Mental Health is as important as physical health; just as you can participate in physical activity to improve your physical fitness, there are a number of ways that you can improve your mental health and stay mentally healthy. 

Take it easy - Take time out to relax and do the things you enjoy doing. Have a stroll through the park or a massage, listen to some music or go dancing - do whatever helps you to relax.

Accept age - Denying the ageing process and the related changes that occur will inhibit the enjoyment you get from life. Embrace age, have a positive attitude and take steps towards overcoming and working with changes. This may include getting glasses, using hearing aids or a walking stick.

Be healthy - Balancing physical activity, eating a healthy diet and getting enough rest can help to improve and maintain your mental health. Try to achieve your 30 minutes of physical activity, at least five portions of fruit or vegetables a day and about eight hours of good sleep a night.

Avoid alcohol and other drugs - Alcohol and other drugs may help you forget your problems in the short term, but won’t be doing you any favours in the long term. This includes caffeine (such as in coffee or energy drinks) and medications, both prescription and over the counter medications. All prescription drugs should be taken as prescribed by your health professional.

Prepare - Preparing for retirement will reduce any sense of loss from stopping work and help you to enjoy this valuable opportunity more. Consider your financial situation - ensure that you will be financially secure (you may like to look at part-time work), consider how to use your time - balancing time between family, friends, local clubs, voluntary work and leisure will be important.

Learn new skills and be creative - Expressing your feelings in creative ways can help to improve and maintain positive mental health. Consider cooking or art classes, writing a journal or short stories; learning to play an instrument or starting a garden.

Join in - By joining a local club, whether it is a recreation club, a seniors group or a computer club, you’ll be getting out and meeting new people.

Stay in touch - Make sure you stay in touch with family and friends; it’s easy to lose contact.

Talk to someone - If you are having some concerns over your mental health, then the best thing to do is to talk to someone about them. Everyone has these problems - you don’t have to deal with these issues alone. Find someone you feel comfortable with, it might be a friend; a family member or a neighbour and have a chat.

For further information visit www.livinglifetothefull.co.uk