Modern life is busy, very busy. Every day is a whirlwind of things we pack into each 24 hours as we rush from one thing to another. It isn’t often that we give ourselves time to stop and think, to regroup and refresh ourselves. So, how can we ensure that we don’t reach burnout?
Today is world mental health day, a time when we can reflect how we need to take care of our mental wellbeing. People spend a lot of time worried about their physical fitness, with time at the gym, running or in other ways. Few of us spend time focusing on our mental fitness and investing time on that.
I have been doing a lot in the last 12 months to try to manage my mental state. The aim has been to deal with negative thoughts that enter my head and sometimes can refuse to leave. I know I am not on my own many, many people can feel down or depressed but so many don’t know where to turn for help. There is a lot of help available you just have to recognise that you have something you want to change.
For 12 months I have seen a life coach on and off. I know that may be something few people would admit to, and I also realise lots of people have views of life coaches that are clouded by things they have seen on television. But for me this has been a huge support to be able to turn around my thoughts and find ways of dealing with things that happen both in life and in my mind.
It has also led me to surround myself with people who support me. This wasn’t done by design, it is just something that has happened. As I have been working to improve my life, I have found so many other people who are facing similar challenges and are very supportive. It is having this support network, although I don’t call it that, which has been vital in the past few months.
In the same way that physical fitness requires constant attention so does mental fitness. There can be no let up. If I don’t recognise the warning signs then there are enough people around me who do and can help. My mum is one of the best and will say ‘are you ok’ as I walk through the door. She knows me so well and that is important. It provides me with an extra safety net.
So in these busy days where we are trying to squeeze so much into each day don’t forget to check your mental wellbeing.
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