• Information to help you through your experience of psychosis and support your recovery

Daily Tips And Tools

  • We strongly believe that a big part of the journey to an epic mind is having the advice and tools at your fingertips so that you can deal with any situation in the best way possible.

  • Budgeting

    Money can be a great source of worry and concern.

    Keeping track of what you earn and what you spend can give you a lot of reassurance. Simply taking a sheet of paper and jotting down:

    • Your income
      (e.g. employment, benefits, tax credits, pension, child maintenance)
    • Your expenditure
      (e.g. rent, mortgage, council tax, utilities, insurance, food, clothes, child care, travelling)
    • Note the monthly surplus or shortage
    • Note any savings

    This can help you to prioritise your spending and make plans for future savings. If you have debt, if possible, you can then prioritise the organisations have debt with and negotiate payment terms.

  • Sleep

    Even 24 hours of sleep deprivation can lead to severe symptoms in a healthy person.

    Lack of sleep can affect mental health and mental health can affect your sleep. Your brain feels foggy, you can’t concentrate, you get upset or frustrated easily. A good night’s sleep is not always easy for someone with psychosis, but adopting good habits around bedtime certainly helps.

    Establishing a good routine preparing for sleep every night is crucial. Relax for at least an hour beforehand and turn any devices off or onto ‘night shift’, think about how warm and comfy you feel. If you have a notepad, jot down any concerns or worries before you go to sleep. A good diet and regular exercise can also improve the quality of your sleep. Try a relaxation app, such as those on the NHS Apps library or exercises focused on breathing and relaxing each part of your body from your toes upwards.

  • Diet and Exercise

    Eating a healthy, balanced diet can make a real difference to your physical and mental health.

    It can help you stay at a healthy body weight and make you less likely to get some diseases. As well as eating a good variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, healthy carbohydrates, fish and meat, you need to balance the number of calories that you eat and drink with the calories you burn. We can support you if you’d like to know more about easy ways to get your ‘5-a-day’ and a balanced food plate.

    Getting exercise, being active and getting some fresh air is vital for your mental and physical health. Some medications may make you feel more tired, but moderate exercise can help to improve your mood and general wellbeing. Some EIP teams have a gym referral scheme, where you get a reduced rate gym membership and sometimes extra support, like a gym buddy or personal trainer. Please let us know if you would like more support in this area.

  • Epic Apps

    Sometimes you may experience thoughts and moods leave you feeling lonely and scared.

    They pop up with no warning. Changes in your mood, suddenly feeling anxious, withdrawn or lacking in energy can be hard for you or your loved ones to understand, especially if you’ve never experienced those things before. They can leave you feeling isolated too, because they’re difficult to talk about. Here are some epic apps, which we recommend, that can really help you:

  • My Journey App

    Designed to help you keep track of how you’re feeling. Sometimes you may experience thoughts and moods leave you feeling lonely and scared.

    By working through the set of questions with an easy-to-use rating wheel, you can make informed choices about what to do to improve your mental health. Using My Journey, you can:

    • Monitor your mood
    • Set goals and track your progress at your own pace
    • Receive advice on what to do and who to contact if you need help
    • Keep track of any medication you take
    • Get simple tips on things you can do to help you feel better such as improving your sleep, diet and exercise routines.

    The app doesn’t store your ratings, so you can use it repeatedly and receive targeted advice on how you’re feeling day-by-day. My Journey was created by Surrey and Borders partnership NHS Foundation Trust and young people who have used the services.

    Download My Journey App

    You can also try other NHS recommended apps.