PLEASE is an emotional regulation skill focusing on taking care of ourselves to improve our emotional resilience. When we are taking good care of ourselves it increases our threshold to difficult situations and reduces vulnerability factors.
what does PLEASE stand for:
Physical ILlness Eating Avoid mood altering drugs Sleep Exercise
P L – treat physical illness
This one is something that seems quite obvious although the reality of it, especially when we are feeling unwell mentally, caring for ourselves physically can be a lot more tricky. Keeping on top of our physical health is extremely important and PLEASE highlights this. When we are as well as we can be physically it makes everything else easier to manage. This can look like taking any medications your doctor has prescribed you, attending appointments and taking care of your physical self in general.
E – eating
Skipping meals or having an inadequate food intake can lead to an array of problems including mood swings. Keeping on top of your intake and ensuring you are eating enough to fuel your body and brain are paramount to support good mental health.
A – avoid mood altering substances
Alcohol and non-prescription drugs, etc can cause a whole host of issues with mood and our ability to cope. Avoiding them is extremely important to avoid any exacerbations of things such as anxiety due to the effects these substances can have on the brain. Using mind altering substances can impede us from effectively using healthy coping mechanisms and make it more likes to fall back into unhelpful patterns of behaviour an act on urges.
Some examples of mind altering substances are but not limited to:
+ caffeine
+ nicotine
+ alcohol
+ illegal drugs
+ medications not prescribed to you
S – sleep
We’ve spoken on here before about the importance of sleep a little while ago and I think while it’s a tricky one to achieve, particularly if you are really struggling with your mental health it really is important to adopt a healthy, consistent sleep regime. Lack of sleep and feeling tired can increase out vulnerability factors making ti harder for us to cope during times of distress while oversleeping can hinder our lives also in the shape of avoiding situations and the isolation that comes with that. Finding a balance really is one of the building blocks to keeping on top of our mental health.
E – exercise
This one come with conditions, particularly with those of us with eating disorders and chronic illnesses that make this step impractical and/or detrimental to our overall health. In the absence of these things, healthy forms of exercise can help produce “feel good” chemicals and help improve overall mood. Things like a gentle stroll around the garden or a local park, yoga or pilates can be extremely beneficial.
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