Three Tips for Managing Your Mental Health
Recently I had the opportunity to run a ‘Mental Health’ workout for the team at Blended Athletics to kick start a collaborative Movember Campaign (check it out here). I started the session sharing my story and how a series of life events led me to becoming an online mindset and performance coach. I had the opportunity to speak about what mental health means to me and why i'm so passionate about it. Please watch the video about my story below.
After a brief introduction, I had the opportunity to run this team of very fit humans through a physical workout at one of the best gyms in Dartmouth, but the difference between this workout and their typical team workout was that they were also being asked deep, meaningful personal questions WHILE they were working out.
You will see these posted throughout November on the Blended Athletics IG page, @blendedathletics. I had them answer these questions while they worked out so they didn’t have much time to think about their answers... providing rapid-fire, authentic responses without time to revise or censor. Some were pretty honest! (THANK YOU!)
All in all, the team at Blended was extremely inviting and it helped me realize how many people in this industry share similar stories to mine, echoing my reasons for wanting to spark change and commit to grinding day in and day out.
Here are MY TOP THREE TIPS to help with Managing YOUR Mental Health -
Practice Daily Gratitude
Taking 5-10 minutes every day to appreciate what we ALREADY HAVE allows us to more fully enjoy the fruits of our labour. This results in calming the mind and bringing yourself into the present moment with a greater appreciation for what you get to do with your life.
Journal / Creative Writing
I strive to journal 5 times throughout the week at a MINIMUM. This allows me to have a conversation with myself daily to ensure I am making the right life choices for MY MENTAL HEALTH.
Journaling doesn't appeal to everyone, thus another way to self-express is to simply write on paper in a form that resonates with you! This might mean doodling any drawings that come to mind, or just squiggles and random sayings.
The idea is to allow your mind to wander freely in a low-stakes mode of reflection and expression. This is a great way to off-load some of the unconscious work we do mentally to take on the thousands of tasks and demands in our days.
Create Support Systems and Lean on your Family
Speaking from experiences when I am at my lowest this is when I feel the most alone and begin to isolate. For years, this would make me spiral into depressions that would last months. To be honest, this is simply won't help, it unfortunately hurts you more.
I challenge you to LEAN ON your loved ones for support and ALLOW yourself the good graces of the POSITIVE ENERGY they will give.
Do not underestimate the power support can have on your mental health.