Hidden Demons – Mental Wellbeing in Action

Even before the outbreak of Covid-19, many people all over the world were struggling with their mental health.

The emphasis of governments, scientists and clinicians is quite rightly on physical health and survival. However, there is another dimension to the pandemic and its aftermath that is equally important: what will be the mental health impact of this crisis in the medium to long term?

How can people and companies withstand financial upheaval and bankruptcy? How can they deal with so much crisis and change without any of the usual coping mechanisms such as travel, exercise, sports, arts and theatre, concerts, socializing, or simply connecting face to face?

Chaos strikes and suddenly we realize we are more fragile than we thought—more exposed, unsafe, less in control. And this is a huge challenge for leaders who are used to control and handling change.

It is easy to invoke resilience. However, resilience is in short supply for many people who cannot understand quite what has hit them, either financially or in the loss of their usual bonds and customs, and what the future might bring.

We need guides to how we can survive not only with our mental and emotional wellbeing intact, but also strengthened, full of resourcefulness and agility.

And the key is perseverance.

MENTAL WELLBEING IN ACTION

The power of habit is extremely strong. Through some kind of neurological rewiring, instinct can turn into a habit of perseverance after only two or three simple repetitions.

If we refuse to give up once, we can refuse to give up two or three times. In other words, whatever life throws at us or whatever backslidings or delays we experience, we refuse to give up. If you’ve had a really dark moment, a moment when you perhaps thought of giving up or were drawn to an act of desperation, what brought you back from the edge? What was the instinct that saved you? What was the voice that spoke to you?

If you can recall its inner meaning, you can repeat if every time a similar urge comes to you in these difficult times. If you can remember those first steps back from the edge, you can recall your superpower. It then becomes ingrained in every tiny step you take away from the dark hole of fear or depression or overwhelm.

ACTION PLAN

After a while, you can create an Action Plan for crisis leadership based on your habit of perseverance. As you move through the different stages of recovery or bounce-back, think about some very specific actions you can take to improve your situation, some measurable goals you can aim for.

The Action Plan should be progressive and measured, not dramatic and immediate. Hopefully, by implementing a gradual step-by-step recovery plan, and by living in the present, you can start to recover. But your overall mental health will not automatically improve even when you reach your goals. It’s a gradual process as the brain takes time to re-programme.

However, your Action Plan will allow you to set your goals and create targets to achieve them. That’s where your need a Support Team to celebrate your successes. Every step counts.

What you really need is a clear vision for what you can achieve this week, next week, and next month. And you need someone to cheer you on for doing it.

10 ACHIEVABLE STEPS FOR WELLBEING

Here are some Action Steps to help you along the path of perseverance through these very uncertain times to a life transformed by your own superpower.

1. Create a habit of spirituality. It doesn’t have to be formal attendance at a church or mosque or temple. It can be a short prayer or mantra you say to yourself at private moments in the day, or when waking or going to bed. It is even more effective when accompanied by a quiet gesture of bowed head or tented hands. It should include gratitude and forgiveness–for example, you could begin your day with a short meditation and prayer of gratitude.
2. Find someone you can mentor. The person you choose may have a similar problem to the one you’ve experienced in your life or business. Try to put yourself in their position and accept that what works for you may not immediately work for them. Practice skills on them that may help your with your own Action Plan.
3. Join a gym class or group, even virtually, to get your endorphins moving. It could be a choir or a cycling club or a nature rambling group. The ideal combination is physical exercise, even on your own, together with a sense of group achievement, celebration and fun.
4. Recognize your fears – and work with them. By accepting them you free yourself from expecting the worst. We have no control of how things work out in the future, but by accepting that we free up our minds to think more positive thoughts that have just as much chance (and perhaps more) of happening.
5. Have a clear vision. Where do you our your business want to be in a few months or a year’s time? Remember that visions are not often realized in the way we expect. Success often comes from surprising directions and combinations. All you have to do is let your superpower guide you to recognise and await events as they unfold.
6. Create a mission statement. Write down who you want to be, what you want to achieve, and what you want to contribute to the world in these uncertain times, along with some clear steps on how you aim to get there. This mission statement may not turn out as you expect, but you can always revise your plan. NASA revises its detailed plans for its rockets to reach the moon 10,000 times between take-off and landing on the lunar surface.
7. Align your achievements, brand, products or mission with your values. Once you have your vision and mission, try to express them in everything you say or do?and especially in your professional life or the products you offer to the world as well as in your group activities.
8. Find an action step that you really want to do. Then enlist a member of your Support Team to back you up until you’ve made it a reality. Get their feedback and then offer to help them with something they’re struggling with: career, relationships, financial difficulties, etc.
9. Believe everything is possible. We cannot hope to change ourselves and realize extraordinary dreams if we do not have an open mind. As soon as we dismiss things as impossible, we close down our capacity to create reality from our dreams. Only by daring to dream can we create new habits of empowerment and new realities.
10. Take a risk. Dare to do something you’ve never done before. Remember your first steps away from the black hole? Take your courage in both hands and try something you could never imagine doing before: entering a dance or singing competition, speaking remotely at a charity event, running a Half-Marathon in your garden. It doesn’t matter what it is, only that you have dared to dream.

It’s amazing what you can achieve in your life if you connect and persevere!

Remember, you are not looking for sudden changes or dramatic improvement. Rather, you are seeking the more comforting sense of following a step-by-step blueprint for achieving mental and spiritual wellbeing for your self, your loved ones, the people you work with, family, friends, society and globally.

Resilience is not built in a day, but there is no doubt that we are going to see long-lasting change driven largely by individuals and companies wanting to build more resilience into their lives and businesses.

***

To find out more about how to keep the mindset, habits and perspective needed to stay centered, focused, healthy, and strong throughout this crisis, simply contact me at:

[email protected] or visit:

https://hidden-demons.com

Or if you’d like to chat to get some clarity on where you’re going with your mental health and resilience, schedule a confidential call at:

https://calendly.com/david-1997/rebalance