World Mental Health Day is marked every year on October 10 to raise awareness about mental health and to mobilise action to support people experiencing mental health issues.
In Australia, October is Mental Health Month – when the spotlight is on all of us to rekindle our efforts to protect and improve mental health.
At Jobfind, our team of psychologists and allied health staff at Healthfind support job seekers every day with mental health and life skills support. Psychologist, Fay Anixiadis, often shares the Healthy Mind Platter with her clients. Developed by David Rock and Dr Dan Siegel, the Healthy Mind Platter includes seven daily mental activities to promote optimum mental health.
Fay says: “Even a small wellbeing activity every day helps to establish healthy habits that improve your mental health over time.”
7 mental nutrients
The Healthy Mind Platter suggests seven daily activities to optimise your mental health.
Just like food nutrients, keeping up your daily intake of mental nutrients is said to help you function at your best.
Healthy Mind Platter by David Rock and Dr Dan Siegel
Focus Time: Set a goal and focus on the tasks that will help you achieve the challenge you have set yourself.
Play Time: Invite yourself to be spontaneous, creative, playful and try something new.
Connecting Time: Connect with other people and the natural world. Appreciation of our connections activates the brain’s relational circuitry.
Physical Time: Get moving! Aerobic movement (when you get puffed) also exercises your brain.
Time In: Find quiet time to reflect internally by focussing on sensations, images, feelings and thoughts. You might practice this as a meditation.
Down Time: The opposite of focus time, allow your mind to wander, daydream or simply relax.
Sleep Time: A good uninterrupted sleep gives the brain time to rest, recover and recharge.
Here are some mental health activities we love to do. Perhaps they might help you, too?
Some wellbeing tips from Healthfind
Healthfind is confidential allied health and life skills service for employment services participants. Ask your employment consultant for a referral to Healthfind or contact us on 1800 113 233.
