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If you give them a try, you may feel happier, more positive and able to get the most from life.

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Overview

Evidence suggests there are five steps we can all take to improve our mental wellbeing.

If you give them a try, you may feel happier, more positive and able to get the most from life.

Five steps to mental wellbeing

Below are five things that, according to research, can really help to boost our mental wellbeing:

connect - connect with the people around you: your family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. Spend time developing these relationships. Learn more in Connect for mental wellbeing

be active - you don't have to go to the gym. Take a walk, go cycling or play a game of football. Find an activity that you enjoy and make it a part of your life. Learn more in Get active for mental wellbeing

keep learning - learning new skills can give you a sense of achievement and a new confidence. So why not sign up for that cooking course, start learning to play a musical instrument, or figure out how to fix your bike? Find out more in Learn for mental wellbeing

give to others - even the smallest act can count, whether it's a smile, a thank you or a kind word. Larger acts, such as volunteering at your local community centre, can improve your mental wellbeing and help you build new social networks. Learn more in Give for mental wellbeing

be mindful - be more aware of the present moment, including your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you. Some people call this awareness "mindfulness". It can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges. Learn more in Mindfulness for mental wellbeing

Connect for mental wellbeing

When it comes to our wellbeing, other people matter.

Evidence shows that good relationships - with family, friends and our wider communities - are important for our mental wellbeing.

Mental wellbeing means feeling good - about ourselves and the world around us - and functioning well.

Building stronger, wider social connections can help us feel happier and more secure, and give us a greater sense of purpose.

How relationships help our wellbeing

Human beings are social animals. Relationships build a sense of belonging and self-worth.

Strong relationships with family and friends allow us to share our feelings and know that we are understood. They provide an opportunity to share positive experiences, and can give us emotional support.

They give us a chance to support others - something else that is known to promote mental wellbeing.

There's also evidence that wellbeing can be passed on through relationships. Being around people with strong mental wellbeing can improve your own mental wellbeing.

Build relationships for wellbeing

Building relationships for wellbeing means:

strengthening your relationships with people who are close to you, such as family and friends

broadening your relationships in your community and the wider world

There are lots of ways to build stronger and closer relationships:

if possible, take time each day to be with your family. This could include a fixed "family time" each day

arrange a day out with friends you haven't seen for a while

switch off the TV and play a game with the children, or just talk

make the effort to phone people sometimes - it's all too easy get into the habit of only ever texting, messaging or emailing people

speak to someone new today

have lunch with a colleague

visit a friend or family member who needs support or company

volunteer at a local school, hospital or community group

make the most of technology - video chat apps like Skype and FaceTime are a great way of staying in touch with friends and family, particularly if you live far apart

More steps to mental wellbeing

Connecting with others is one of five evidence-based steps you can take to improve your mental wellbeing.

Learn more about the other four steps:

Learning for mental wellbeing

Learning new skills can be useful, but research shows it can also improve our mental wellbeing.

It doesn't have to mean getting more qualifications. There are lots of different ways to bring learning into your life.

Many of us associate learning with childhood or our student days. As adults, it can seem as though we have less time or need to learn new things.

But evidence shows that continuing to learn throughout life can improve and maintain our mental wellbeing.

Mental wellbeing means feeling good - about yourself and the world around you - and being able to get on with life in the way you want.

Learning can boost self-confidence and self-esteem, help build a sense of purpose, and help us connect with others.

How learning can help your wellbeing

Research shows that learning throughout life is associated with greater satisfaction and optimism, and improved ability to get the most from life.

People who carry on learning after childhood report higher wellbeing and a greater ability to cope with stress. They also report more feelings of self-esteem, hope and purpose.

Setting targets and hitting them can create positive feelings of achievement.

Learning often involves interacting with other people. This can also increase our wellbeing by helping us build and strengthen social relationships.

Learn more about connecting for mental wellbeing.

