You can also have fun improving your brain-prowess without it.
From knitting and a round of footy to rearing chickens, there’s something to suit even the kookiest of mind surfers. So pull out your needles and balls, give your skin a sci-fi blast of light and get ready for freshly laid eggs every morning to boost your mental health.
Poultry keeping
Chicken-rearing new therapy for older people that’s helping to combat loneliness, depression and the need for heavy-duty anti-psychotics.
Project HenPower lets people keep hens and is now a bona fide therapy in over 40 sheltered housing and care homes.
Creatively ‘hengaging’ older people in hen-keeping to promote health and wellbeing and It does this by cultivating creativity in care settings at a time in life when most people are slowing down. There’s something very rewarding about seeing your hen lay a satisfying breakfast.
Fishing
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A community psychiatric nurse from the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, believe that fishing can bring a change in patients’ lifestyle, encouraging them to carry out activities by themselves while being surrounded by a peaceful environment.
Nursing assistant from Leverndale Hospital, told MentalHealthy, ‘We all find angling extremely therapeutic and thought that some of our patients would really benefit from it.’ He added: ‘We work with patients who have enduring mental health problems and long-term life limiting conditions and we wanted to do something for them that would improve their quality of life and provide a change to their everyday routine.’
Football
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‘football therapy’ can be used as part of the recovery process or as part of an ongoing long-term therapy, and that it can make a substantial difference to individuals’ lives and also believe that all football therapy initiatives should focus on three key areas – the physical, mental, and social well-being of all participants.
People who have had similar experiences in a safe environment helps to build confidence and tackles that feeling of loneliness.
Johnnie Garside, mental health football co-ordinator at Everton in the Community, says: ‘In my opinion the football is only the starting point, it’s all the added benefits that come about that are pleasing to see, to see players blossom, grow in confidence and self-esteem is what it’s all about.’
‘Mental Health Football UK is a venture I fully support and in my opinion is long overdue, so massive appreciation to all involved with helping set up this invaluable organisation, which will benefit many people.’
LED light therapy
Low mood is common in the winter months, and I too can get a little under the weather. This treatment uses a rainbow of bright lights to improve skin-tone and lift your mood.
In just thirty minutes I felt a lasting (about a weekend’s worth) improvement in mood.
While it didn’t cure my schizo-affective, it did help get me out and about for the weekend.
Knitting
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Psychologically and socially beneficial and can contribute to well-being and improved quality of life in Knitting.
Stitchlinks are working closely with academics and clinicians, and as a direct result, therapeutic knitting and therapeutic knitting groups have been acknowledged for their benefits in the NHS since 2006.
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