6 ways to unwind during Mental Health Awareness Week

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, the Kickstart Journalist team at Voice have come up with a few ways that you can unwind and relax. Why not let us know what helps you destress as well?

6 ways to unwind during Mental Health Awareness Week

1. Order a takeaway

Instead of potentially stressing yourself out deciding on what to cook tonight, why not order a takeaway? While the process of choosing where to order from can be a time consuming one, it’s definitely worth the wait when your choice of food arrives at the door! With several options like Uber Eats, Just Eat, Deliveroo or Foodhub, you’ll be sure to find something tasty to unwind and tuck into!

2. Settle down to watch a film

After a long day, sometimes the best thing to do to help you relax is to watch a film. Whether you like watching a laugh a minute comedy, tense thrillers or action-packed summer blockbusters, or maybe an edge of your seat horror film or an intense drama, there’s always something you can watch to destress. Streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or Disney+ have massive catalogues of titles that can suit whatever kind of movie you feel like watching. With the planned reopening of cinemas from 17 May 2021 to come as well, why not lose yourself in a film?

3. Dedicate some time for skincare

Not only is skincare a great way to unwind and spend time with yourself, it also goes a long way towards keeping your skin protected, hydrated and healthy. You can build a skincare routine specific to your needs and whether you have 20 steps or just stick to a simple cleansing and moisturising routine, it carves out some time to check in with yourself everyday. 

4. Reading a book

A classic form of escapism, reading books can take you away from your everyday troubles and transport you to faraway places with endless possibilities. There is a book out there to meet everyone’s interests. Whatever space you feel comfiest in, whether that’s your bed, sitting in the garden or curled up on the sofa, a book and a cup of tea will dissolve any and all worries. 

5. Listen to music

Another way to destress and unwind is listening to music, whether that be a calming playlist like ‘Connecting to you’ by Voice or your favourite album or song of the moment, it's the perfect way to ease your mind. 

Music can have a profound effect on both the emotions and the body making it very effective for relaxation. As you listen to this music it absorbs your attention distracting you and almost becomes a form of medication as stated by Researchers at Stanford University who said that "listening to music seems to be able to change brain functioning to the same extent as medication." 

6. Get into nature

This year's national mental health campaign, created by the Mental Health Foundation is all about using nature to help promote better mental health. Choosing to go outside, experience nature and make memories is a great way to provide an escape – especially if you are under mental strain. 

The campaign suggests seven tips for connecting with nature, which includes find nature wherever you are, connecting with nature by getting out, and combining nature with creativity.


How do you like to check in on your mental health and destress? Let us know in the comments or on social media @voicemaguk 

This article was written by Ali Muzaffar, De-mornae Clarke and Claire Jenns.

Author

Voice Collaborations

Voice Collaborations Contributor

This account exists to showcase the collaborative work our Voice content creators produce. Individual authors are listed in the specific articles.

We need your help supporting young creatives

Donate Now Other ways you can help

Recent posts by this author

View more posts by Voice Collaborations

0 Comments

Post A Comment

You must be signed in to post a comment. Click here to sign in now

You might also like

‘Is There Anybody Out There?’

‘Is There Anybody Out There?’

by Hannah Parker

Read now