In October - Stress less!

Mental Health Month is part of a national mental health promotion campaign held in October each year and is funded by NSW Health. Its main aim is to promote social and emotional wellbeing to the public by encouraging people to maximise their health and increasing mental health literacy.

The theme for 2011's Mental Health Month is “Wellbeing: Invest in Your Life”. This year participants are encouraged to take a holistic view of health and wellbeing. A person’s overall wellbeing can encompass not just their mental health, but also their physical health, social health, spiritual health and community health. These different domains of our lives can all work to support the creation and living out happy, engaged and meaningful lives even in the presence of illness. The Mental Health Month campaign includes a number of resources with strategies people and communities can take up to support and enhance their wellbeing.

Tips to stress less:

• Look for opportunities in life's challengers
• Go for a walk with a friend
• Focus more on things you can control
• Ask for help
• Go to bed earlier
• Give someone a compliment
• Get involved with a cause you believe in
• Take a dance class
• Breathe!

Visit your local library to check out the various items dedicated to health, wellbeing and stress relief. We have plenty of audiobooks and CDs on meditation and relaxation, recipe books to help with physical wellbeing, books on stress and time management and even some fiction on the topic!

Photo courtesy of New Lambton Library.