Build a ‘tool kit’ of different skills

Mental health is not just about ‘mental health’. In fact, remaining psychologically healthy and happy requires us to look after our physical body as well as the mind. When it comes to managing stress, this is especially so. As you will learn in the stress and resilience sections of this Hub; stress is a reaction to our environment (internal and external), which causes changes in stress hormones, which in turn creates changes in the body and brain. The result of all this change? – Our thinking, emotions and behaviours also change, a type of ‘automatic pilot’ kicks in that can take some time for us to notice!

The reason there is much talk about activities such as ‘mindfulness’ or ‘yoga’ etc., is that they can reverse the changes in the body and brain by changing how ‘on-alert’ our nervous system is, which then lowers the level of stress hormones in our body. In this skills area we give you an introduction to different types of activities that help lower the stress response in your system. Try out different activities and see what suits you. As you learn in the resilience section of this hub – one size does not fit all, and one activity will not suit every occasion; for that reason, it is better to give yourself a selection of activities you are skilled at – so you have something that works for different circumstances.

Click on the different skills in this section for some bite-sized education and exercises to use to try it out and get you started!