How you can keep learning

If you want to make learning a bigger part of your life, it helps to think about learning in the broadest sense.

Classes and formal courses are great ways to learn new things, but there are lots of other ways too. You might:

learn to cook a favourite dish that you've never eaten at home

visit a gallery or museum and learn about a person or period in history that interests you

take on a new responsibility at work, such as learning to use an IT system or understanding the monthly reports

fix that broken bike or garden gate. Once you've done that, how about setting yourself a bigger DIY project? There are lots of free video tutorials online

sign up for a course you've been meaning to do at a local night school. You might learn a new language, or try something practical, such as plumbing

rediscover an old hobby that challenges you, whether it's making model aeroplanes, writing stories, sewing or knitting

More steps for wellbeing

Learn more about the other four steps for mental wellbeing:

Get active for mental wellbeing

Being active is great for your physical health and fitness, and evidence shows that it can also improve your mental wellbeing.

We think that the mind and body are separate. But what you do with your body can have a powerful effect on your mental wellbeing.

Mental wellbeing means feeling good - both about yourself and about the world around you. It means being able to get on with life in the way you want.

Evidence shows that there is a link between being physically active and good mental wellbeing.

Being active doesn't mean you need to spend hours in the gym, if that doesn't appeal to you. Find physical activities that you enjoy and think about how to fit more of them into your daily life.

How exercise helps your mental wellbeing

Scientists think that physical activity helps maintain and improve wellbeing in a number of ways.

Physical activity can help people with mild depression. Evidence shows that it can also help protect people against anxiety.

Physical activity is thought to cause chemical changes in the brain, which can help to positively change our mood.

Some scientists think that being active can improve wellbeing because it brings about a sense of greater self-esteem, self-control and the ability to rise to a challenge.

How you can get more active

If you want to get active, think about physical activity in the broadest sense.

It can help to read the physical activity guidelines for adults.

Adults aged 19 and over should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity - such as fast walking or cycling - a week.

Find activities that you enjoy, then make them a part of your life.

There's lots of information and advice on NHS Choices to help you get active.

More steps to mental wellbeing

Feel happier and enjoy life more with these five evidence-based steps for improving your mental wellbeing.

Or learn more about the other four steps for mental wellbeing here:

Mindfulness for mental wellbeing

It can be easy to rush through life without stopping to notice much.

Paying more attention to the present moment - to your own thoughts and feelings, and to the world around you - can improve your mental wellbeing.

Some people call this awareness "mindfulness". Mindfulness can help us enjoy life more and understand ourselves better. You can take steps to develop it in your own life.

What is mindfulness?

Professor Mark Williams, former director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, says that mindfulness means knowing directly what is going on inside and outside ourselves, moment by moment.

"It's easy to stop noticing the world around us. It's also easy to lose touch with the way our bodies are feeling and to end up living 'in our heads' - caught up in our thoughts without stopping to notice how those thoughts are driving our emotions and behaviour," he says.

"An important part of mindfulness is reconnecting with our bodies and the sensations they experience. This means waking up to the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the present moment. That might be something as simple as the feel of a banister as we walk upstairs.

"Another important part of mindfulness is an awareness of our thoughts and feelings as they happen moment to moment.

"It's about allowing ourselves to see the present moment clearly. When we do that, it can positively change the way we see ourselves and our lives."

How mindfulness helps mental wellbeing

Becoming more aware of the present moment can help us enjoy the world around us more and understand ourselves better.

When we become more aware of the present moment, we begin to experience afresh things that we have been taking for granted.

"Mindfulness also allows us to become more aware of the stream of thoughts and feelings that we experience," says Professor Williams, "and to see how we can become entangled in that stream in ways that are not helpful.

"This lets us stand back from our thoughts and start to see their patterns. Gradually, we can train ourselves to notice when our thoughts are taking over and realise that thoughts are simply 'mental events' that do not have to control us.

