Spaces and activities that improve mental health

NATURAL BLUE SPACES - OCEANS, WATERWAYS - SPECIFICALLY WELLINGTON RESEARCH

Researchers from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and Michigan State University looked at the visibility of blue and green spaces for residents in Wellington, New Zealand.

The research, published in this month’s issue of Health & Place, found that living in a residence with a view of the ocean was associated with improved mental health.

Although Wellington is a urbanized capital city, it is nestled next to the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The researchers then compared this topography data with information gathered from the New Zealand Health Survey, which was used to assess anxiety and mood disorders.

However, while you may think that this effect was due to being near “the great outdoors” in general, the study specifically found that green space did not have the same effect. 

In a statement, study co-author Amber Pearson explained why this might be: “It could be because the blue space was all natural, while the green space included human-made areas, such as sports fields and playgrounds, as well as natural areas such as native forests. Perhaps if we only looked at native forests we might find something different.”

http://www.iflscience.com/brain/living-near-sea-can-help-improve-mental-health

GARDENING - HOME AND COMMUNITY - NZ RESEARCH

Gardens and environmental restoration projects
There is a long history of gardening in New Zealand, both in private gardens and through different forms of communal gardening, amongst Māori and Pākeha (Dawson 2010; Earle 2011). Gardening was an integral part of Te Ao Māori (the Māori world) and gardening work was carried out communally. Various customary use practices of cultural harvest have continued to the present, although to a much more restricted extent than in earlier times. A recent Waitangi Tribunal report on how New Zealand law and policy have affected Māori culture and identity (the ‘Wai 262’ enquiry) documents the fundamental importance of taonga (treasured) plant and animal species to modern Māori in terms of their identity and kaitiakitanga (guardianship) (Waitangi Tribunal 2011). This particularly applies to plant species used in rongoā (traditional healing) and thus plays an important role in Māori concepts of HWB.

A recent study of gardens in the ecology and society of Dunedin City examined, among other things, the relationship of householders to their gardens, some of which included native biodiversity components (Van Heezink et al. 2012; Freeman et al. 2012). The authors documented the health and recreation benefits of gardens in Dunedin, largely through stress reduction. Social connections and capital were also enhanced through gardening, as was a sense of environmental stewardship.
In a summary of New Zealand research on community gardens, Earle (2011) documented how, in the last few years, the New Zealand health sector has begun to identify gardening as a possible public health intervention to help reduce the high prevalence of avoidable chronic health conditions among disadvantaged communities. The research involved interviewing 35 community garden coordinators and other stakeholders in Auckland and Wellington, who described a range of health benefits for the participating individuals, families/whānau and communities, including improved nutrition, increased physical activity, increased social capital, and enhanced mental and spiritual health. Earle (2011) noted that if community gardens foster an inclusive approach, they could also help to reduce inequalities by allowing people who may normally be excluded from community groups to become involved. Whether community gardening or environmental restoration groups are more inclusive than other groups does not appear to have been researched. However, a survey of farmers participating in restoration activities in the Maungatautari Mountain restoration project (Waikato) documented self-reported benefits of involvement, principally in terms of increased social connectivity (Roche & Rolley 2011). 

http://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/science-and-technical/sfc321entire.pdf

OUR JOB IS TO FACILITATE A TRANSFORMATION FROM FEELING STRESSED/PRESSURED TO RELAXED/COPING

Common signs of stress

How you might feel:
irritable, aggressive, impatient or wound up over-burdened anxious, nervous or afraid like your thoughts are racing and you can't switch off neglected or lonely	depressed uninterested in life like you've lost your sense of humour a sense of dread worried about your health unable to enjoy yourself

How you might behave:
finding it hard to make decisions avoiding situations that are troubling you snapping at people biting your nails picking at your skin	unable to concentrate eating too much or too little smoking or drinking alcohol more than usual restless, like you can't sit still feeling tearful or crying

What causes stress?

Feelings of stress are normally triggered by things happening in your life which involve:
• being under lots of pressure
• facing big changes
• worrying about something
• not having much or any control over the outcome of a situation 
• having responsibilities that you're finding overwhelming
• not having enough work, activities or change in your life

How you might be physically affected:
shallow breathing or hyperventilating you might have a panic attack blurred eyesight or sore eyes problems getting to sleep, staying asleep or having nightmares sexual problems, such as losing interest in sex or being unable to enjoy sex	tired all the time grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw headaches chest pains high blood pressure indigestion or heartburn constipation or diarrhoea feeling sick, dizzy or fainting

How can I deal with pressure?

Identify your triggers

Working out what triggers stress for you can help you anticipate problems and think of ways to solve them. 

Organise your time

Making some adjustments to the way you organise your time could help you feel more in control of any tasks you're facing, and more able to handle pressure.

• Identify your best time of day, and do the important tasks that need the most energy and concentration at that time. 
• Make a list of things you have to do. Arrange them in order of importance, and try to focus on the most urgent first. 
• Vary your activities. Balance interesting tasks with more mundane ones, and stressful tasks with those you find easier or can do more calmly.
• Try not to do too much at once. If you take on too much, you might find it harder to do any individual task well. This can make you feel like you have even more pressure on you.
• Take breaks and take things slowly. It might be difficult to do this when you're stressed, but it can make you more productive.

