Emotional Health Fact Sheet Page 2
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Tips for good mental health

  • Find and do things that you are good at and enjoy. We all have talents in different areas. These can help you build confidence and feel positive about yourself. Congratulate and give yourself permission to be proud of your achievements.
  • Develop personal skills that help you deal with people and other situations. Some areas you might like to consider are things like assertiveness, problem solving, conflict/negotiation, self-esteem and confidence. (See our topics on these subjects).
  • Learn new ways to cope with problems in everyday life. Can you think of a part of your life you would like to make changes in? Look it up in the list of our topics. 
  • Get involved with things. Do volunteer work, join a club or committee, play sport, join a meditation group, go snorkelling with a group of people, socialise or do a short course. The more things you do, the more connected you feel to the world around you.
  • Do something for someone else. Helping others can help you to feel good about yourself.
  • Do something that is "not you". Do something you wouldn't usually do. This can be scary at first, but the more risks you take (safe ones of course) the more you can prove to yourself that you can handle new situations. You might even have a laugh on the way.
Mental health and the media

Stigma is defined as 'the sign of social unacceptability'. So something that has a stigma attached is usually seen as shameful or associated with people who are not 'normal'. Mental illness has a stigma in our society, and the media often adds to this stigma.

The medial usually portrays people that are mentally ill in a bad light. The most common portrayals of people with a mental illness include:

  • Movies and TV portraying people as having only one characteristic, or stereotyping them. They are not seen as people who are normal in most ways, but have an illness, they are portrayed as having just one characteristic: the sly manipulator; a helpless depressed female; the comic relief; or the mad scientist.
  • The news media often focus on negative stories in general, and with mental illness it is the same. Violence is the most common story involving people with a mental illness. Research has shown that two-thirds of stories about mental illness were crime stories.
  • Stories in the paper often use discriminating words like 'loony' or 'crazy'.
  • Rarely do the reports suggest that anyone could become mentally ill and that mental illnesses are treatable.

So try to keep an eye on the ways the media create stigma about mental illness. Working together we can all change the way mental illness is seen in society?

Keeping yourself healthy

  • Some studies suggest that what you eat affects your mood. A good balanced diet will make sure you have all the essential nutrients needed for your brain to function well. Check out Healthy eating to learn more.
  • Exercise. Studies have shown that after only 30 minutes of exercise people get a boost of good feelings. But 30 minutes of moderate exercise 3 times a week is what you should aim for. Check out our topic Exercise for some ideas.
  • Try to relax more. Relaxation exercises are a good way to reduce stress, check out our topic Stress and relaxation.

Resources

General