“It’s all inside your head!”. What a peculiar thing to say. Of course we know what is usually implied by this statement. However, taking time to consider what’s all going on in our heads is very valuable for several reasons. Taking the time to reflect on our inner workings of thoughts and emotions is important for our mental health. It can be a preventative strategy and flag possible problematic thinking patterns or unhelpful coping mechanisms that can lead to potentially bigger problems later on.
Considering what’s going on in our head is also valuable to cultivate our wellbeing and resilience. As we cultivate our wellbeing and happiness, we are more likely to live longer, have healthier bodies, stronger relationships, and we are even more innovative and creative. Improving wellbeing can also lead to healthier communities.
I am a postgraduate psychology student hoping to become a clinical psychologist one day. I am currently learning how we can best support people who experience mental distress. However, I find it equally important to look at how we can prevent mental distress. How can we increase our protective factors, our wellbeing and our resilience to cope with times of hardship? Research shows that there are many effective ways to increase our wellbeing, but also many misconceptions. In this blog, I will take a look at the latest research and evidence-based ways to improve our wellbeing and mental health in order to foster resilience together and create healthier communities.
