How Mental Wellness creates the Mental Toughness you need to grow beyond post-pandemic stress

COVID-19 will end and two groups will emerge. The mentally focused and resilient, and those who are mentally exhausted and depleted. One group will thrive and move forward in strength, while the other group struggle to manage basic life issues and just survive. Which group will you be in?

The pandemic has been exhausting for everyone, but some don't seem as impacted because they understand the connection between the physical/ mental/ social/ spiritual/ relational spheres of life. Resiliency and mental toughness require disciplined habits in each of these areas, yet one of the most ignored and overlooked during this prolonged crisis is mental health. Just as you would not ignore a broken bone, wisdom says one should not ignore a wounded soul which sadly is common among first responders. Neuroscientists now understand how continual exposure to trauma impacts our overall health, which is why many crisis management teams follow a holistic model of care connecting the body and soul and spirit for continual energy and strength.

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”- World Health Organization, 2006

Special forces teams who face continual stress understand the goal is to achieve total health in all categories. Skipping the mental health impact of trauma can lead to chronic physical health problems which are more likely to ripple into other types of health problems. One study done in England revealed how long-term physical conditions like chronic pain could increase the likelihood of developing a mental health problem by seven times.

This sadly leads to early death because two-thirds of people with serious mental health problems will die prematurely from a treatable physical health condition. It’s a vicious cycle. Untreated mental health leads shorten life for many and the quality of life for more. That’s why more and more people are talking about the need for mental health instead of mental illness, which is the most important first step toward total wellness.

Consider athletes like Olympic champion Michael Phelps or NBA legend Metta World Peace (the former Ron Artest) are speaking openly about how they used counseling to gain mental strength for competition. Add that to a growing number of respected film, television, radio and media professionals talking about how they value their own mental health, and why they go to counseling to keep their life, relationships and career healthy. Listen to the common sense advice from actor Kerry Washington in an interview with Glamour magazine, “I think it's really important to take the stigma away from mental health. My brain and my heart are really important to me. I don't know why I wouldn't seek help to have those things be as healthy as my teeth. I go to the dentist. So why wouldn't I go to a shrink?"

Some of the most successful professionals’ in the United States point to the benefits of therapy in their personal journey to manage high levels of stress. There are hundreds of celebrities who openly share about the benefits of counseling and therapy. Learning to find and then manage the inner pressure that blocks mental wellness through counseling has helped these professionals have better careers and more meaningful lives. Successful people like-

Dwayne, 'the Rock' Johnson, Michelle Obama, Howard Stern, Oprah, Kate Middleton, J.K Rowling, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Brad Pitt, Larry King, Prince Harry, Jon Hamm, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Jay Z, Adele, Kristen Bell, Dax Shepard, Halle Berry, Gwyneth Paltrow, Emma Stone, James Franco, Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Aniston, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Selena Gomez, Ryan Reynolds, Mariah Carey, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Lele Pons, Camila Cabello, Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, Brooke Shields, Pink, Emma Thompson, Kourtney Kardashian, Jennifer Garner, Taraji P. Henson, Tom Fletcher, Miley Cyrus, Glenn Close, Lena Dunham, Jared Padalecki, Kendall Jenner, Chrissy Teigen, Gina Rodriguez, Whitney Cummings, Lili Reinhart, Sarah Silverman, Kelly Rowland, Sadie Robertson, Ellie Goulding, Nicki Minaj, Amanda Seyfried, Ryan Phillippe, Winona Ryder, Zayn Malik, Zendaya, Kristen Stewart, Cara Delevingne, Camila Mendes, Neil Patrick Harris, David Burtka, Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade, Tori Spelling, Fergie, Josh Duhamel, Ali Wong, Justin Hakuta, Clark Gregg, Jayson Williams, Patrick Dempsey, Jillian Fink, Jessica Williams, Kristin Cavallari, Jay Cutler, Cameron Diaz, Benji Madden, Robin Dearden, Kim Kardashian, Bryan Cranston, Kanye West, Michael B. Jordan, and many, many more who have talked about the benefit of therapy during COVID.

Some of the most successful people in their industry are talking about how counseling opened up new strength with strategies over their stress, anxiety, OCD, depression, anger, panic, attention deficit disorder and relationship conflict.

Stigma is shattered as you share your story and these celebrities are opening the conversation for everyone to talk about mental health. Everyone faces mental health challenges at times and it is normal and responsible to seek help. As celebrities open up about the benefits of therapy it will empower others to follow in their courageous footsteps by shattering the stigma of working on mental health as a weakness. Now the most successful understand working on self-care and mental health is a sign of strength building.

Kerry Washington further explained in an interview with Essence magazine how she sought therapy to combat her binge-eating and exercise addiction, "Learning how to love myself and my body is a lifelong process. I don’t struggle the way I used to. Therapy helped me realize it's okay for me to communicate my feelings. Instead of literally stuffing them down with food, maybe it's okay for me to express myself."

These successful athletes, actors, musicians, leaders, and media personalities go to counseling to build mental and emotional wellness for greater success in their professional careers and personal relationships. It’s a source of their strength instead of a stigma. The most successful have seen the benefits of having help to manage continual pressure.

Their confidence flows out of greater mental strength and resilience over mental stress. Actively working on issues is how you can solve them, ignoring the building pressure inside can lead to mental disorders, mental illness and mental diseases.

