Did you know May is Mental Health Awareness Month? A month to celebrate the advances in mental health and to reflect on our own health.
In October, I wrote a blog about Mental Wellbeing, which I include at the bottom of this blog. I encourage all my clients and friends to learn to meditate as I believe that it is a most powerful tool for mental health and physical health. But I didn’t always think that way.
I used to be a biofeedback and neurofeedback therapist. These fascinating technologies help people learn to modulate their bodily functions such as heart rhythm (HRV biofeedback), sweating, breathing, and brain wave activity (neurofeedback). I worked mainly with kids with significant autism and ADHD. I had a couple of kids who were resistant to the therapy, and I asked my mentor for support. She asked, “have you taught them to meditate yet?” My rigid, neuroscience-trained brain replied, “no, why would I do that?” She sent me off with some homework: to research the benefits of mindfulness and meditation. I was blown away by what I discovered: Countless (small, because of a lack of funding) studies showing that mindfulness helps with many medical conditions and can even be used as an addition to medical treatment in severe mental health conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, as well as depression (the most common health problem in the world) and anxiety. That was 13 years ago, and now the research is even more robust, and mindfulness has become increasingly accepted and mainstream.
I taught a class on the science of mindfulness and meditation a week ago and shared what follows.
Martin Seligman of the Positive Psychology movement teaches that to be mentally well, we need to do seven things regularly. Meditation and mindfulness can hit all seven of these things.
- Experience positive emotions: Close your eyes and put your hand on your heart and think of something that makes you feel happy, grateful, proud, or excited.
- Engagement: In meditation, you are often asked to become completely engaged with a “focus of attention,” like your breath, a sound, or an object.
- Relationships (positive ones): Think of someone you love, and bring them the following wishes “may you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be safe, may you be at peace.” Repeat this mantra for yourself.
- Meaning: Think of something or someone that is important to you. Why are they important? This taps into your sense of meaning.
- Achievement: Think of an area of your life that you are happy with. Think about this area of your life… think of the effort you have put in, and think about your progress. Think about the challenges you have overcome.
- Brain health: Now, think about your amazing body. Your beautiful, complex body is working hard every moment of every day… doing its best to keep you healthy. Bring gratitude to your body for its hard work… for being home to your extraordinary unique mind… to your beautiful soul.
- Resilience: Think about a challenge in the past that you overcame. Think about what you had to do to overcome this challenge. Think about how you grew as a person and became stronger.
In a single meditation, you will likely not hit all of these 7, but if you hit one, it will change your mental wellbeing during the practice and for some time afterward. Sometimes it can take a while to find a meditation or mindfulness practice that suits you, and that’s fine. Keep searching, there are thousands of teachers and approaches and there will be one that suits you. Because of the profound benefits of meditation and mindfulness, I believe it is worth the search.
October 2021 Blog
I gave a talk last week on self-care and it was very timely. Record numbers of people are chronically stressed and heading for burnout.
The World Health Organization defines burnout as “Chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”
It is an occupational phenomenon and not a medical condition. However, it has become synonymous with chronic stress for everyone.
There are 3 dimensions of burnout syndrome:
1. Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
2. Increased mental distance from one’s job or feelings of negativism or cynicism
3. Reduced professional efficacy.
Whether chronic stress is workplace-related or not self-care remains an important tool for preventing and treating it.
The WHO also defines self-care… “The ability (of individuals, families, and communities) to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider.”
As you may know, I love science-based strategy. When it comes to self-care Wellbeing theory from the positive psychology movement offers a great framework.
If you’re not feeling good or are suffering from persistent stress or negative emotions ask yourself what can I do today in these fields (PERMA + Brain Health + Resilience):
- Positive emotions: Do something that makes you feel good. e.g. meditate, dance to your favorite song, play with your pet or kids, watch a favorite TV show. However, this doesn’t include nihilistic endeavors or simple self-soothing which may have side effects e.g. getting drunk or binge eating.
- Engagement: Do something that really engages you. This could be something where you felt energized, really had fun, lost track of time doing something where you got in flow-state, were really interested or felt inspired to do something.
- Relationships (positive ones): First this begins with connecting with yourself, perhaps through journaling, reading a self-help book or a coaching session with your favorite coach. Then reach out to someone that lifts you up. Tell them what you need and embrace their support.
- Meaning: Do something meaningful that aligns with your values. Here’s an idea I share in my talk this week. Look back through some old photos. Find ones that make you feel good. Why does it make you feel that way? Enjoy that feeling… savor it.
- Achievement: We need to feel genuinely fulfilled and that comes from within… not from external trophies. Do things where you can control the outcome. Track and celebrate the small wins… the progress in your personal life. Do things that make you feel: Fulfilled, proud, like you are growing as a person or that you are contributing beyond yourself without expectation of anything in return: helping someone, being kind or volunteering.
- Brain health: Do something that’s good for your brain… eat something healthy and delicious, do some fun exercise activity or just get an early night and catch up on your sleep.
- Resilience: Play the silver-lining game… think of a challenge you have faced in the past, what gifts or opportunities came from it, in time. (Note this is possible for 99% of challenges at least).
Be pre-emptive about self-care… when you are chronically stressed or burn-out it’s not too late but the damage is already done. Promise yourself that you’ll do self-care activities every day!
“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” Buddha
Wishing you good health
Coach Leonaura
