Maintaining Mental Well BeingDate......
A Personal Workbook
For
Maintaining Mental Well Being
Disability Resource Centre
The Old Library
Prince of Wales Road
University of Exeter
Exeter
EX4 4SB
Tel: 01392 263880
E-mail:
Introduction
Most people will find it hard to cope with the demands of every day living at sometime in their life. Being a student is no exception and student life involves all kinds of pressures. As well as academic work, other tasks include managing house hold chores, balancing finances, working to supplement income, being away from familiar support networks, keeping in touch with friends and family at home, making new friends and making time for enjoyment and leisure activities. No wonder many students find it hard to cope!
If the pressures and demands placed on us continue to build and our perceived ability to cope with pressuresdiminishes, this can lead to feelings of stress and a sense of overwhelm. When prolonged, stress can act to trigger pre-existing mental health conditions or lead to the development of more serious mental health issues such as depression.
This Personal Workbook is a self help booklet designed to help you to think through, recognise and developideas and strategies tomanage and maintainyour mental health and well being. When under pressure it is all too easy to forget the simple things that you know are helpful in keeping you well. This booklet works on the premise that prevention is better than cure. All of us, whether we have a diagnosed mental health issue or not, can benefit from actively thinking about the things that keep us well and help us to cope with everyday challenges that life presents. This booklet does this by reminding you of the things thatyou need to do to help you to stay well. For those recovering from mental health issues it can act as a useful tool in the recovery to mental well being.
Completing the work book will take time; but once complete it will be an important document to refer back toon a daily basis and at times of difficulty. You can complete it with the help of somebody you know and trust or you may wish to work on it on your own.
It is designed as an aid for learning about yourself, what helps you and what doesn’t, and how to get progressively more in control of your life and your experience. Once you are committed to your own wellbeing, however things work out, they can be an opportunity for learning more about yourself, and improving your wellbeing.
Content
This Workbook comprises the following sections:
Feeling and Staying Wellpages 6-8
Helpful Routinespages 9-10
Triggers & Coping With Thempages 11-13
Early Warning Signs pages 14-15
Supporterspage 16
Reviewing the Situationpage 17-18
Appendix: Page 19
Triggers and ActionsPlan Chartpage 20
Early Warning Signs and Actions Chartpage 21
Monthly Chartpage 22
Acknowledgements
Maintaining mental well being is based on the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) originally developed by Mary Ellen Copeland and a group of mental health service users who wanted to work on their own recovery – this is what they found worked for them.
This workbook is an abbreviated version of WRAP and is adapted from Feeling Stressed: Keeping Well ((c) MINDFUL EMPLOYER 2005 Used by permission)which was developed by Richard Frost at WorkWAYS ( with advice and support from the following people who work for Devon Partnership NHS Trust:
Dr Glenn Roberts, Consultant Psychiatrist in Rehabilitation and Recovery,
Laurie Davidson, Practice Development Manager,
Christine Wardle, WorkWAYS Services Manager,
and
Helen Fee, Mental Health Advisers, University of Exeter.
The full version of WRAP also includes instructions on developing a crisis plan, as a means of guiding others on how best to make decisions and to take care of the person affected by mental ill health, for those times when problems and symptoms have made it very difficult for them to do so by themselves. The full version can be found at (link to full version of WRAP on DRCUniversity web site here – document attached to mail).
For more information on WRAP please
Wellness Recovery Action Plan by Mary Ellen Copeland
Edited by Piers Allott
Published by Sefton Recovery Group 2005
Available from:
Sefton Recovery Group
MIND office
Maple Unit
Stoddart House
UniversityHospital Aintree
Longmoor Lane
Liverpool L9 7AL
ISBN 0-9549295-0-0
Second edition for University of Exeter was amended in November 2007 by:
Rachel Bragg, Mental Health Advisor and
Jessica Hotchkiss, Mental Health Mentor.
Using the Workbook
Under each heading we have given some examples to help you think through the topics covered in the Workbook – and they are simply that: just examples. Apart from how they affect you as an individual, there are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers.
You may find that some sections are difficult to fill out at this stage. Don’t worry, fill in what you can and come back to it at another time. At times we’ve allowed a whole page per topic – but it’s up to you how much you write.
You may like to put the workbook in a ring binder, enabling you to be able to add more pages in the future.
You could also have a copy on your computer if you may prefer to work that way. This can also make it easy to change and update the workbook.
The Workbook belongs to you and you decide how to use it. No one else can write it for you. You decide who to show it to and whether you want to work through it with someone else. You can when to do it and how much time to spend on it. It becomes your guide to support your own mental well being.
1.Feeling and Staying Well
It can be rare for us to consider what we are like when we are well, what things help us feel well or help usmaintain our well being. Identifying these things may feel unusual or difficult but developing this section can have a powerful affect on helping you feel and stay well.This section helps you to consider what you are like when you are well andthe things that are important in your life in helping you feel well.
a) What am I like when I am well, when I am feeling alright?
(Consider what you notice/ what others notice about you when you are well.....)
Examples: When I feel well I am active, I get up early, I feel calm, I smile a lot, I spend time painting and being creative, I socialise with friends, I go to the gym etc…..
When I feel well…………
Feeling and Staying Well
b) In my experience these are things that help me feel and stay well:
Examples: going for walks; seeing my friends, going to the cinema, listening to music, eating well.
