Notes on wellbeing #2

Reading ??

I recently read "Notes on a nervous planet" by Matt Haig. A truly remarkable and insightful account of the author's mental health struggles. Using his personal experience Matt looks at how we can cope better in the modern world by being more mindful in the way that we think and behave towards the climate, addictions, news, social media, work, play, and sleep.

It was the perfect book for me to kick off the year, as I started the first few days of 2022 in a low mood. As I began reading the book, it quickly started to resonate with me and reminded me of all the things that contribute to me feeling anxious and stressed, but at the same time it also reminded me of how to take myself out of that zone and get back into a better frame of mind.

The thing is we generally know what doesn't work for our mental wellbeing but we do it habitually anways, things like overworking, constantly checking our phones for upates and mindlessly scrolling through social media, not setting boundaries, getting stuck inside our own head (this one I am super guilty of), comparing ourselves to others, eating too much junk food, lack of exercise, bottling up feelings, drinking too much, not making time to take care of ourselves, and the list goes on.

Here is a passage from the book that really helped me to get out of my own head and be more present:

"One frustration with anxiety is that it is often hard to find a reason behind it. There may be no visible threat and yet you feel utterly terrified. It's all intense suspense, no action, It's like jaws without the shark.

But often there are sharks. Metaphorical sharks. Metaphorical, invisible sharks. Because even when we sometimes feel we are worried for no reason, the reasons remain there.

'You're gonna need a bigger boat,' said chief Brody, in Jaws itself.

And maybe that's the problem for us, too. Not the metaphorical sharks but our metaphorical boats. Maybe we would cope with the world better if we knew where those sharks were, and what we need to navigate the waters of life unscathed."

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So, it struck me that these metaphorical sharks were actually tasks on my to do list, and what I needed to do in order to get out of my own head was to be more present to the moment and ensure I was making time for myself to support my wellbeing as well as tending to the never ending tasks in my personal and professional life.

Since completing the book, I have managed to stay out of my head or catch myself (I have a doodle on my desk reminding me to get out of my own head) when I may be heading there, and bring myself back into the present moment, where I feel more alive, happier and grateful for everything in my life!

What have you read or tried recently that is helping you to navigate the choppy waters of modern life?

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If reading for long periods of time is something you're struggling with, start by setting a small challenge of reading for just six minutes a day. Read before bed and it'll help with sleep too.

Some key benefits of reading:

- Reduces stress

- Improves your vocabularly

- Prevents cognitive decline

- Lengthens lifespan

- Improves your concentration

- Increases empathy

- Aids sleep

#mentalhealth #wellbeing #reading #gratitude #mindfulness