Consider how common it is for Americans to struggle with mental pressures, (this data was before the pandemic and will likely be much worse in a post-pandemic world) -

· One in every 5 adults experiences a mental health condition every year (20%)

· One in 17 lives with a serious mental illness like bipolar disorder

· For every person experiencing a mental illness, family, friends, employers and communities are significantly affected (multiplier effect)

· 75% of mental health conditions develop by age 24

These sobering statistics led the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Legislature to implement mental and emotional health curriculum for all students, in grades 6-12. The state educational leadership understood the benefits of identifying mental and emotional health factors early, it prevents a host of other health and behavioral problems in the teens and twenties. Just as early prevention and screening of physical conditions like blood pressure, cancer, diabetes and heart disease can protect physical health; the early screening of depression, anxiety, ADD, OCD, complex grief or trauma can lead to a better quality of life mentally for these students. This education is more important than ever with the added stress of doing schoolwork via zoom during COVID-19.

“Mental health is a state of wellbeing in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” - World Health Organization

Mental Health Hurts more than people – it affects the Economy

It has been said people don’t quit jobs, they quit bosses. Research by Thriving at Work, (Stevenson & Farmer, 2017) support that conclusion, since staff turnover, reduced productivity, company morale problems, and serious stress related sickness leads to multiple absences were related to mental/emotional working conditions.

These researchers found six ways to strengthen company productivity and profitability with simply building mental wellness programs into the work experience including:

1. Produce, implement and communicate a mental health at work plan

2. Develop mental health awareness among employees

3. Encourage open conversations about mental health and the support available when employees are struggling (like EAP or counseling)

4. Provide employees with good working conditions

5. Promote effective people management and communication skills

6. Routinely monitor employee mental health and wellness as a major goal of a successful workplace

This approach at work is an important step to remove the stigma of mental health, since it’s common to call in sick for a physical illness like a cold or the flu. However, calling in sick for an anxiety attack, post-partum depression or PTSD flashback is another story. Employers are paying more attention to the need to have open conversations about mental and physical wellness for all employees since untreated emotional conditions can lead to chronic physical illnesses such as heart disease or diabetes and early death. The longer the pandemic continues - the more likely these mental health related conditions will erode the workforce leading to gaps in service.

Sadly, untreated mental illness can lead to the increase of physical injury from self-destructive behaviors like substance abuse or suicide. Suicide is the tenth most common cause of death in the United States, ninth leading cause of death in Florida, and second most common of death for teens. Adolescents die more frequently from self-harm than cancer, heart-disease, respiratory illness, influenza, pneumonia, stroke, meningitis, diabetes, HIV, kidney, liver and all other childhood diseases combined. A study done at Florida State University found Firefighter first responders were more likely to die from suicide than from being killed on the job at work.

Celebrities, athletes, public schools and other leaders are addressing mental health issues to confront these growing health concerns and it’s time for others to follow their lead.

So what else we do to create a path toward mental wellness and away from mental illness?

1. Start the conversation to remove any stigma of seeking mental health care

2. Educate about stress related illness and the risks of ignoring symptoms

3. Support people openly talking about mental health instead of shaming

4. Make mental/emotional issues a normal part of life and a normal topic of creating a healthy lifestyle from childhood all the way to senior adulthood

5. Encourage supportive conversations and shared experiences of building resiliency over stressful life experiences like being fired, bankruptcy, being abused, being divorced or losing a family member to death or disease. If you talk through it you can get through it.

6. Practice wellness – both physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually every day. Self-care is essential for survival in a time of pandemic - or any other time.

Create a Mental / Emotional Wellness plan for greater peace and mental focus

Exactly what does mental wellness, (the opposite of mental illness) look like?

Here are ten strategies to create emotional and mental wellness, which when practiced will lead to renewed personal power and inner peace.

1. Protect your mental health with sleep, hydration, exercise, and meditation

2. Know what you are feeling and have the vocabulary to express that to others

3. Become curious instead of furious with people (unoffendable)

4. Become committed to change and personal growth, instead of blame or attack

5. Know your strengths along with your weaknesses and then build on strengths

6. Know how to say no (to yourself and others) and learn to speak your needs

7. Let go of mistakes, but hold onto the lesson (release regrets)

8. Practice generosity instead of greed through the principle of Give/Save/Live

9. Practice gratitude instead of holding onto grudges or resentment

10. Know how to unplug to recharge or restore your mental health in nature or with prayer and reflection on the truths of scripture about the beauty of creation

You are the one most responsible for your health which is why you are the best one to protect and improve your health in all categories. Just as you wouldn’t ignore a broken bone, you cannot ignore emotional pressure. Mental and emotional problems do not go away with silence, because ignoring inner pressure only makes it worse.

Take your total health seriously, talk to your friends and share your wellness journey because when you get better, everyone around you will follow your lead and the results will change your relationships, your company or your community for good. Coronavirus will end - will you be stronger than when it started? You have a choice to make about your own health, and when you choose peak wellness, you, your family and coworkers will be in the group who enjoy success and significance, so get started today!

About the Author: C. Dwight Bain is an author and Nationally Certified Counselor who guides people in rewriting their story through the power of positive change. Follow him @DwightBain for daily postings of trends and techniques to build a stronger quality of life