Do you want to focus on your health and wellbeing?
If you are experiencing gambling harm, your health and wellbeing might have been adversely affected. You might be worried about your finances and feel depressed or anxious. Your relationships might have been negatively affected. Gambling might have also impacted your ability to work, your diet, your motivation to exercise, your sleep, or your involvement in social activities. You may have also turned to unhealthy ways to cope with stress, such as smoking or using alcohol and other drugs.
These problems can affect your mind and your body and can make you more likely to continue gambling. This can become a harmful cycle that’s difficult to break. However, focusing on your health and wellbeing can empower you to overcome these challenges and take control of your life. There are many strategies that can help, including relaxing and reducing stress, looking after your physical health and connecting with others.
Does your family member or friend want to focus on their health and wellbeing?
If your family member or friend is experiencing gambling harm, their health and wellbeing might have been adversely affected. They might be worried about their finances and feel depressed or anxious. Their relationships might have been negatively affected, including their relationship with you. Gambling might have also impacted their ability to work, their diet, their motivation to exercise, their sleep, or their involvement in social activities. They may have also turned to unhealthy ways to cope with stress, such as smoking or using alcohol and other drugs.
These problems can affect their mind and their body and can make them more likely to continue gambling. This can become a harmful cycle that’s difficult to break. As their family member or friend, you can help by encouraging them to focus on their health and wellbeing, which includes relaxing and reducing stress, looking after their physical health, and connecting with others. You can reassure them these strategies can empower them to overcome these challenges and take control of their life.
Does someone want to focus on their health and wellbeing?
If the person that you’re working with about is experiencing gambling harm, their health and wellbeing might have been adversely affected. They might be worried about their finances and feel depressed or anxious. Their relationships might have been negatively affected. Gambling might have also impacted their ability to work, their diet, their motivation to exercise, their sleep, or their involvement in social activities. They may have also turned to unhealthy ways to cope with stress, such as smoking or using alcohol and other drugs.
These problems can affect their mind and their body and can make them more likely to continue gambling. This can become a harmful cycle that’s difficult to break. As a professional, you can help by encouraging them to focus on their health and wellbeing, which includes relaxing and reducing stress, looking after their physical health, and connecting with others. You can reassure them these strategies can empower them to overcome these challenges and take control of their life.
What are some ways to relax and reduce stress?
Taking time to do things that help us relax, like taking a bath or going for a walk, can really help. For people who have trouble relaxing, there are some tips and exercises in our self-help information on Finding Ways to Relax.
It's important to take a break when we're feeling overwhelmed. Even a short change of scenery can help us cope better in tough situations. Some examples include spending time with friends, going to the movies, watching sports, or getting a massage. See Keeping Busy for some ideas.
Making time for activities that we enjoy can be really helpful. This could include hobbies or interests we like to pursue, or even small things like cooking a meal, calling a friend, or listening to music. See Keeping Busy for some ideas.
When we take the time to be aware of ourselves and the present moment, we can gain a better understanding of our thoughts and feelings, as well as the world around us. This is often referred to as being mindful. Activities that bring our attention to the present moment, such as meditation, breathing exercises and yoga, can help us to feel more relaxed and better able to manage our thoughts and emotions. By focusing on the present moment, we can gain a new perspective and better cope with stressful situations. See some exercises in our self-help information in Finding Ways to Relax.
When we feel sad or upset, we often criticise ourselves. Instead of being self-critical, we can try to be compassionate towards ourselves. Imagine if a friend was going through a tough time - we would want to be kind and supportive towards them. We should treat ourselves with the same kindness and care that we would show to a loved one in a similar situation. This is called self-compassion, and it can help improve our mental health, our relationships with others, and our overall satisfaction with life.
Expressing gratitude means taking time to focus on the good things in our lives and expressing thanks for them. This can help reduce stress, improve our mood, and make us feel happier. One way to practice gratitude is to reflect on the best parts of our day, like the best thing we saw, ate, or did for ourselves or someone else. By doing this regularly, we can train our minds to look for the positive, which can improve our mental and physical health, and make us more resilient.
What are some ways to look after our physical health?
Water is an essential component of our bodies, and it plays an important role in regulating our body temperature and supporting our bodily functions. It's crucial to drink enough water to maintain our mental and physical health. Not drinking enough water can cause dehydration, which can lead to fatigue, headaches, and other health issues. Therefore, it's important to make sure we drink enough water every day to keep our bodies functioning properly.
