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Taha hinengaro is our mind, heart, conscience, thoughts and feelings

Taha hinengro is about how we feel and how we communicate and think.

Taking care of taha hinengaro is important for everyone, regardless of whether or not we've experienced mental illness or distress.

When taha hinengaro is strong, we can better cope with life's challenges. We can express our feelings and reach out for support from friends, whānau and hoamahi (colleagues) if we need to.

Some surprising lifestyle choices can get in the way of having healthy taha hinengaro as outlined below.

Food

What we eat affects our taha hinengaro. Eating some foods can improve our mood and mental wellbeing, while other foods can have a negative impact on how we feel. That means we can improve our taha hinengaro by making small changes to our diet. Luckily, the same eating habits that keep us mentally well also support our taha tinana.

Physical activity

How much we move also affects our taha hinengaro. Physical activity not only appears to reduce the symptoms and frequency of depression but, better still, reduces the risk of becoming depressed at all!

Alcohol

Drinking alcohol can lift our mood with the first glass, but too much alcohol, too often, can be a downer for taha hinengaro.

Managing stress

Learning how to manage stress also supports taha hinengaro and is a key life skill. Stress is our body's natural reaction to a threat or an excess demand. Some stress is good for us and helps motivate us to get something done. But when we are under too much stress for too long, it affects our taha hinengaro.

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