"Most of us have issues that we find hard to let go and mindfulness can help us deal with them more productively. We can ask: 'Is trying to solve this by brooding about it helpful, or am I just getting caught up in my thoughts?'

"Awareness of this kind also helps us notice signs of stress or anxiety earlier and helps us deal with them better."

Mindfulness is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as a way to prevent depression in people who have had three or more bouts of depression in the past.

The Mental Health Foundation has more information on mindfulness.

How to be more mindful

Reminding yourself to take notice of your thoughts, feelings, body sensations and the world around you is the first step to mindfulness.

Notice the everyday

"Even as we go about our daily lives, we can notice the sensations of things, the food we eat, the air moving past the body as we walk," says Professor Williams. "All this may sound very small, but it has huge power to interrupt the 'autopilot' mode we often engage day to day, and to give us new perspectives on life."

Keep it regular

It can be helpful to pick a regular time - the morning journey to work or a walk at lunchtime - during which you decide to be aware of the sensations created by the world around you.

Try something new

Trying new things, such as sitting in a different seat in meetings or going somewhere new for lunch, can also help you notice the world in a new way.

Watch your thoughts

"Some people find it very difficult to practice mindfulness. As soon as they stop what they're doing, lots of thoughts and worries crowd in," says Professor Williams.

"It might be useful to remember that mindfulness isn't about making these thoughts go away, but rather about seeing them as mental events.

"Imagine standing at a bus station and seeing 'thought buses' coming and going without having to get on them and be taken away. This can be very hard at first, but with gentle persistence it is possible.

"Some people find that it is easier to cope with an over-busy mind if they are doing gentle yoga or walking."

Name thoughts and feelings

To develop an awareness of thoughts and feelings, some people find it helpful to silently name them: "Here's the thought that I might fail that exam". Or, "This is anxiety".

Free yourself from the past and future

You can practise mindfulness anywhere, but it can be especially helpful to take a mindful approach if you realise that, for several minutes, you have been "trapped" in reliving past problems or "pre-living" future worries.

Different mindfulness practices

As well as practising mindfulness in daily life, it can be helpful to set aside time for a more formal mindfulness practice.

Mindfulness meditation involves sitting silently and paying attention to thoughts, sounds, the sensations of breathing or parts of the body, bringing your attention back whenever the mind starts to wander

Yoga and tai-chi can also help with developing awareness of your breathing.

Visit the Mental Health Foundation's website for an online mindfulness course or details of mindfulness teachers in your area.

Is mindfulness helpful for everyone?

"Mindfulness isn't the answer to everything, and it's important that our enthusiasm doesn't run ahead of the evidence," says Professor Williams.

"There's encouraging evidence for its use in health, education, prisons and workplaces, but it's important to realise that research is still going on in all of these fields. Once we have the results, we'll be able to see more clearly who mindfulness is most helpful for."

More tips for wellbeing

Learn about the other four steps for mental wellbeing here:

Give for mental wellbeing

Most people would agree that giving to others is a good thing. On top of this, it can also improve your mental wellbeing.

Small acts of kindness towards other people, or larger ones - such as volunteering in your local community - can give you a sense of purpose. It can make you feel happier and more satisfied with life.

Sometimes, we think of wellbeing in terms of what we have: our income, our home or car, or our job. But evidence shows that what we do and the way we think have the biggest impact on mental wellbeing.

Positive mental wellbeing means feeling good - about yourself and the world around you - and being able to get on with life in the way you want.

Helping and supporting other people, and working with others towards a shared goal, is good for our mental wellbeing.

How giving helps your mental wellbeing

Research suggests that acts of giving and kindness - small and large - are associated with positive mental wellbeing.

Giving to others and co-operating with them can stimulate the reward areas in the brain, creating positive feelings.

Helping and working with others can also give us a sense of purpose and feelings of self-worth.

Giving our time to others in a constructive way helps us strengthen our relationships and build new ones. Relationships with others also help mental wellbeing.

