Healthy Minds
Our minds are extremely powerful places. It has the ability to dictate how we see a situation and then how we react to it. Sometimes positively, sometimes negatively. Our minds are such incredible places. They are filled with our dreams, memories, thoughts, beliefs, imagination and many more things. But, our mind can also be a place of darkness, pain, unresolved tensions, lies and confusion.
How many times a day do we check in with our bodies physically? How often do you say to yourself, ‘I’ll take the stairs today’ or ‘I will have extra salad for lunch’ or ‘maybe I will walk there instead of going in the car’? For a lot of us the thought to do something ‘better for our bodies’ will be common. But, how many times can we honestly say we check in with our minds? How often do we consciously catch those positive or negative thoughts when we say them to ourselves?
We’ve been told for years that we should exercise and eat well to take care of our bodies - goji berries are in but bacon is out - but, recently the conversation has increased around having healthy minds.
‘Down days’, as I like to call them, are times when it’s hard to see the positive things and hard to hold onto the truth. I am not referring to a mental health diagnosis here but times when we just feel low. We can all have ‘down days’, I know I do. Being able to recognise those days, taking time to consider what the route may be and making positive steps to take care of our minds is incredible important.
There are a few things that I’ve found really help my mind to remain positive and truthful. Some are daily, some are when I feel I need them. They are not revolutionary and you’ve probably heard them before but I honestly notice the difference to my mind-set when I am not being intentional about doing these things.
Practice gratitude
How often do you write down or think about what you are grateful for?
When we express things we are thankful for it helps to shift our perspective off things that are not so great and can really help to change our mind-set. For some, having a routine of writing three things they are grateful for before bed or in the morning really works. For others, it may be something you focus on in harder days. I don’t necessarily do this one every day but for a while during a tougher season we had a gratitude board up in our house to make sure we were shifting our attention onto things we were grateful for. Try it, it really does help!
Keep your eyes fixed on your race only
There’s so much I could say about comparison. It really is the total thief of joy. Comparing yourself to others is so hard not to do but also is an immediate way to lose confidence in yourself. Fill your mind with positive things about yourself. Learning to love yourself, wherever you are at, with your flaws is a daily choice but one that is so key to keeping your eyes fixed on your race only.
Do you know that no one else can run your race better than you can?
Do you know you’re the only one with the right talents for what you are doing right now and what you will be doing in 1, 5, 10 years time?
How much do you believe these?
This may sound silly but times when I have started to compare standing in front of the mirror stating truth is really powerful. Things like ‘I am enough’, ‘it’s okay to not have it all sorted’ and ‘I am beautiful’. I’ve also sometimes had these pinned to my mirror so I see it every day and allow it to soak in. While on the subject of comparions, Social Media is great in many ways but it can be a total stream of comparison. If you need to, take some time off it and focus on the present.
Exercise
I know, we’ve all heard this one before! But, exercise releases positive hormones in your body which are a massive help to keeping your mind healthy.
Find something you enjoy doing that gets your heart pumping a little – you don’t have to do sprints and press-ups! I have recently taken up yoga and am loving it. I am by no means an expert but I am enjoying trying something new and keeping it interesting. Give something a go which you have been meaning to try or something you have never done before.
It’s so hard when life is so busy to find the time (and energy) to do exercise but even trying to get a walk in or a 5 minute jog is better than nothing. Start small and build it up. If you can do something, however small, each day you really will notice the difference.
Surround yourself with a good community
Surround yourself with people who are going to build you up, pour truth into you and gently challenge those negative mind-sets. People who you are able to be honest, vulnerable and authentic with. The chances are they have experienced something similar before too. If you feel you don’t have anyone you can be open and honest with, be intentional in seeking this out. Equally, if there are people in your life who you know are unhealthy for you, don’t be afraid to take a step back. It is not selfish to remove yourself from situations that are draining to you.
Take time
Take some time to do something nice for yourself – whether that’s time out on your own (maybe more for the introverts of us!) or treating yourself to a coffee out. Taking some time outside of your daily routine to be honest with yourself and reflect on how you are can really help to process what we are going through. It’s important to give yourself a reality check on what we are saying to ourselves. For some this may include doing a mediation each day as part of a routine or focusing on a higher power where we find our purpose and value.
Take stock
A CEO once told me one of the most important advice he could give was to take some time out each year (you could do it more often if you wanted to) to take stock and evaluate his life. He said if there is an area you are not satisfied with, make a plan and change it.
Some of you may have heard of the ‘Wheel of Life’ which is an exercise that guides you through looking at various areas of your life like family/friends, career, hobbies/down time, physical health etc and allows you to rate your satisfaction with each area. This could be a great conversation starter if you have a coach or if you want to explore this further and how to reach more satisfaction in certain areas with me then get in touch.
Smile for ten seconds
This one is quick, easy but effective. Smiling or laughing definitely released positivity in us. It’s simple, just do a big toothy smile for ten seconds. Go on…
These are just a few things we can start to do to integrate into our lives to boost our mental health. If you are reading this and you’re thinking your mental health needs a bit of a deeper check and you have quite a few ‘down days’ please reach out to me or tell a friend or family member. Keeping our minds healthy is a daily journey we are all on. Take time to intentionally think about your mental health – you and your mind are so incredibly important.
