The major new study, published today by Foresight, the Government’s think tank, suggests that there are five basic steps every person can take to safeguard their happiness.

And the report, researched over 2 years by over 400 international scientists, claims that boosting your mental health in small ways now will significantly decrease mental health problems later, no matter what your age.

Looking after your mental health now could also help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease in the future. To find out more about how you can cut your Alzheimer’s risk, Click Here: Preventing Alzheimer’s

The five daily steps to improving your mental wellbeing include spending time socialising and developing relationships with the people around you; making time for a daily dose of exercise or activity – whether it’s a sport, dancing or a walk; challenging yourself by learning how to do something new, such as cooking or learning a new language; taking time to notice and enjoy the good aspects of everyday life; and helping or doing something nice for those around you or the community.

The idea is that your mental health is linked to personal and social fulfillment, and affects the way you deal with life’s stresses – and the report suggests that boosting mental wellbeing could also reap very high economic and social benefits in the future. Mental-ill-health costs £77 billion a year for England alone.

The report identified three key areas which need to be tackled. These are learning in the early years, wellbeing at work, and the ageing population.

It also found that for good mental health, early intervention is crucial – whether it’s spotting and treating learning difficulties in children and young people or diagnosing dementia earlier in older people.

And findings showed that work is an important factor in mental wellbeing.

“The report has shown that if an individual is fulfilled in their work this positively affects wellbeing, this in turn will see reduced expenditure on the treatment of mental health problems,” said Professor John Beddington, the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser and Director of the Foresight Programme.

'Investing to identify and tackle learning difficulties early on and improving the take up of education and learning will result in people getting better jobs. Acting now in a co-ordinated way is even more important as the pressures on our society change. Competition from abroad and uncertain economic times will drive people to work harder and smarter. Both will result in increasing demands made on individuals and the state'.

The report also found that in the early years, an estimated 10 per cent of children have a learning difficulty of some kind. Dyslexia and dyscalculia (number blindness) can both substantially reduce lifetime earnings and GCSE achievement, with dyscalculia potentially as common as dyslexia - but frequently undetected. Improvements in early detection and intervention would prevent problems developing further and improve educational achievement.

“This report is the most significant that we have seen in years. It recognises that mental health applies to everybody, not just those with a mental illness,” said Dr Andrew McCulloch, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation.

“Mental health has often been neglected because, until now, the wider relevance of mental health to the general population has not been fully understood.”

Read More on Mental Health

Beat Stress: Simple Stress Busters

Panic Attack Information: Beating Panic Attacks

Understanding Depression

Could Your Mind Be Making You Sick?