How you can give more

Giving can take lots of different forms, from small everyday acts to larger commitments.

Today, you could:

say thank you to someone, for something they've done for you

phone a relative or friend who needs support or company

ask a colleague how they are and really listen to the answer

offer to lend a hand if you see a stranger struggling with bags or a pushchair

This week, you could:

arrange a day out for you and a friend or relative

offer to help a relative with DIY or a colleague with a work project

sign up to a mentoring project, in which you give time and support to someone who will benefit from it

volunteer in your local community, such as helping out at a local school, hospital or care home. Find out how to volunteer.

More steps for wellbeing

Giving is one of five evidence-based steps we can all take to improve our mental wellbeing.

Learn more about the other four:

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​Steps you can take to help you feel happier and more positive.

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Enter the World of Savage X Fenty ’18 with Our Fave, Bella Hadid | Savage X Fenty

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An animation by Salvador Maldonado and Caterina Monzani in collaboration with the BDD Foundation.
Supported by the National & Specialist OCD, BDD and Related Disorders Service for Young People at the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust.  
Sponsored by the Ardonagh Community Trust.

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Home :: Grenfell Health and Wellbeing Service

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What is body image?

Body image is how we think and feel about ourselves physically, and how we believe others see us.

When we talk about body image, there are lots of ways we can think about our body and the way we look. You might find that there are times when you like your body, or parts of your body, and times when you struggle with how you look.

Instagram artwork by @allbodiesart. On top of a light green square it reads in capitals: 'My body is good', with a list in lower case describing how your body is good regardless of your doubts.

Body image is not just about our weight, it can also be things like:

comparing how you look with friends or people you follow on social media

struggling to love and accept your body

feeling as though your body shape is not represented in the media

hiding your body because you feel ashamed by it

struggling to find clothes for your body, particularly if you have a physical disability

feeling misunderstood about your body when people make assumptions about things like why you might need a wheelchair

feeling like you are not attractive enough

birthmarks, surgery scars or acne affecting how you feel about how you look

feeling as though your body does not match your gender. For information on this, have a look at our page on gender and mental health

Artwork credit: @jen.s. The artwork depicts text in red, yellow, green and blue which reads: 'we are all born beautiful'. The word 'beautiful' has lines around it to emphasise the word.

These thoughts about how we look are often influenced by things going on around us. It can be what we see every day on social media, what the characters we see on TV look like, or seeing adverts about 'improving how you look'. All of this can contribute to how we feel about our body.

Other influences might be:

the media promoting one type of body as 'fit and healthy' with little to no representation of different bodies

comments from friends or family about your body

social media promoting what should be the 'perfect body' image

clothes limited to fit certain body types

adverts, health campaigns or lessons at school on what is a ' healthy body'

If you feel that you are comparing your body with things you see every day, you are not alone. Lots of us are influenced by the things around us, which can impact our mental health.

The world is full of a spectrum of shapes and sizes. And we should all be represented in the media because unless we see this, it's almost like it doesn't exist.

Jada Sezer, YoungMinds ambassador

How can body image affect my mental health?

Text on a yellow background with the words 'struggle' and 'body image' highlighted in blue, the whole text reads: 'Men struggle with body image too'.

If you are having these thoughts and feelings about how you look, you might be struggling with your body image. You may find everyday tasks like eating, getting dressed or going out with friends becoming more difficult.

This can be at any point in your life or continuously throughout your life, but it is common to have these thoughts when you are going through puberty. During puberty, your body releases hormones which makes you more aware of how you look, and more aware of other people's bodies. These changes happen to everyone, and can sometimes make you feel out of control or anxious.

It can lead to feelings of:

Body dysmorphic disorder is when you constantly worry about flaws in your appearance, focus on specific areas of your body and compare yourself a lot to others.