It's important to eat a healthy and balanced diet to make sure our bodies get the nutrients they need. While it might be tempting to eat sugary or fatty snacks, regularly eating balanced meals can help improve our overall wellbeing, as well as boost our mood and energy levels. Experts in health and wellness recommend eating fruits, vegetables, and nuts in our diet in sufficient amounts. By doing so, we can ensure our bodies are getting the right nutrients to keep us healthy and feeling our best.
Regular physical activity and exercise can make us feel more energised, refreshed, and mentally alert. There are different ways to stay active, like going for walks or runs, doing yoga, or joining a fitness class. If you're new to exercise, start small and find an activity you like. Even 15 minutes of physical activity each day can help reduce stress, boost alertness and concentration, and improve our mood.
Our bodies require sufficient sleep and rest to recover and regain energy to function properly throughout the day. Getting a good night's sleep has a significant impact on how we feel mentally and physically and helps us perform at our best. Sleep experts recommend that adults sleep for at least 7 hours. However, sleeping well also depends on when we sleep and the quality of our sleep. It's important to establish a consistent sleep schedule by trying to wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends and holidays, and creating a routine around bedtime. To promote good sleep, we should avoid using electronic screens before bed, wind down, and make our sleeping environment comfortable.
Sometimes, when we experience difficult emotions, we may feel like turning to drugs or alcohol to help us feel better. While this may feel like it helps in the short-term, it generally tends to make things worse in the long-run and leaves us more dependent on these substances to cope with life’s challenges. Drinking too much coffee can have a similar impact.
What are some ways to connect with others?
When we feel alone and disconnected from others, it can lead to negative effects on our mental and physical health. Spending time with loved ones or talking to someone can help us feel more connected and improve our mental health. Providing support to others can also have a positive impact on our wellbeing. So, it's important to make an effort to connect with others.
Sometimes when we're feeling down or upset, talking to someone we trust like a close friend or family member can help us feel better. Talking about our feelings and sharing with someone else can help us feel like we're not alone and that someone else understands and cares about us. Even just saying how we feel out loud can help us to feel better because it helps us acknowledge and process our emotions. See our information on Seeking Support.
One of the common issues for people who experience gambling harm is that the people around them may also gamble or have positive attitudes towards gambling. This can make it really challenging for them to change their gambling. It’s worthwhile trying to establish new relationships with people who don’t gamble. It can be daunting to try to make new friends and connections, but the reward is worth it. Trying out a new exercise or fitness class, joining a sports team or a new online group, or taking up a new group hobby are all ways in which people might establish new connections.
Taking care of your health and wellbeing can be challenging so it’s a good idea to start with what feels comfortable for you and take things at your own pace. Start with one or two things that you can manage and achieve. As you become more comfortable with these practices, you can add more to your routine.
If you're finding it difficult to implement these strategies on your own, it's okay to ask for help from a trusted friend, family member, or a professional. Remember that taking care of your health and wellbeing is a journey, and it's important to be kind to yourself along the way.
Do you want more help?
To find out more about how to focus on your health and wellbeing, you can start an online chat with us or call the Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 – free, confidential, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These services are available to support anyone affected by gambling harm, including family members or friends.
Taking care of our health and wellbeing can be challenging so it’s a good idea to encourage your family member or friend to start with what feels comfortable for them and take things at their own pace. Encourage them to start with one or two things that they can manage and achieve. As they become more comfortable with these practices, they can add more to their routine.
If they’re finding it difficult to implement these strategies on their own, it's okay for them to ask for help from a trusted friend, family member, or a professional. Remind them that taking care of their health and wellbeing is a journey, and it's important to be kind to themselves along the way.
Do you want more help?
To find out more about how to focus on their health and wellbeing, you or your family member or friend can start an online chat with us or call the Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 – free, confidential, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
These services are available to support anyone affected by gambling harm, including family members or friends like you. It’s not only the person who gambles that can be affected, but the people close to them too. It’s important to take care of yourself when you’re supporting someone else. Check out the family and friends section in our peer support community to connect with people who understand.
Taking care of our health and wellbeing can be challenging so it’s a good idea to encourage the person you’re working with to start with what feels comfortable for them and take things at their own pace. Encourage them to start with one or two things that they can manage and achieve. As they become more comfortable with these practices, they can add more to their routine.
If they’re finding it difficult to implement these strategies on their own, it's okay for them to ask for help from a trusted friend, family member, or another professional. Remind them that taking care of their health and wellbeing is a journey, and it's important to be kind to themselves along the way.
Do you want more help?
To find out more about how to focus on their health and wellbeing, you or the person you’re working with can start an online chat with us or call the Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 – free, confidential, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
These services are available to support anyone affected by gambling harm, including family members, friends, and professionals like you. It can be hard for professionals to support people with gambling issues. To learn more about how you can help, go to our section on How Professionals Can Help.
