Nurture
SHANNARI – healthy, nurtured
To nurture ourselves we should try and make healthy choices for both our body and mind. We should try to eat well, sleep well, be active and cut out things that are bad for us. Try to make time to relax, have fun and spend time with people you love. Small changes can make a big difference in the way that we feel.
Food and mood
Improving what we eat may help to improve our mood, increase our energy levels and help us to think more clearly. What we drink can also have an impact on our mental health, if you don’t drink enough fluid then you may find it difficult to concentrate or think clearly. To nurture your body you could try to:
- Eat three meals a day with healthy snacks in between
- Reduce takeaways and food waste
- Drink 6-8 glasses of fluid a day, water is a cheap, healthy option
- Cut down on the amount of caffeine that you are drinking
More information on healthy eating.
A good night’s sleep
There’s a close relationship between sleep and mental health. If you have sleep problems you might be more likely to feel anxious, depressed or suicidal, struggle to concentrate or make plans and decisions, and have problems with everyday life. Where and when you sleep, stress and medication can also impact whether you are getting the right amount of sleep. Limiting your screen time before bed, establishing a daily routine and finding ways to relax before you try to sleep can improve the quality of your sleep. More tips on improving your sleep routine are available.
Alcohol and drugs
Young people’s bodies and brains are more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol and drugs because they are still growing and developing. Adolescence is a time of significant emotional and biological change so alcohol use at that time may have critical impact on mental well-being and people who drink a lot have been found to be more likely to have depression and experience anxiety. In the short term alcohol and drugs can lead you into risky situations which can impact on your wellbeing.
Thinking about today use the emoji flags to mark how you are doing for ‘Nurture’.
Don’t worry if you don’t manage to do something for all of the ‘six ways to be well’ each day. There’s some ideas below that might help you to improve in this area.
If you are struggling with some areas every day or for a number of weeks it’s a good idea to talk to a Trusted Adult. You can discuss with them ideas about what you could do and if they can support you.
- 😃 Great – I’m doing well at this
- 🙂 Okay – I’m working on this but I’d like to do this more regularly or improve
- 😧 Not Good – I want to do this but I don’t know where to start
- 😐 Awful – I’m struggling with this and need some support
Young Scot Rewards
- Earn 150 Young Scot Young Scot Reward Points by Reading the Young People’s Guide to Health and Wellbeing.
Find out more about the 6 Ways to Be Well.
Find loads more useful wellbeing content on the Borders Wellbeing page.