S is for Sleep

An old joke, often seen reproduced on items like fridge magnets, has a woman saying, 'sometimes I wake up grumpy, other days I let him sleep!' If I am very tired I wake up grumpy. I also find tiredness produces symptoms that impact profoundly on my mental health. Simply put, tiredness exacerbates my symptoms; specifically, in my case, my anxieties are hugely magnified by fatigue.

Adequate sleep is essential for everyone at the best of times. I suggest that for the mental health patient and those recovering from mental illness, sleep is not simply essential it is elemental.

I can only share my experiences by way of offering advice to those who share this journey. I avoid looking at a computer screen after about 6 in the evening. I often have a bath before bed and as I enjoy a soak I burn incense and listen to my radio. This, I suggest, serves to illustrate that all of the senses are in need of soothing to aid relaxation in order to facilitate the relaxation necessary to aid sleep. Hot chocolate is also a good unwind - it feels like an indulgent treat at bed time and if taken regularly, in my experience, the body becomes trained to see the drink as a precursor to sleep, a subliminal message if you like.

I also sleep with the window open, I love the fresh air and it has the added advantage that in the early morning you hear the birds sing. The birds have sung the dawn chorus for centuries, a timely reminder that however anxious we may become, most things over time are resolvable in a much more positive manner than our dark thoughts urge us otherwise to believe. There really is nothing much new under the sun, a comforting realisation in itself but one which is much more likely to spring into our minds if we have slept well and avoid tiredness.

E is for Exercise!

Anybody reading this will not need me to tell them that exercise is such an important thing for the human body. Fitter, leaner, stronger - it's all good! But the impact is not just physiological, regular fitness also has a huge impact mentally. The 'feel good' chemicals which the body produces during exercise lift the mood, make one feel more positive and serve also a a relaxant. The side effects are almost all positive as well - feeling a great sense of achievement, losing a bit of weight, sleeping better to name but three.

If there is one caveat it would simply be that the mental health patient needs to avoid replacing one obsession with another. In other words, don't become so obsessed with a fitness regime that it interferes with normal day to day task completion. Further, when training isn't possible through injury, illness or the desire just to 'chill out', push away the feelings of failure.

A training diary, in my opinion, is not particularly helpful as it can encourage excessive and unreasonable task setting. Recording high points is, however, a very good idea. I usually run four miles each day (or equivalent fitness training) with the exception of the weekends - my old bones need some time to recover! I don't write my timings down everyday, just now and again. When I have a 'slower' day I look back over the timings and remind myself I can, and have, run faster and will easily do so again.

Working hard to improve levels of fitness helps the mind as much as the body. Nevertheless, it's still ok to be a tortoise. You don't need to run like a hare to achieve a positive impact on mind and body!