It’s Mental Health Awareness Week. What better time to introduce a few super-easy things that we can do to look after ourselves?

In just five days, you can give your mental health the TLC it deserves with these five simple steps.

 1. Take notice.

Take the time to appreciate the small things around you, like the awesome feeling of walking out the school gates into holiday time!

 2. Give.

Give something to someone else—whether it’s a compliment, a helping hand, or a warm smile, giving can brighten your day and theirs.

 3. Be active.

Get your body moving. You don’t have to run a marathon. Walk the dog, shoot a few hoops, do a TikTok dance. Anything.

4. Connect.

TALK to someone, ideally not virtually. How’s Nana? Don’t know? Give her a call!

5. Keep learning.

Get the neurons firing in your brain by learning something new. Try a new recipe, teach yourself to say something funny in another language, or talk to someone you haven’t interacted with before and find out their name and something about them.

In less than a week, you’ll find your mental health in better shape and have tools to make every day a little brighter.

For more information, see https://mhaw.nz/