Feeling and Staying Well
c) In my experience these are the things that bring meaning, purpose and value to my life
Examples: my friends; family;having a direction / goals; my beliefs/ religion, music, being in beautiful surroundings…….
d) These are some things that I would like to try to see if they would help me feel and stay well:
Examples: doing more exercise; drinking less alcohol; eating more healthily; having more time off; getting more sleep, yoga.
2. Helpful Routines
Many people vary in how they feel from day to day. The weather, diet, sleep (or lack of it), our health and many other factors can govern whether we have a ‘good’ or a ‘bad’ day. When people get low or feel less well they also stop doing the everyday things that can be an essential part of managing their health.
This section identifies what we need to do on a very regularbasis to help us stay well and maintain our health. [There is a monthly chart in the appendix which you may find helpful to keep a log or an overview of how a period of time has been for you.]
a) This is what I need to do for myself every day to keep myself feeling as well as possible:
Examples: have a shower,read a book, phone a friend, go for a walk, go to bed by 10, eat 3 proper meals, drink enough water etc
Helpful Routines
b) This is what I need to do, less often than every day,(weekly, monthly, yearly) to helpmy overall sense well being.
Examples: go on holiday, see a relation, go home, go to the cinema, review life goals/ambitions, get an overview of all my work, having my hair cut, having a massage…..
c) These are the things that I know I need to do to but for some reason do not do them.
Examples: take regular exercise, take regular breaks, make a study plan, go to bed early, keep a diary, eat well, tidy my room.
3. Triggers and Coping With Them
Triggers are things that happen to us that are likely to set off a chain reaction of uncomfortable or unhelpful behaviours, thoughts or feelings.
Recognition:
What triggers me? What causes me to feel stressed, irritable, unhappy or difficult to be with?
Examples: problems at work, anniversary of loss or trauma, ways that others treat you, being over-tired, family conflict, illness
Triggers and Coping With Them
Action: Avoiding & Controlling Triggers
[Also see triggers and coping strategies chart in appendix]
What can I do to AVOID or LIMIT my exposure to things that trigger me?
Examples: focusing on priorities, avoiding stressful situations, having a study timetable, talking, to a friend or counsellor, talking to a tutor, playing music
Triggers & Coping with Them
Action: Coping with triggers when they occur
[Also see triggers and coping strategies chart in appendix]
What can I do when I am triggered to prevent things from getting worse?
Examples, take time out from the situation, tell somebody my worries, go for a run, have a night off from studying......
4) Early Warning Signs
Early warning signsare the subtle signs of changes in your thoughts or feelings or behaviour, which indicate that you may need to take action to avoid feeling more stressed or to prevent a worsening of your condition or situation.
Recognition:
What are my early warning signs, the subtle signs of changes within me?
Examples:,experiencingstrong emotions, withdrawing, forgetfulness, being obsessed with thoughts, feeling ‘told off’, being ‘mentally tired’, feeling nobody likes me.
Early Warning Signs
Action:
[Also see early warning signs and coping strategies chart in appendix]
What action can I take when I recognise the early warning signs, what can I do to help me cope with them?
Examples: talking to a friend or counsellor, rationalising thoughts, being assertive, getting, organised, focussing exercises, making lists
5. Supporters
Having helpful people supporting or around us can be an important part in managing are health and staying well.
List those people you could provide some additional support when things get difficult. They can be family members, friends, work colleagues or health care professionals. You may want to name some people to do certain tasks for you.
These are my supporters:
Name Connection/role
Phone number
Name Connection/role
Phone number
Name Connection/role
Phone number
Name Connection/role
Phone number
Name Connection/role
Phone number
In the past there may have been family members, friends or health care professionals that have made decisions that you weren’t happy with or didn’t find helpful. Are there any people you would prefer not to support you when you are feeling unwell?
Name
Why you do not want them involved (optional)
Name
Why you do not want them involved (optional)
6. Reviewing the Situation
Despite your best efforts to look after yourself you may at times go through periods of increased stress or experience difficult or unexpected life events. This is a very normal process and doesn’t necessary meant you’re becoming ill or not coping.
It can be very helpful to reflect on what has happened for you. Identifying what was helpful and what was unhelpful during this time will enable you to understand more about yourself and learn from the experience.
Some people can do this alone, howeverothers find it helpful to talk it through with someone they trust.
Trytochoose a time when you are ready and willing to make sense of it, and when you have the energy to do so. Take time to think through what has happened, and compare this with what you have written so far within the workbook. You may choose to change or add things to the various sections as a result.
What have you learned about yourself and others through this difficulty?
Reviewing the Situation
Are there any of your action points that didn’t work out as you had hoped?
What changes can you make now to your workbook and the action points to make further difficulties less likely?(Print off new
pages and date them if that helps)
Appendix
Triggers and coping strategies chart
Early warning signs and coping strategies chart
Monthly Chart
Triggers and Coping Strategies
N / TriggersThings that happen to us that are likely to
set off a chain reaction of uncomfortable
or unhelpful behaviours, thoughts or feelings. / Coping Strategies
What can I do to cope with, manage or avoid
these triggers
Early Warning Signs and Coping Strategies
Early Warning SignsSubtle signs of changes in your
thoughts, feelings or behaviour / Coping Strategies
What action can I take when I recognise the
early warning signs
MONTHLY CHART
Use the chart to notice how you feel / what is happening from day to day MONTH:
1st / 16th2nd / 17th
3rd / 18th
4th / 19th
5th / 20th
6th / 21st
7th / 22nd
8th / 23rd
9th / 24th
10th / 25th
11th / 26th
12th / 27th
13th / 28th
14th / 29th
15th / 30th
31st
1