Mental Health for Community Owners: Mental Health May

With Mental Health May here, it's more important than ever to ensure that we're looking after ourselves first. Our mental health affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Building thriving communities helps foster mental health and well being for everyone, not just if you're a member. But that may not leave a lot of time for the leaders.  Being the leader of a community means to help out everyone and ensure that they think about positive ways to improve their mental health. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being.

Community Managers tend to put their community first before themselves. They'll do what's in the best interest of the community before themselves. Community Managers also help to look after the mental health of their community members by chatting and engaging with them in the communities. With people spending more time then ever in these virtual environments, issues are bound to cross from the physical to virtual world and vice versa.  

Here are some great self-care activities you can try out as a community manager.

• Find ways to learn and be creative. Learn a new skill or hobby, get outside and do something different. Changing our routines can really help us find something enjoyable in our days.
• Look after your physical health. Be sure to eat a healthy diet and get some activity in. We're very stationary people sometimes.
• Try to get enough sleep. Sleep affects a lot of our day to day function. It can be tricky as well with international communities where there are time zones. Be sure to set boundaries so your members know when you're accessible, and when you're not.
• Have a tech free day - go outside or read a book, just for a day. You'll feel a lot less hyped up and calm.

Your mental health affects the way one copes with the stress of life, creating relations with their community, and how they use their potential. So creating a routine may also help to provide a sense of security and take away some of the stress that you may encounter for the day.

Like the previous tips there are also activities that may help to track the ups and downs of both your physical health and your mental health. For example, journaling, creating getaways and breaks, rewarding yourself for the good days, listening to music, resting with a blanket or a furry friend, and so many more activities or exercises.

Like having a healthy diet, plenty of fruits and vegetables along with foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon. Dark green leafy vegetables in particular are brain protective. Nuts, seeds and legumes, such as beans and lentils, are also excellent brain foods. Along with exercises to reset and relax you at the beginning or the end of your busy day. Such as walking, yoga, high intensity interval training, running, resistance training, boxing and martial arts.

There are also a lot of different websites and outlets that you can go to when you need to. Such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration or Mental Health America. There are also some amazing tips on the Mental Health America website.

Best of luck!