Sometimes when you're struggling with your body image, you might change your eating habits as this can make you feel like you are in more control of how you look. This can be things like changing what you eat, how much and how often you are eating. If you are finding that your eating habits or relationship with food is taking over your life, you might be struggling with an eating problem.

We all worry about how we look at times during our lives and that's completely normal. If you are experiencing any of the above, know that there are people who can help you get through this. Things can get better.

Show/hide caption

Instagram artwork by @teabag.cartoon. There are cartoon people of all different shapes, sizes and colours holding hands and standing next to each other. Text above them reads, 'we need to learn to respect every body.'

It is completely normal to feel insecure about your body, and the majority of us will experience this at some point in our lives.

What to do if you're worried about how you look

It's important to remember that there isn't a single type of beauty - everyone sees it differently. And there simply isn't a right or a wrong way to look. But if you're struggling, here are some things you can do:

If you feel unable to cope, or particularly worried about one part of your body, talk to your GP about how you're feeling. They can listen, tell you about local services and support groups, or they may suggest specific treatment for the way you're feeling.

Growing up, I was bullied a lot. I always stood out from the crowd and I hated that element about myself because I thought that if no one could accept and love me for who I am, then I couldn't either.

I hated the way I looked. I hated everything about myself, and because of this, I know exactly what it's like to hate the body you were born in. And this was the darkest time of my life.

Body positivity

Body positivity is a movement to accept all bodies no matter what type, shape or size. It promotes seeing different bodies on things like social media to encourage us to accept our body and the way we look. If you are struggling with your body image, body positivity can help you feel better about yourself. By thinking positively about how you look, you can feel more comfortable and confident.

Changing the way we think about our body and how we look can take time. It can feel difficult on some days more than others. That's okay. Accepting your body is a process. Our Activists share how a positive body image can help you feel better about yourself:

How you can support a friend struggling with body image

A hand-drawn person in a blue top and blue trousers stands in front of a mirror smiling. To the right of the person there are four speech bubbles. They read: 'thank you eyes for helping me see, thank you lips for helping me talk, thank you hips for helping me move, thank you legs for helping me walk.'

If you have a friend or family member who is struggling with their body image, here are some ways that your support can help.

Talk to them and encourage them to focus on what they like about themselves and what they can do - not just how they look. Help them to see all their good points and the things you like about them - these can be simple things, like being a good sport, a caring friend or making people laugh.

If you're finding it difficult to know what to say, writing their good points as a list together can be another way to help them. They can keep the list for the days they are struggling as a reminder of all the good things they like about themselves.

Sit with your friend in front of a mirror. Together, thank your body for all the positive things it does. You and your friend might find this strange at first, but by doing this together, you can encourage your friend and show them how to see positives in their body. It can help them to learn to love themselves.

Support your friend to have a positive online space. If you know that your friend is struggling, you could send them a message to let them know they matter and remind your friend how brilliant they are.

If you think they're feeling overwhelmed, encourage them to see their GP for professional help.

Real stories from young people

Your body is enough, and you are enough, always.

You might also find this helpful

More tips and advice on what to do if you're struggling with your body image.

Get help now

If you're struggling with how you feel about the way you look, you're not alone. Here are some services that can really help.

Whether you love the page or think something is missing, we appreciate your feedback. It all helps us to support more young people with their mental health.

Please be aware that this form isn't a mental health support service. If you are in crisis right now and want to talk to someone urgently, find out who to contact on our urgent help page.

At YoungMinds we take your privacy seriously. If you'd like to read more about how we keep the information we collect safe, take a look at our privacy policy.

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Sometimes, we worry about how we look or what our friends think about our body. If you're struggling with body image, here's some advice that can help you.

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More young people are worried about how they look now than in previous years. Why is this? Is it as simple as blaming social media or is there more to it? A group of young people share their thoughts on society's pressures to look a certain way.

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There are some actions we can take to improve how we feel about our bodies and help us to protect, promote and maintain a positive body image throughout our lives.

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