Creating a Positive Structure

Many of us live our lives day to day without thinking “are we doing all we can to look after our mental health?”

It’s easy to get into a negative way of thinking when we have no routine or structure to our day, and some also seem to take a view that structure makes us boring or inflexible. But structure in our lives can help us both mentally and physically by making sure that we take time to eat correctly, exercise and  sleep well along with giving our day a focus or even a series of ‘mini goals’.

The approach of much of our HeadsUp activity reflects our understanding that when unemployed, we can lose all sense of routine and structure to our daily lives, and the impact that this can have on someone. We work with our participants to help them explore different approaches to routine, to find out what works for them and helps them to feel more positive about going forward into each new day.

We can help participants add structure to their day by building a daily plan and creating a ‘To Do list’ which may contain necessary daily tasks such as housework as well as cooking meals, job searching, phoning or meeting a friend and going for a walk.

Our Peer Support Workers who work directly with our participants have found that people planning their week with a positive routine helps them become more confident in their lives – so it’s definitely worth giving it a try!