Life on Tapp: Having a chat and looking on the brighter side of life

​It’s no secret that poor mental health is impacting life in the 21st Century perhaps more than at any other time in history.
By Jane Chippindale
Published 18th Mar 2024, 14:48 BST
Updated 18th Mar 2024, 14:48 BST
Things such as writing thoughts down in a diary, remaining optimistic, not spending too much time on social media and speaking to strangers are all things that the University of Bristol study found had helped with mental health.Things such as writing thoughts down in a diary, remaining optimistic, not spending too much time on social media and speaking to strangers are all things that the University of Bristol study found had helped with mental health.
Things such as writing thoughts down in a diary, remaining optimistic, not spending too much time on social media and speaking to strangers are all things that the University of Bristol study found had helped with mental health.

Blaise Tapp writes: An astonishing one fifth of UK employees are said to have taken time off work in the past year due to stress and there is no escaping the horrific reality that our young are in the grip of genuine mental health crisis.

In the years since Covid turned our lives upside down, it’s been noticeable how many people we know have sought professional help for a wide range of complaints which tend to be put in the basket labelled ‘mental health’.Perhaps the biggest positive we can take is that more people than ever before are willing to talk about what’s on their mind and share their stories of depression and other similar ailments.

Despite the odd naysayer spouting cobblers such as 'it's all in the mind' or the incredibly unoriginal and lazy 'they all need to pull themselves together', every right thinking person gets the fact that many of us have vulnerabilities that get the better of us from time to time.

The discussion around mental health has become much more sophisticated and, let's be frank, grown up in recent years.The latest step in that direction is the news last week that a two year long study has revealed that a list of 'happiness' exercises or hacks, to use a dreadful, overused word, have been proved to help – as long as they are practiced regularly.

Things such as writing thoughts down in a diary, remaining optimistic, not spending too much time on social media and speaking to strangers are all things that the University of Bristol study found had helped those who took part in the survey.Although I'm far too bone idle to keep a regular diary, I am partial to striking up conversations with strangers on trains or in the street – much to the embarrassment of my children – and I do, largely speaking, try to look on the bright side of life. My social media output has taken a nosedive in recent years and I feel all the better for it.All of the above and other coping strategies I have learned over the years, such as going for a walk when it all becomes a bit too much, have helped put me in a much better place.In an age where the pavements are full with morning joggers who are committed to fighting the onset of middle aged spread then it stands to reason that more of us should be taking regular steps to combat what is the biggest risk to our wellbeing.