Mental Health – Here's 7 Tips From Me To You!
Cheryl Finlayson ? Career Coach
? Career coach specialising in ? Resume, Cover Letter and LinkedIn Coaching ? Interview Preparation ? Job Search and Networking Strategies ? Personal Branding ? Mentoring ? Just be You!
I describe the past 18 or so months as being inside a washing machine and they've put me on the high spin cycle on a regular basis and maybe you feel the same way. I think the decision to be proactive about mental health is an important one. If you’ve made the call to be mindful about your mental health, well done!
Life can get busy, and the little things we can do to be kinder to ourselves often become an afterthought; as a result mental health issues are common. In fact, statistics show that one in five Australians will experience a mental health condition at any given time.
The good news is, like our physical health, there are things you can do to improve your mental health.
Here's 7 Tips For Looking After Your Mental Health
1. Find Your Tribe: Joining a community and building relationships with others is proven to make you feel better. Gaining a sense of belonging, involvement, and purpose can give further meaning to your work and everyday life. It’s important to stay connected with family or friends, so try to arrange regular face to face or Zoom catch ups or go for a walk with a friend.
2. Befriend Your Body: Exercise is a great outlet for stress release, plus it makes you feel good. When you exercise, endorphins are released through your body and blood is pumped to your brain, which lifts your mood and helps you think more clearly.
3. Food For Thought: Your diet and mental health are closely related. Eating quality foods such as vegetables, fruit and lean protein helps to lift your mood, energy and concentration levels.
4. Get A Good Night's Sleep: When it comes to mental health, sleep is a game changer. A good night's sleep helps you feel refreshed. It also boosts your mental and emotional resilience, helps you deal with daily challenges and improves the relationships you have with the people around you. Try to practise good sleeping habits, like going to bed at a regular time each night.
5. Keep Your Cool: Stress affects people in different ways. While it’s normal to feel stressed sometimes, severe and ongoing stress can lead to mental health problems.
Beyond Blue share some ways to help reduce stress:
Take Time Out. Pro-actively scheduling ‘time out’ in your calendar each week will help you rejuvenate. Make the most of this ‘down time’ to reflect, meditate, or do something special for yourself to help keep your mind healthy.
Reflect. Making time to contemplate and reflect on the things you’re grateful for in life has been linked to happiness, positive well-being and mental health. Try to recite three small things you’re grateful for at the end of each day.
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Do What Makes You Happy. It’s important to do at least one thing that makes you happy every day. This can also help take your mind off things that might be worrying you. Make time to enjoy things like listening to music, reading, gardening, writing, learning something new, a hobby or spending time with family and friends.
Manage Your Workload. Work plays a big role in our lives and is often one of the biggest causes of stress. If work is increasing your stress levels, try to avoid long hours, additional responsibilities, and learn to say ‘no’ more often. A sustainable work-life balance is really important. This area is a big one and solutions can take a little while to uncover however chip away at it – until you find what works for you!
Resolve Personal Conflicts. Stress in personal relationships can be a major contributor to anxiety and depression. Learning how to communicate honestly, and address problems or conflicts as they arise, will help you keep a calm state of mind. If you’re struggling with your relationship, a counsellor or psychologist may help.
Relax and Breathe. Incorporating breathing and muscle relaxation exercises into your daily routine can be beneficial to your overall well-being. Taking a few deep breaths will slow your heart rate down and make you feel more relaxed.
6. Be Mindful: Mindfulness is focusing on the present. It’s about having awareness of your thoughts and learning to focus your attention to where you want it. Practising mindfulness in your day-to-day life can reduce stress and improve your physical and mental health. Why not try listening to a mindfulness podcast in the morning whilst exercising?
7. Reach Out For Help: If you are experiencing a mental health issue, a good place to start the discussion about getting help is with your GP/Health Practitioner for advice about any mental health or emotional concern.
For more tips and information on how to take care of your mental health, visit:
If you feel coaching may be helpful for your job search, promotion or updating your marketing material ie Resume, Cover Letter and LinkedIn - you are welcome to book a 30 minute complimentary chat to talk about your career situation via www.cherylfinlaysoncoach.com or if easier, message me on LinkedIn. Like everything in life, having someone to lean on makes things so much easier.
The best project you'll ever work on is YOU!
Cheryl