It’s been an incredibly stressful year, and it’s made an impact on everyone’s mental health. Under the circumstances, it’s understandable and completely normal to not feel like yourself at the moment.
With this in mind, here are some things you can do to help yourself feel happier.

Look at who you’re following on social media

Social media is part of everyday life – but does it make you happy? It’s a great way of staying connected, staying entertained, and keeping memories, but it can also be really harmful to your mental health.

Comparison, insecurity, and low self esteem can bubble up from constantly looking at photos of others lives – especially when so many images are edited or enhanced. Social media is designed in this way – and these feelings are completely normal. You’re not alone if you feel like this.

So what can you do?

Follow accounts that make you feel good.

Whether it’s relatives, friends, role models, or people that promote a healthy relationship with yourself and others, what you see day to day impacts your mood and perspective hugely.

Don’t know where to start? We have a blog with our top 10 best instagram accounts to follow for a more uplifting and positive feed.

Surround yourself with people you trust and love

It’s true when they say that our personalities and mindsets are heavily influenced by the people we are close to. Being surrounded by supportive, uplifting and trustworthy people is a brilliant way to look out for your own wellbeing – when things go wrong, you’ll have people there to help you through it.

Equally, being close to people who are manipulative, toxic, or disloyal is really harmful to your mental health. These relationships can reduce your own self worth, and hinder your mindset towards life and yourself.

Keeping connected with supportive friends and family is so important, so try to keep communicating with them – good people make you feel good.

Make time for the things you love

When do you feel happiest? Is it when you hear particular music, do a sport or activity, or an experience? Whatever it is, make time for it. Hobbies are brilliant for your wellbeing, and keep you connected with the things you enjoy.

A lot of these activities help you connect with your environment, people around you, or a practice that makes you happy – all of which are brilliant for your mental health.

It’s so important to have a balance in life, between school and things you enjoy – it helps your concentration, energy levels, and your overall happiness.

Try out some of our recommended grounding techniques

Simple exercises that focus on your breathing, distracting or focusing your attention on something else can work wonders for your stress or anxiety levels.

These include fingertip pressing, the five method, square breathing, colouring and colour spotting. Each of these works to help you focus on something other than your anxiety, slow your heart rate, and help you reach a calmer mindset.

Interested?

We have a worksheet that walks you through our recommended exercises for reducing your stress, which you can download here.