Mental Wellbeing

For me mental wellbeing starts with learning. In my opinion the most useful things you will learn in life are about yourself, your body, your mind and your values. The exciting (and challenging) thing is we are continually changing and adapting, so there’s always something new to learn.

When we know more about who and what we are, we are better able to;

take care of ourselves
fuel ourselves with the right food
maximise our energy
manage our stress
love and be kind to ourselves
achieve what we choose to achieve
decide what we want to achieve

While we are all very different there are some similarities;

Our bodies like movement, physical challenge and work best when nourished with water and fresh food whilst also needing rest and relaxation.

Our minds like to be stimulated and stretched whilst also needing rest, just like our physical body.

Our values sometimes change throughout life but we all thrive when we know what they are and work towards goals which align with our values.

As a whole we work well when we are challenged and rested in equal balance. Or to put it another way, surviving when we need to while making the most of opportunities to thrive.

Surviving vs Thriving

At times we all need to just survive, get through the day one step at a time. Drink some water, have something to eat, rest and be kind to ourselves, knowing we will get through the day and hoping for more energy tomorrow.

In order to thrive we need to challenge our body and mind to the right degree, and this is the tricky part. Avoiding the all or nothing cycle. One day attacking things like a bull in a china shop and the next eating 4 bowls of pasta and a tub of ice cream while watching an endless stream of ‘The Big Bang Theory’.

Remember;

If you want to slob on the sofa with a bar of chocolate that is ok.

If you want to stay in bed that is ok.

If you want to have a big cry for no reason or for very good reason that is ok.

In the short term; chilling out, getting extra sleep and releasing emotions can be good for us, but will it serve us in the long run? It comes back to balance. A balance between surviving and thriving. A balance between challenge and recovery. Just like our bodies, our minds need time to recover as well. We challenge our bodies by running faster, jumping higher and lifting more. But in order for us to increase fitness, power and strength we need to take time to recover.

Be kind in the way you challenge yourself, challenge yourself just enough to get where you want to be without becoming overwhelmed. We hopefully all want to achieve something and in order to do that we need to be challenged. Challenge ourselves to improve while not negatively judging where we are right now or putting too much pressure on ourselves to get where we want to be, yesterday.

As important as it is to challenge ourselves it is equally important to recognise when we need to minimise challenge in our day to day life, take time out and relax. Accepting where we are right now and moving forward when we have the opportunity and when we are feeling on top of our game, creating these opportunities. I’m not talking about making bold life changing progress on a daily basis.

It’s perfectly ok if we feel like on some days, weeks and months no progress is made, you might be surprised at how taking the time out can boost productivity. The key is believing that overall we are on an upward trajectory.

Thank you for taking the time to read this short article please get in touch with comments, feedback and questions.

If you are currently facing challenges with maintaining your mental wellbeing and need to seek additional support and advice please call the Samaritans on 116 123

If you are in need of urgent professional medical attention call 999

Additional reading and resources;

https://www.samaritans.org/

https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/

Articles

Being Mentally Well