Blog: Look After Your Mental Health

This is Mental Health Awareness week and a good time to look at ways in which we can all protect our mental health.

Even those of us who are lucky enough to enjoy robust mental health can find ourselves languishing when faced with the inevitable stresses and challenges of life. Psychologist Adam Grant describes languishing as “feeling like you're muddling through your days, looking at your life through a foggy windshield.”

For many the feeling of languishing was their mood music through the pandemic. For some it still is. But we don’t have to accept it as inevitable.  More, we shouldn’t ignore it, as languishing is a risk factor for developing depression in future.

There are tried and tested ways to reverse languishing. We’ve previously shared five ways to wellbeing on this blog; be social, move more, notice what’s going around and inside you in the moment, keep learning, and help others.  There’s no single one-off solution; your wellbeing is like a leaky tyre that needs continual topping-up.

The Age Scotland helpline (0800 12 44 222) can help you connect with wellbeing boosting social and activity groups locally and arrange friendship calls if you need someone to chat to.

The helpline team can also assist with some of life’s biggest stressors, providing information and advice on topics including household finances, housing, and accessing care and health services.

Age Scotland also offers a number of advice guides including two dedicating to mental health, a guide for older people generally, and one for carers.   You can read the guides online here or order free copies from our online order form.