Healthy mind

Every Mind Matters is a new campaign encouraging everyone to feel more confident about taking care of their mental health.

There are some simple steps you can take to look after your mental health.

Some simple activities that have been linked to improved feelings of wellbeing are:

• being active
• getting outdoors
• living healthily
• sleeping enough.

There are plenty of local activities and groups you can join in Medway to help improve your day-to-day wellbeing.

Steps to improve your mental health

Getting active

You can get active by:

• joining a local lifestyle group such as a walking group, nordic walk or cycling groups
• signing up to a class or membership at one of our sports centres.

Staying connected

You can stay connected by:

• meeting new people or trying a new activity in your community
• helping Medway's health and wellbeing by volunteering with us
• making a difference to our parks by becoming a parks volunteer
• volunteering at a Medway library
• joining a book club at a local library
• becoming a Medway sporting ambassador to help deliver school, community and international sporting events.

Living more healthily

You can live more healthily by:

• improving your diet and activity levels by joining a healthy living programme
• quitting smoking with the help of our stop-smoking services
• cutting down on your drinking which affects your sleep
• getting help to manage your drinking if you think you’re drinking too much
• getting help from our services if you misuse drugs.

Getting more sleep

You can increase your sleep by:

• using tips from the National Sleep Council on how to get a good night's sleep
• avoiding alcohol close to bedtime
• cutting down on caffeine
• eating a balanced diet
• keeping active
• getting fresh air
• checking your mattress. An uncomfortable mattress can cause poor sleep.

Reframing unhealthy thoughts

You can reframe unhealthy thoughts by:

• using our specialist Reading Well book collection which are NHS approved and can help you understand and manage your mental health and wellbeing
• coming along to a health and wellbeing course such as yoga, tai chi, meditation or mindfulness courses from our modern wellbeing studio in the Rochester Centre.

Taking time for yourself

You can make time for yourself by:

• signing up to an adult education course. Search for 'Every Mind Matters' to discover which courses are being offered free as part of this campaign. Our courses are a great way to improve your career prospects, make new friends or enjoy a new hobby
• finding local events and theatre shows
• getting out in the fresh air by exploring Medway's parks including 1,900 hectares of open spaces and 148 urban parks.

Find more ways to make connections in Medway.