Mental Health Month is about considering our mental health and wellbeing.
To combat the worries, stress and anxiety that can build up during everyday life, we asked RFDS Mental Health Manager Vanessa Latham to provide some tips.
“Practicing mindfulness to bring you to the most important place to be for your wellbeing in challenging times: the present moment,” Vanessa said.
1. Relax physically
Breathe out fully, soften your eyes, jaw, shoulders or anywhere else holding tension in your body.
2. Connect with your senses
Find a quiet moment to notice your surroundings, don’t let them pass you by as though you’re unaware or distracted by speculation. Notice your senses responding to the world around you; colours, scents, temperature, textures, tastes, sounds. Notice each of these to their full impact and beauty for what they are or represent.
3. Seek beauty in nature
Actively look for the natural beauty in the environment around you. Nurture a plant. Even one plant will do. It enhances the air quality around you and will rely upon you.
4. Choose your outlook
Adjust any beliefs or opinions to be the most compassionate they can be for yourself and for others in your life. If you sense it’s becoming overwhelming or increasing your anxiety, limit your exposure to it.
5. Believe in yourself
Behave as though you already tolerate and accept uncertainty. Appreciate your potential to continually evolve as a part of this world.
With the growing need for mental health services across regional NSW, the RFDS has Wellbeing Places in Broken Hill, Dubbo, and Lightning Ridge.
These are welcoming and accessible places to visit for anyone in the community seeking mental health support.
“The idea is to bring our team together under one roof and create a safe entry point for people to access professional support and engage in activities to enhance or maintain their sense of wellbeing,” Vanessa explained.
