This Mental Health Awareness Week (11 – 17 May), Mental Health Foundation are asking people to join them in taking action to support good mental health.
Even small actions can help us feel hopeful and less powerless. And while our individual actions matter, when we come together we are even more powerful.
The LooseHeadz acronym, provides 10 top tips for looking after your mental health based upon the Mental Health Foundation’s evidence based top tips and adapted for the rugby community.
Help – find ways from the big to the small, whether with individual people or formally volunteering. Helping can reduce stress, improve our emotional wellbeing and create a sense of belonging within our communities, and reduce isolation.
Emotion – develop awareness of your feelings and emotions. The more you practice being aware of your feelings, and how they change in different situations, the better your ability to understand and manage them will be, and it will help those around you.
Support – find your support system and stay in contact with them. Regularly check in with each other, a simple question is “How are you from 1 to 10?” or “What’s happening in your life at the moment?”
Exercise – physical activity is so important for your mental health. If rugby is pressurised, find another way to move, maybe walking, tennis or yoga. Or if you’re injured, create an injury club so you’re not in it alone, stay part of the community.
Open – when you’re struggling with your mental health, be open and honest. Don’t hide away. Speak to your LooseHead or visit our website for organisations to connect with. Stay open as a club to recognise the likelihood that one or several of your team may be struggling, and make space for them to open up, when they’re ready.
Schedule – Plan things to look forward to, with people you like to spend time with. From the small to the big, have fun, and commit to it, especially when life gets busy.
Learn – staying curious and continuing to learn, from noticing what’s around you, to listening to a podcast, to developing your rugby game, to learning a language.
Substance Misuse – be aware of using alcohol and or drugs to manage difficult feelings – such as sadness, fear or shame. Whilst it might feel like temporary relief, they don’t stop the feelings from returning and may make things worse or create other problems. If you notice this in yourself, try not to beat yourself up and if you’re able to, ask for help.
Outside – get outside! Get some sunlight and be in nature. Nature can be anything from a garden or a local park to a beach or the open countryside. The places that are best for us are often described as ’green’ and ’blue’ – the colours of trees, plants and water.
Zzz – Sleep, if possible in this season of life, prioritise it. Adults need 6-8 hours and children 8-10, do your very best not to compromise it. And in seasons when sleep is challenging, be kind to yourself and let others around you know.
We would love for you to try out one of these evidence based top tips this week and get in touch to let us know how you get on!
#TackleTheStigma
