Self-help program

Any kind of activity increases the feeling of control over your life and promotes your well-being. The activities don’t have to be anything major. Basic everyday tasks, such as cooking, physical activity, cleaning and taking care of yourself are all functional.

• Performing basic tasks adds rhythm to your everyday life and produces pleasure without even noticing it.
• Participating in work and student communities and social relationships adds to your life.
• Physical activities and other hobbies also provide pleasure.

It’s a good idea to keep activity in balance with your own resources and abilities. Do you feel like your everyday life contains enough enjoyable activity? If you answered “no”, what kind of activity would you like to add to your life to make it more enjoyable?

Nurture your social relationships. The presence of or contact with another person is very important for well-being. Talking, doing activities together or just spending time together with another person can reduce stress. Which people are important to you? Do you have enough contact with them? Every single friend is valuable. Your own family and relatives are important networks.

Would you like new relationships? Making new social relationships may seem challenging at first. However, it’s important to be brave and get out and meet new people. You can sometimes find new friends through studies or work. Hobbies, societies or clubs are other possible ways of meeting people with similar interests.

A regular sleep-wake rhythm and sufficient night-time sleep are important. The need for sleep is very individual and it varies according to age, genetics and level of activity. An adult is often considered to require approximately seven to eight hours of sleep per day.

If your night-time sleep is insufficient, it’s not advised to cope with tiredness by drinking extra coffee or other caffeine-rich drinks, because excess caffeine can increase feelings of anxiety.

MentalHub.fi also has a self-help program for Insomnia (for the moment only in Finnish).

Exercise helps relieve agitation and the fight or flight state triggered by anxiety in the body. It also relieves the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as nausea or trembling. Do you think you get enough exercise at the moment?

Jos haluat lisätä arkeesi liikuntaa, kannattaa tehdä kalenteriin liikuntasuunnitelma. Muista, että mukavalta tuntuvaan liikuntaan tulee helpommin ryhdyttyä. Liikunnan ei aina tarvitse olla reipasta kävelyä, vaan se voi olla myös hyötyliikuntaa tai vaikka marjastusta tai pallopelejä kaverin kanssa.  

We recommend that you be active for at least 3 x 30 minutes each week. Even a small amount is better than nothing. Often, it’s most important to just get moving!  

A well-balanced diet maintains good functional capacity. The brain is an important organ in terms of a person's activities. Eating well provides your brain and your body with energy. Good eating habits improve concentration, coordination, motivation, memory and stress tolerance. A regular meal rhythm also adds structure to your day.