Address some of the causes of stress

Although there will probably lots of things in your life that you can't do anything about, there might still be some practical ways you could to resolve or improve some of the issues that are putting pressure on you. 

Accept the things you can't change

It's not easy, but accepting that there are some things happening to you that you probably can't do anything about will help you focus your time and energy more productively.

How can I become more emotionally resilient?
Taking steps to look after your wellbeing can help you deal with pressure, and reduce the impact that stress has on your life. This is sometimes called developing emotional resilience – the ability to adapt and bounce back when something difficult happens in your life.

Make some lifestyle changes
There are some general changes that you can make to your lifestyle that could help you feel more able to cope with pressure and stressful situations. You can:

• Practice being straightforward and assertive in communicating with others. If people are making unreasonable or unrealistic demands on you, be prepared to tell them how you feel and say no.
  
• Use relaxation techniques. You may already know what helps you relax, like having a bath, listening to music or taking your dog for a walk. If you know that a certain activity helps you feel more relaxed, make sure you set aside time to do it. (See our web pages on relaxation for lots more ideas.)
  
• Develop your interests and hobbies. Finding an activity that's completely different from the things causing you stress is a great way to get away from everyday pressures. If stress is making you feel lonely or isolated, shared hobbies can also be a good way to meet new people.

• Make time for your friends. When you've got a lot on this might seem hard, but it can help you feel more positive and less isolated. Chatting to friends about the things you find difficult can help you keep things in perspective – and you can do the same for them. Laughing and smiling with them will also produce hormones that help you to relax.
• Find balance in your life. You may find that one part of your life, such as your job or taking care of young children, is taking up almost all of your time and energy. Try making a decision to focus some of your energy on other parts of your life, like family, friends or hobbies. It's not easy, but this can help spread the weight of pressures in your life, and make everything feel lighter.

Look after your physical health

Taking steps to look after your physical health can help you manage stress and lessen the impact on your overall mental health. For example:

• Get good sleep. Stress can make it difficult for you to sleep, and you may develop sleep problems. Being well-rested can increase your ability to deal with difficult situations. (See our booklet How to cope with sleep problems for more information.)
  
• Be more physically active. Physical activity is important for reducing stress levels and preventing some of its damaging effects on the body (so long as you don't overdo it).
  
• Eat healthily. When you're stressed, it can be tempting to eat too much of the wrong kinds of food or to eat too little. But what you eat, and when you eat, can make a big difference to how well you feel.
  

Give yourself a break
Learning to be kinder to yourself in general can help you control the amount of pressure you feel in different situations, which can help you feel less stressed.

• Reward yourself for achievements – even small things like finishing
  a piece of work or making a decision. You could take a walk, read a book, treat yourself to food you enjoy, or simply tell yourself "well done".
  
• Get a change of scenery. You might want to go outside, go to a friend’s house or go to a café for a break – even if it's just for a short time.
  
• Take a break or holiday. Time away from your normal routine can help you relax and feel refreshed. Even spending a day in a different place can help you feel more able to face stress.
  
• Resolve conflicts, if you can. Although this can sometimes be hard, speaking to a manager, colleague or family member about problems in your relationship with them can help you find ways to move forward.
  

Use your support network

Remember that whatever you're going through that's causing you stress, you don't have to cope with it alone.

• Friends and family. Sometimes just telling the people close to you how you're feeling can make a big difference – and they might be able to help you out in other ways too.

• Support at work, such as your line manager, human resources (HR) department, union representatives, or employee assistance schemes. Try not to worry that talking to your manager or colleagues about stress will be seen as a sign of weakness – your wellbeing is important and responsible employers will take it seriously. 

What treatments are there for stress?

Talking treatments
Talking with a trained professional can help you learn to deal with stress and become more aware of your own thoughts and feelings. Common types of talking treatments which can help with stress are:

• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which helps you understand your thought patterns, recognise your trigger points and identify positive actions you can take. 
  
• Mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR), which combines mindfulness, meditation and yoga with a particular focus on reducing stress. The Be Mindful website provides more guidance on mindfulness, including how to find a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course.
  

Ecotherapy

Ecotherapy is a way of improving your wellbeing and self-esteem by spending time in nature. This can include physical exercise in green spaces or taking part in a gardening or conservation project. 

Complementary and alternative therapies

You may find certain alternative therapies help you manage feelings of stress. These might include acupuncture, aromatherapy, massage or Traditional Chinese Medicine. 

http://www.mind.org.uk/media/1993364/how-to-manage-stress_2015.pdf

Rising to the Challenge
The Mental Health and Addiction Service Development Plan 2012–2017 

http://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/publications/rising-to-the-challenge-mental-health-addiction-service-development-plan-v2.pdf

Youth Mental Health Project

http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/mental-health-and-addictions/youth-mental-health-project