The First Step

We need to retreat inwards to acknowledge how we feel. You might feel like a black cloud is suspended over you, other times it may be traced to a certain incident, activity, experience or reason. We need to carve out time when we are not working, or busy looking after kids to simply sit with our thoughts and digest them. It might be in the middle of a meeting we have an overwhelming wave of anxiety, and it starts to pull us away from the present moment. We need to try and train our mind to focus on the moment, on the task at hand, and revisit this feeling once you have the clarity and space to go through it. It may be on your commute home, or during your evening walk where you can revisit the feeling and digest it with a clear head. When we multitask our bag of emotions with the things we need to achieve every day we feel positively burnt out.

Get the Right Kind of Help

We need to seek the right help. I am proud of the young people I speak too who are willing to raise their hands and share with me their daily challenges be it dealing with low self-esteem or pressures of school work. But some mental health issues stem from severe depression, and more complex psychological issues. Young people and adults need to acknowledge those concerns to seek the right kind of help. If we are becoming a society that is accepting of people having mental health issues, we have to be inclusive of all the different kinds of help and treatment each individual needs. To find the right kind of help, here are several hotlines to different agencies that can help.

Don’t Be Afraid

Easier said than done of course. I recently sat with a friend who feels stretched in every direction and fatigued. I encouraged her to start a little gratitude exercise with her child, which would put her mind in a positive place, reduce anxiety, help deal with adversity and build resilience and boost a more positive outlook. Her immediate response was that gratitude was too powerful and overwhelming to discuss with her child. She described it as almost un-Asian. Yet the science shows the immense benefit practising gratitude can have on one’s mental health. We are afraid of these words as much as we are afraid of really dissecting mental health issues when it is close to home. I encourage you to be open to describing how you feel, and open to getting to the right help to feel better.

3 Ways to Instantly Feel Better

For those of you needing a way to stay afloat during these hard times, here are three ways I pull myself out of a funk.

1.     Get Some Sun – sunshine and being outdoors makes us feel instantly happier and puts us in a good mood. Sunshine helps produce melatonin which helps with sleep. Being in the sun also helps fight depression and lowers anxiety. Sunshine on our skin produces vitamin d which helps our bones and overall health. Take a few minutes a day to step out into the sun, breath in fresh air to clear your mind and feel more centered.

2.     Practise Gratitude – cultivating a mindset that notices the silver lining, and positivity from your day has such a profound impact on mental health. The benefits of noticing what you have versus what you don’t, gives perspective to your life and meaning. It helps to reduce anxiety, improves sleep quality, improves cognition and communication with others and fosters better relationships, and even helps recovery from medical procedures.

3.     This Too Shall Pass – We hear this phrase a lot and the way I interpret it is to say one year from now, five years from now, or even on my deathbed will the challenges I am dealing with today be as important in the future? It helps me to tackle the feelings I am dealing with and makes it more manageable and less overwhelming to confront. Every difficult moment will pass, have faith it will.

I hope this month, you acknowledge the battles you are dealing with, stop and take the time to figure out what kind of help you need. Plan on getting the right help by breaking free of the stigma associated with mental health issues and embrace yourself and what you need to feel freer and happier. It takes small intentional steps in the right direction.

For life coaching sessions with Shireena, email shireena@sheensimageconsulting.com or call 92310299.

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