I believe one of the most important things when it comes to positive mental health is knowing yourself.

Being aware of where you are in life, what’s working for you and what isn’t, is essential for avoiding stressful situations that may cause undue anxiety or worse.

Taking a mental health inventory is like any form of diarizing or journalling; the process of doing it is useful in itself.

Making the time to look inward, having a good think about how you’re really feeling and then externalizing those feelings by writing them down can be a powerful tool for avoiding stressors, or at least knowing how to handle them when you do encounter them.

It doesn’t have to be an ongoing thing, but it can be useful if you find yourself in a situation you’ve struggled with historically.

All you need to do is sit down with a pen and a pad of paper and start by answering the following:

• Are you getting enough quality sleep? If not, what’s keeping you awake?
• Are you managing stress well? What mechanisms are you using to cope?
• Are you getting out of the house every day? Are you exercising?
• Are you eating healthily? When was the last time you made a meal from scratch?
• Are you doing things you enjoy? When was the last time you did an activity that made you happy?
• Are you getting satisfaction from your work? Do you feel useful?
• When was the last time you told someone how you feel? Could you pick up the phone and do that right now?

Look at your answers. In some areas you may feel like you’re doing OK, but in others you may not.

For example, during a busy week in A&E I might be feeling good about myself, getting out of the house and sleeping well (because I’m exhausted!), but could be falling down on the healthy eating and doing things I enjoy. So I try to focus on those.

The physical influences the mental, and vice versa, so cooking yourself a healthy meal and then going out for evening walk can do wonders for your mood and self-esteem, as well as your overall health.

The main thing though, is taking the time out to have a think about yourself and how you’re actually feeling.

It may sound simple, but reconnecting with ourselves is one of the most important things we can do when it comes to our mental health and happiness.

Live Well Every Day by Dr Alex George is published by Aster, £18.99, paperback. Also available as ebook and audiobook.

To chat about mental health in an open, non-judgmental space, join our Mentally Yours Facebook group.

Follow us on Twitter at @MentallyYrs.

Metro.co.uk MHAW Takeover

This year, to mark Mental Health Awareness Week, Metro.co.uk has invited eight well-known mental health advocates to take over our site.

With a brilliant team that includes Alex Beresford, Russell Kane, Frankie Bridge, Anton Ferdinand, Sam Thompson, Scarlett Moffatt, Katie Piper and Joe Tracini, each of our guest editors have worked closely with us to share their own stories, and also educate, support and engage with our readers.

If you need help or advice for any mental health matter, here are just some of the organisations that were vital in helping us put together our MHAW Takeover:

• Mental Health Foundation

• Rethink Mental Illness

• Samaritans

• Mind

To contact any of the charities mentioned in the Metro.co.uk MHAW Takeover click here

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