comes to exercise and stress.
Virtually any form of exercise, from aerobics to yoga, can act as a stress reliever. If you're not an athlete or even if you're out of shape, you can still make a little exercise go a long way toward stress management. Discover the connection between exercise and stress relief — and why exercise should be part of your stress management plan.
Exercise and stress relief
Exercise increases your overall health and your sense of well-being, which puts more pep in your step every day. But exercise also has some direct stress-busting benefits.
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It pumps up your endorphins. Physical activity helps bump up the production of your brain's feel-good neurotransmitters, called endorphins. Although this function is often referred to as a runner's high, a rousing game of tennis or a nature hike also can contribute to this same feeling.
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It's meditation in motion. After a fast-paced game of sport or several laps in the pool, you'll often find that you've forgotten the day's irritations and concentrated only on your body's movements.
As you begin to regularly shed your daily tensions through movement and physical activity, you may find that this focus on a single task, and the resulting energy and optimism, can help you remain calm and clear in everything you do.
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It improves your mood. Regular exercise can increase self-confidence, it can relax you, and it can lower the symptoms associated with mild depression and anxiety. Exercise can also improve your sleep, which is often disrupted by stress, depression and anxiety. All of these exercise benefits can ease your stress levels and give you a sense of command over your body and your life
Below are some tips and resources that you may find useful to help you maintain good physical health:
Get Moving for Mental Health this May
The Mental Health Foundation have a brand new challenge launching this May called ‘Take Action, Get Active’ to get you moving and feeling good.
It is all about being kind to yourself, by taking 30 minutes out of every day in May to do something physical. You can be as creative as you like with this challenge – as long as you are moving! Some examples include:
- Exercise – Running, Yoga, Pilates – you name it
- Baking – get those arm muscles working
- Gardening – this can be a great workout too
- Dancing around in your kitchen to your favourite songs (you know we all do it!)
You can find more information by visiting the website https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/events/take-action-get-active-2020
Exercising at Home
Where possible you should try and exercise inside where possible and outside once a day. Evidence tells us that prolonged periods of sitting are not good for our health, so it is important to try to move around the home as much as you can.
When staying at home you can find free easy workouts on British Heart Foundation’s 10 minute living room workout
Whether it’s a few star jumps in your bedroom, yoga, or dancing, exercise will help get the adrenaline out of your system and channel any stress or anxiety you may be feeling.
Very importantly, it will also keep the body well in terms of heart and lung, bone and muscle health. This can protect our overall health and also keep us functioning day to day and ensure we are all able to look after ourselves.
A range of relaxation techniques, including progressive muscle relaxation are available from the NHS
Our Council leisure colleagues share daily fitness challenges online on Facebook. Please check out their facebook page for more information on this.
Family activities are also available within the Active Schools and Community sports Facebook pages:
Annandale & Eskdale - https://www.facebook.com/annandaleeskdale.activeschools.communitysport
Nithsdale - https://en-gb.facebook.com/Nithsdale-Active-Schools-and-Community-Sport-1079737128718491/
Stewartry - https://www.facebook.com/725008694249210/photos/pcb.1345343008882439/1345342645549142/?type=3
Wigtownshire - https://www.facebook.com/WigASCS
Twitter - https://twitter.com/DGCsport @DGCsport
Disability Sport - https://www.facebook.com/DGDisabilitySport
Whenever you’re exercising, please do so with caution and only if you feel well enough. Read advice from the NHS on warming up and cooling down before and after exercise.
Wellbeing Walk - In previous years we have joined colleagues to go on a Wellbeing Walk – so why not take time out today and enjoy a wellbeing walk around your garden or near where you stay.
Looking after your sleep
Feeling anxious or worried can make it harder to get a good night’s sleep. Good-quality sleep makes a big difference to how you feel mentally and physically, so it’s important to get the right kind of sleep. The following advice can help to HEAL your sleep problems:
Health – physical health problems can stop you from getting a good night’s sleep – speak to your GP or pharmacist who may be able to help with this.
Environment – your bedroom should be somewhere we associate with sleep – be mindful of the presence of gadgets and electronics such as computers, phones, tablets and TVs. You should stop using these devices two hours before you got to sleep. Common factors that can affect our sleep are noise and temperature - If you are struggling to work out the best sleep environment for you, then it can be useful to keep a sleep diary (there’s one in the back of this guide) to keep track of the conditions that helped you get a good night’s sleep.
Attitude - Lying awake in bed, particularly before an important day or during this time, can make us worry. However, this worry then makes it harder for us to get to sleep. Relaxation techniques can help you to relax and unwind at these times – a free podcast for learning progressive relaxation techniques is available here from the Mental Health Foundation. Instead of staying in bed you could give up and make yourself a warm drink such as warm milk.
Lifestyle - There are a number of things that you can do every day to improve the quality of your sleep. Eating rice, oats and dairy products can produce chemicals that increase our desire to sleep. Food and drink containing lots of caffeine or sugar can keep you awake, so drinking less tea and coffee, eating less chocolate and other sugary foods late in the day might help you to sleep better. Alcohol often impairs the quality of your sleep and makes you more likely to wake up during the night as the effects wear off. Exercising on a regular basis is thought to help us sleep.
The Every Mind Matters sleep page provides practical advice on how to improve your sleep.
The Mental Health Foundation have produced a booklet on ‘How to…Sleep better’ – access it here
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