And the good news is there are things we can all do to promote our mental wellbeing and create a stronger more resilient community. The Mentally Healthy WA team at Curtin University run the Act-Belong-Commit campaign. They tell us:
Being active, having a sense of belonging and having a purpose in life all contribute to happiness and good mental health.
The Act-Belong-Commit guidelines for positive mental health provide a simple approach you can adopt to become more mentally healthy:
ACT
- “Do Something” Keep active – physically, socially, mentally and spiritually.
- go for a walk or a run
- read a book
- talk to someone
- meditate or pray
- Learn more
BELONG
- “Do Something with Someone” Keep connected – to friends, family and your community.
- join a book club
- take a cooking class
- go to community events
- join a sports team
- Learn more
COMMIT
- “Do Something Meaningful” Do something meaningful, important and valuable to you.
- volunteer
- learn something new
- take on a challenge
- teach others
- Learn more