Mind Your Health

This week was Mental Health Week. 

Do we really need to be talking about it?

Is it really that important?

Should we be talking about it with our little humans?

In response to all three of these questions, I say - 

According to the World Health Organisation, mental health is “a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”

I love the line - realises his or her own potential. In order for one to realise his or own potential, one must be in total control of one's thoughts.

Here is the thing. Mental health and wellbeing are a lot more openly spoken about these days than it ever was. Yet people, of all ages, are still battling with it more than ever. The fact that we are more open to talking about it provides more support to those who need it but it is still a topic that some people avoid talking about. My assumption is that people avoid talking about it because they don't fully understand or feel comfortable.

Imagine if we started teaching our little humans, from a very young age about mental wellbeing and the power of their thoughts! Imagine if we taught them about compassion and empathy and taught them from the very beginning that everyone has the same feelings and emotions! Do you think that might change the trajectory or improve mental health for their future? Of course it would!

You might disagree with me - and that is perfectly okay - but I believe we should be using this language of mental health and wellbeing with our little humans.

Why? Because having a healthy mind is just as important as having a healthy body. And for our little ones - that is the simplest and easiest way to explain! 

 Your mental health is more important.

It is more important than any exam, interview, lunch date, meeting, or family gathering. At the end of the day, none of those things are truly important. The most important thing you can ever do for yourself is taking care of yourself.

 The mind and body are not separate. What affects one, affects the other. 

It took me a long time to learn and understand this and now that I am aware, I work harder than ever on improving my self-talk and maintaining a healthy mental wellbeing. Often we don't connect the two together. I know I certainly didn't! But emotional pain (all inclusive in the mental health arena) is not just in the mind. It shows up in your body as physical pain. In order to heal our body, we must first work on healing our mind. 

 You can not fill from an empty cup

 I think a lot of us underestimate the power of this simple statement. In order for us to look after and love and support those closest to us and in order to show up as our best selves, we need to fill our own cup first. Simply put, take care of your own wellbeing so you are able to take care of others. Just like on a plane, when they tell you to fasten your seatbelt first then your child's. In order to bring the best of yourself to others, you must bring the best to yourself first. Self-love is not selfish. You cannot truly love another until you know how to love yourself first.

So what is important for us to think about if we want to improve our mental health and wellbeing? All of these are not just for us as adults, but also for our little humans.

Teach them early to value their mental wellbeing.

 Your child's mental health is more important than their grades.

I want to be perfectly clear here. Yes, education is important and should be valued. Learning is important and is a lifelong skill. But who your child thinks they are and who they aren't will have a far greater impact on their life than whether their report card shows an A or a D. The mental health and self-talk of young minds will impact every aspect of their life, including their academic life. It is our responsibility to teach them every day, that they are loved, enough, worthy and that their thoughts have an impact on their life. We do this not just with our words but with our actions. 

 It's not what we say out loud that really determines our lives. It's what we whisper to ourselves that has the most power. 

I'm not good enough. I'm not fast enough. I'm not experienced enough. I'm not smart enough. I'm not loud enough. I'm not skinny enough. I'm not fit enough. He/she is better than me. Why should I even try? I am not going to be able to do it anyway. 

Any of these sound familiar? We say these phrases in our head more than we say them out loud. But they first appear in our head before we speak them. Our internal conversation with ourselves is far more powerful than any conversation with another human. The most important conversation you will ever have is the one with yourself. 

What holds us back is not what we are, it's what we think we aren't.

 What you think of yourself is much more important than what people think of you.

We all experience the fear of judgement. No one escapes it. If you think you are alone, you aren't. If you think some people around you don't feel it, they do. This is your life though. You know what is important for you. You already know and understand what is best for you, whether other people approve of it or not. Other people are too busy worrying about what you think of them! Focus on your own thoughts.

You, yourself, as much as anybody else in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. (Buddha)

 Self-love takes strength.

Our mental well-being is only as strong as our self-love. That's the bottom line. Our level of self-love determines our thought patterns and what we think we are deserving of in this life. The deeper our self-love the stronger we feel. The more courage we have in the face of fear. The more compassion and empathy we feel in the face of heartache and pain. The more joy we feel in the face of any and all life experiences. The more you love yourself, the more mindful you become of how you can positively impact those around you. Learn to love the darkest parts of yourself. The shadows that you are afrais to step out from. They are all part of you and make you perfectly imperfect and human.

Self-love is the source of all our other loves.

 Your focus can support your mental health.

Look back over your life to the most challenging parts. Look at the parts where you didn't know if you were actually going to make it through. Every time you didn't know or you thought you couldn't go any further or give any more, you did. Take a moment to appreciate the strength you already have within you. Everything you need is within you. Focus on building yourself up. Focus on the fact that you are still privileged enough to be living this life, even with all of the dark parts. 

The secret to change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. (Socrates)

Turn your fear into fuel. Live your truth. Be present. Practice gratitude and appreciation. Turn your failures into teachers. Use your weaknesses as a reason to keep fighting forward. Use your pain and your story to help others. Journal, meditate, cry, laugh, scream, shout, dance, run. Whatever you need to do for YOU - go and do that.

Until next week...have a mindful and joyful week,

Clarissa xo