World Mental Health Day

Tuesday 10th October is World Mental Health Day, and at Ragdale, we recognise that our mental and emotional wellbeing is just as important as our physical health️. Today’s world can sometimes leave us feeling rushed, overwhelmed and even disconnected, but these feelings can often be offset by a walk in nature, meditation, movement, eating wholesome foods, getting enough sunlight, and spending time with loved ones.

We’ve all been there. It’s a Monday, it’s rained all day, work has been busier than usual and to top it off, you’ve got home to find stacks of washing up. To make ourselves feel better, we can catch ourselves scrolling endlessly through our social media timelines, or even reaching for a glass of wine.

However, it’s important to find balance. Dopamine is the motivation and reward neurotransmitter, which is responsible for progress, exploration, achievement, exercise, learning, and is activated through social media likes, exciting images, success, tasks, tv, coffee, unhealthy food, alcohol, gaming and purchasing. However, we can start to become dependent on Dopamine, and it can sometimes leave us feeling worse than before.

If you’ve had a stressful day at work, instead of reaching for quick fixes you could try venturing outdoors for a walk in the fresh air, meditating or practicing micro-mindfulness, cooking a healthy, wholesome meal, or even putting on your favourite playlist and having a dance around your living room! These may seem like simple things, but they’re effective at increasing our levels of Serotonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for mood and digestion. Make sure to get an early night too, as sleep can impact our levels of serotonin. It can sometimes feel overwhelming to eat well, exercise, meditate, and do all of the other things which can positively affect mental wellbeing- but even if you do one of those things a day, you might start to see a big difference.

Laughter really is the best medicine – so after a busy day, set aside some time to have a quick call or catch up with friends or loved ones. This will help to activate Oxytocin, the connection and love neurotransmitter. It’s responsible for bonding, empathy, trust, and regulating our stress response and immune function. Massage is also another way to activate this, so if you can’t make it to Ragdale just yet, ask your partner to rub your shoulders for you (even if just for a few minutes!)