• Get outdoors as much as possible.

It's our main point throughout this website. Nature has a calming effect on us as proven scientifically​ leading to improved Mental Health. Even a trip to your local park can help where trees blow gently in the wind absorbing carbon dioxide improving air quality and birds of all descriptions provide a fun time as you watch their antics. See how many different types of wildlife and fauna you can spot. 

           

• Try regulating your breathing

When we get anxious we start to panic and  our breathing becomes quick and shallow. This leads to a lack of oxygen in the blood stream and you may experience a pins and needles feeling in your fingers and toes whilst struggling to breathe. This is commonly known as a Panic Attack and a severe bout can make you feel like your life is about to end. Regulating your breathing is very hard when you're in this state but you have to try to slow it down and take deeper breaths. Try sitting comfortably with a straight back. Inhale deeply through the nose breathing right down to your diaphragm and not using just your lungs. Breathe out slowly through the mouth until all oxygen has been expelled. Repeat this process until you begin to feel calmer with each inhale/exhale lasting for a count of about five. .

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• Meditation

There are many CD's available along with Youtube videos which provide calming meditative soundtracks along with some spoken guided meditations as well.​ This is a proven method of relaxation developed for Western minds from Eastern mysticism. The common misconception about meditation is that you have to fully empty your mind for it to work. This is not the case as to do so is impossible but the trick is to focus on one thing at a time. The following is a simple ten minute method you could try at the end of a stressful day and over time you could build it into a longer session.

1. Sit comfortably with a straight back, feet flat on the ground (do not cross your legs) and hands placed on your upper legs (Whether face up or face down I feel doesn't really matter - just do whatever is comfortable for you)

2. Close your eyes and begin to regulate your breathing as shown in the tip above until your muscles feel relaxed - a good tip is to imagine the stress dropping out of each part of your body bit by bit. Relax each muscle from the head down to your legs until you feel loose. Another idea to try is when you are breathing in envisage that you are breathing in white light and when exhaling envisage that you are breathing out darkness.

3. You can do this with or without music but if you are using a soundtrack in the background then it should already be playing before you start step one.

4. Once you feel looser in the body try and focus on one thing. Envisage in your minds eye an object such as a bird, for example, and try not to let go of it. Your breathing should be regulating itself now and all you need to do is envisage yourself in a relaxed state.

5. When you feel like a certain amount of time has passed, say ten minutes or so, then open your eyes and gradually get used to being back in the present moment.

You may be surprised to find that instead of the ten minutes that you thought had passed you may have relaxed for half an hour or more. Don't expect to be completely focused on your first try. Your mind may jump around a lot for the first few goes until you get more practised on the concept. Again everybody is different and will learn the techniques at different paces - this is completely natural and nothing to worry about.

In the products section of this site we will try and promote some Meditation CD's and online go to's that we feel are beneficial to the cause. I (Dai) will also hope to publish my own guided meditations here for your use in the future.

 

• Accept who you are.

This is very important as not accepting who you are can lead to negative Mental Health issues. Sadly we live in a world where image is deemed of great importance to the extent that certain people seem to get a kick out of telling others how fat, thin, ugly, stupid or dull they think someone else is. The result can be that we begin to believe what is being said about us and in extreme cases has sadly led to suicide. We are all different and quite rightly so. We all have a role to play in society so it really shouldn't matter if we can't do what our neighbour can as we can almost certainly do something they can't. Does it really matter what you look like? Don't listen to what anyone negatively says about your looks - you are you, you are what you are and you must start to Love yourself. If anybody passes a negative comment about your looks it really says more about them than you. Rock your look and be confident in it. Don't socialize with people who criticize you all the time, there are those who love your look and will tell you so. Surround yourself with positive people and do whatever you want to do (as long as it's legal of course). Positivity breeds positivity - Love yourself and others will Love you too - You are enough - You matter and have a purpose on this Earth   ​  

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• Talk

Not​ easy to do, granted, but a must if you would like to improve your Mental Health. There is a lot of stigma surrounding the topic of Mental Health and stereotypes are made inadvertantly. By talking about the issues many thousands of people around the World experience and live with day in and day out brings a degree of understanding to the subject. It has been brushed under the carpet for too long now and we must work together to bring understanding and compassion to the issues faced. We appreciate that trust is a big thing here and it can be hard to know who in your circle of family & friends can be trusted to listen and be compqassionate. This is where helplines can be vital and we at Positive Nature are good listeners too so don't be afraid to contact us if you really feel there is no one else. Please remember though that we can not get too deeply involved in your situation and we must remain professional at all times by giving you the best advice we can based on our own experiences. Once we start to talk about Mental Health the more people will begin to understand. Some people naturally have positive Mental Health and it can be hard for them to understand people with negative Mental Health. It is fantastic that these people can be positive at all times and it is a state of mind we all aim for but for those who naturally have negative Mental Health it is nothing to be ashamed of & should be embraced. Start a conversation today and see where it can lead you.

           

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