Mental health: How to take care of your mental health this summer

Good mental and physical health should be number one on everyone’s list. Photo / 123rf

Meditation, going for walks, spending time with loved ones and taking on a new hobby are just some ways people can keep their mental health in check this holidays. After a year plagued by Covid-19 and the cost of living crisis, experts share their tips on how to de-stress and take care of ourselves mentally this summer.

The cost of living, finding somewhere affordable to live, the impacts of staff shortages and global warming have been some of the main causes of anxiety this year, Tauranga clinical psychologist Bronwyn Moth says.

She says we are now living in a world with "a heap of stresses" and as a recovery strategy, Moth says it is important to focus only on what we can control, despite invitations to focus on things we cannot.

One way of looking at it was through three concentric circles - in the middle were things within our control, the next circle out was things we can influence and the last outer circle was things outside of our control.

"We bang our head against the wall, but we won't make any difference because we can't."

Moth said our brains got caught in a "fight or flight" response when dealing with ongoing stress, which narrowed our focus.

"So that's when we get caught in just getting stuck on ruminating about the things we can't change."

Moth said being in nature, exercising, spending time with friends and family, and turning off electronic devices were other ways to recharge mentally this summer.

"Get into nature - even 20 minutes of nature will make a difference in your mental health. "Even if you're a gym jock, do some of your training outside ... being near water benefits our brain."

Other things include learning and growing.

"That could be a skill, it could be a hobby, it could be watching a YouTube video of a particular home improvement thing you want to do over summer. Our brains like to learn.

"Any time that we can hold our brain into the now - instead of worrying about the future and ruminating on the past, spending time in the now."

She also advised to "get off electronics".

"Have some periods in time where ... it's agreed as a family, turn your phone off, turn computers off, go outside because one of the things we're learning more and more is our brains can't actually cope with the amount of information we're processing all the time."

Asked what people had been most anxious about this year, Moth said global warming and the effects it would have on businesses, particularly farms and rural communities.

Other reasons were the cost of living and people struggling to find an affordable place to live.

"There's work pressure and one of the big ones ... in a lot of different companies is a shortage of staff and so existing staff being asked to cover more and so there's a ripple effect of the existing staff that are spread thinner are getting fatigued."

Moth said it was tricky as those who worked in teams wanted to help their colleagues by doing extra shifts.

"Unfortunately, though, it just means that more and more people are getting fatigued."

Wellness expert and co-leader of Mindful Moments Retreat at Polynesian Spa Rachel Grunwell. Photo / Maryana Garcia

Wellness expert and co-leader of Mindful Moments Retreat at Polynesian Spa Rachel Grunwell said meditating, even for just two minutes a day, was beneficial and could "really reset your stress nervous system".

"Meditation doesn't have to be cross-legged in India with no noise - you can meditate on a short walk.

"If you're stressed out during summer, it's quite overwhelming being around family or you need some moments, even if you lie down on your back and meditate watching the shifting of the clouds for a couple of minutes and just breathe slowly, then that can really help you unwind and feel a bit calmer as well."

Grunwell said there was nothing more "uplifting" than being in nature.

Experts say getting out in nature is a great way to help with mental health. Photo / Andrew Warner

"Going for a walk somewhere like the Rotorua Redwoods ... it actually really natures your mind, body and soul.

"You slow down, you pause, you look at those mighty beautiful trees and it calms your nervous system. You're in this kind of slowed down more mindful pace."

Born and raised in Rotorua, Grunwell said she understood the "power of the beauty in Rotorua".

"It really is paradise. And I think stopping, pausing, breathing and soaking up the beauty of the now is a skill to being happier and not a lot of people can do it so if you can learn it, it'll help."

She also recommended learning wellness techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing "which can calm your nervous system in just a matter of a few short breaths".

“Maybe it’s signing up for a retreat so you can really learn this big skillset of wellness de-stress techniques that you can utilise for the rest of your life.”