Mental health is a hot topic. It’s no surprise that after 18 months of the pandemic many people are feeling the strain. Business researchers are talking about a ‘shadow pandemic’ of mental health problems affecting productivity at work and there have been a number of high profile sporting stars who have withdrawn from competing for the sake of their mental wellbeing.

For most of us, potential sources of mental health problems include lockdown, working at home, the threat of serious illness to yourself or loved ones, the actual illness or death of loved ones, loss of livelihood and the general curtailment of normal life.

Interestingly though, most of the talk in the media is about mental health problems. This in itself might be a problem…

When we talk about physical health problems, many people will start to imagine they have a serious illness just because they recognise some symptoms. You know the kind of thing I mean – “I have a headache, it must be a brain tumour” or “My stomach is uncomfortable, I must have an ulcer” – and although we know it’s silly, it’s still easy to do.

I suspect the same is true of mental health problems. If you read all the symptoms of anxiety or depression, there’s a good chance that you’ll relate to some of them.

So, let’s look at the ‘symptoms’ of good mental health.  How many of these do you recognise in yourself?

1. You get done most of the things you intend to do in a day
2. You feel a sense of satisfaction at your achievements
3. You plan ahead
4. You enjoy spending time with friends and family
5. You are happy for other people when they succeed in some way
6. You sleep well
7. You have good appetite, but you don’t over-indulge in food or drink
8. You spend time on your hobbies or favourite form of exercise
9. You laugh every day
10. You are grateful

If you can say yes to even five or six of these, you’re probably in pretty good shape mentally. (If you’re saying no to most of them, it might be time to get some help.)

It’s been a tough time for a lot of people and most of us have seen our usual routines disrupted. For a boost to your wellbeing, reintroduce some of the things you used to enjoy. A hobby or a sport, a regular social gathering or a trip to visit friends and family.

In particular, if you’re an introverted type, you may not realise that the mental discomfort you feel is a craving for company. You’re more familiar with the craving for solitude, but you may have completely fulfilled that need in the past year! Get out and re-join the human race. I know from my personal experience that a day spent out of the house and among other people has lifted my mental energy significantly.

In just the same way that we can promote our own physical wellbeing, we can lift our mental wellbeing with good habits. What can you do today to feel good?