We’re living in the middle of a silent epidemic. Even as we’ve collectively lived through borders shutting down and hospitals filling up over the past few years, a second threat has been creeping up - and this one has no vaccination.
It's our mental health that has come under tremendous stress during Covid 19 and beyond.
With one in five people these days reporting that they’re struggling with stress, anxiety and depression, the scale of the problem is immense. From the soaring cost of living to global conflict and climate change, it's easy to see why the problem is so acute.
And while it may feel like there’s not a huge amount we can do individually to solve those issues, what we can learn to do is manage our minds and our thoughts. There are ways to improve your mental health.
Many of them revolve around small, manageable daily rituals that can balance your mental wellbeing and help you to refocus your mind and improve your day. Here are five that you can start today.
Take control of your inner dialogue
Did you know that on average, a massive 80 percent of our daily thoughts are negative? We live so much of our lives mentally immersed in either the past or the future, with repeating thoughts that become our subconscious dialogue. This is such a part of our natures that we don’t even question it.
Our brains are highly efficient survival machines and are hardwired to constantly scan the horizon for threats. Unfortunately, this protective mechanism can often backfire and leave us feeling like we’re drowning in a spiral of negative thoughts.
While we can’t stop this, it's often helpful to adapt a technique from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and ‘take that thought to court.’ When you become aware of yourself catastrophizing, stop the flow of negativity with one simple question ‘is this thought useful?’. It doesn’t matter if it's true or not. Is it serving you in this moment? Are panic and self-doubt moving you forward?
We can’t control our thoughts. But we can control what we pay attention to. The more airtime you give to negativity, the more it grows. Think of your mind a little like a constantly scrolling social feed. You might not have a huge amount of say in what pops up on screen. But you can ‘like’ and encourage the good stuff and ignore the parts that aren’t helpful. In little increments, you can move towards being kinder to yourself and using nicer language in your internal dialogue.
After all, if you wouldn’t say it to a friend, why on earth are you saying it to yourself? Even if it feels a little unnatural at first, remember that the brain is infinitely reprogrammable and over time, these thoughts will become part of your beliefs.
Get Moving
The link between physical and mental health is profound, and as bodies that run on chemicals, there are lots of physical things you can do to alter your levels of serotonin.
They say that ‘motion equals emotion’. If you feel mentally stuck, getting moving physically really can help. Daily exercise is absolutely key to feeling good inside and out. One of the best things I’ve done for my mental health is actually getting a dog. As I mostly work from home, I could spend the whole day in my office without moving until it was time to do the school run. Having our spaniel, Indy, means I have to leave the house to walk her.
Having that quiet time out in a bit of nature before the demands of the day begin, or as a lunchtime move away from my desk, has made a big change in my happiness levels. Research suggests that a daily dose of exercise is just as effective as a mild to moderate dose of antidepressants.
Try something new, join a low-cost gym for some classes, follow a free workout on YouTube or simply just plan a daily walk into your calendar. Whatever you feel comfortable with is great - you can always work up from that point.
This is doubly important during the winter months, when a lack of sunlight can lead to a worse emotional state. Getting outside and moving around on a daily basis can be considered your medicine for leading a more balanced life and improving your mental health.
Reach Out
It's almost like isolation is our new default state. For many of us, the enforced shutting off from the world that happened during the pandemic has become an embedded part of our psyche.
I’ve noticed that I struggle more to push myself into doing things socially, even though I enjoy them when I make the effort. So take a moment to make some plans. Start simply by meeting someone for a coffee or a walk. Make it a regular thing, and you’ll feel the benefits of spending face to face time with someone who makes you smile.
Yes, it does sometimes take giving yourself a bit of a push to do it, but you’ll find a great reward in it.
Follow the One Percent Rule
Change can often feel overwhelming - whether that is a career move, getting healthier or even simply changing your mood and mindset.
Our brains like the path of least resistance, so overcoming small bad habits that make up our day-to-day lives can be hard. The trick is to make yourself a goal that asks for just a one percent improvement. Even with low motivation, it's easier to get started that way and create a positive momentum.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that these small changes aren’t significant. If you eat really well on Monday but fall down on Wednesday - that’s still 104 days of healthy eating per year. Running just 1km each day is 365k per year. Becoming one percent better is 37 times better per year.
Small habits are underestimated, but they are the building blocks of our lives. What small change could you make today?
Replace Doubt With Gratitude
If you’ve never read it, I highly recommend The Chimp Paradox for a deep dive on the way our brains are set up. Let’s be honest, the world feels in a bit of a mess sometimes and it’s all too easy to let worry and fear run the show right now.
How do you balance it? The answer is to focus on gratitude. We need to remember not to lose sight of the positive in life. Writing down three things you’re truly grateful for each night before sleep, and when you wake up in the morning, placing your hand over your heart and thinking through these things has been a really simple but powerful trick I’ve used when I’ve been struggling mentally.
By helping to rewire your brain take more notice of the things we all take for granted - from our health and our familiies to simply being able to eat a hot meal at night - you’ll interrupt your anxiety and start to rewire your neural pathway to be more focused on the good in the world around us.
Simple, free and actionable today - why not give the tips above a try today?
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