A Holistic Guide To Mental Wellbeing

These are undoubtedly strange and uncertain times. Our normal lives were turned upside down a couple of months ago casting us into new and challenging waters. This unknown terrain has left many feeling stressed, vulnerable and even in a state of shock and grief. And of course this has had a knock on effect on our mental health including feelings of overwhelm, depression and anxiety. Many of us have been experiencing a state of low level but continuous ‘flight or flight’, a state of adrenal alert which in time starts to deplete the body of energy, disrupts the digestion and cause hormonal imbalance particularly in women. Symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, mood swings and poor sleep can all be signs of adrenal fatigue as the body is continually supplied with cortisol and serotonin (the happy hormone) levels become depleted.

So how do we cope with this? A good starting point is becoming aware of what is happening to our minds and bodies in a situation such as a global pandemic lock down (just writing it makes me realise how intense this is). Taking time to check in with yourself - how you feel physically, emotionally and mentally is the start of a journey in self care and from there a number of holistic tools can be used to help you manage what is coming up for you.

If you don’t have a daily meditation practice, now is the perfect time to start. Just ten minutes of meditation a day can boost the immune system, regulate mood, release physical tension and relax the mind helping to promote a more positive mental attitude by reducing mental chatter, some of which can be very draining. If you are new to meditation, start with just three minutes a day. Three tiny minutes from the one thousand, four hundred and forty minutes available to us every twenty four hours. A perfect place to meditate when starting out is lying down in bed either first thing in the morning or last thing at night before going to sleep. Try focusing on your breathing, breathing in through the nose and making the exhalation a little longer than the inhale. Noticing the effect the breath has on your body. The rise and fall of the belly, the cool air as it enters the nostrils, the sensation of your body starting to relax and let go as the muscles begin to release. A meditation practice is one of the most loving, healing and empowering things you could do for yourself and beginning a wonderful new habit at a time like this could provide you with your own glorious silver lining to what can often feel like a rather large cloud!!

Talking about how you feel can also be a really good way to maintain good mental health. Whether it’s reaching out to a kind friend or family member who can hold a space without judgement or finding a good therapist who is currently practising online sessions, talking through how you feel can be a powerful healing tool for mental well being. If talking through your problems is difficult or there isn’t someone you feel you can open up to and/or paid therapy isn’t an option at present, the simple act of journaling is a good alternative. By getting the thoughts and feelings out of your head and onto paper, this can provide a way of clearing the mind, noticing negative patterns and even provide insight from our own inner place of guidance. I find it helpful to do this last thing at night. The ritualistic act of processing my day in a few lines, identifying my fears and worries and freeing them onto paper (and more importantly out of my head) definitely helps me sleep with more ease. Ending with a five item list of things you are grateful for takes the mind to a positive, calm and uplifting space - perfect for the sleep and regeneration process ahead. Which leads me into my next point...

Gratitude. Being grateful. Its a lovely feeling. When we are stressed, our minds often revert to the primal ‘flight or fight’ state causing thinking on high alert which tends to focus on our problems or even potential problems causing us to become more negative in outlook. A regular practice of ‘gratitude thinking’ where you focus on things you are thankful for can help retrain the brain. Mental habits are neural links that can be rewired with time and practise. Becoming aware of the points when a negative thought pattern has taken hold and taking some calming deep breaths before choosing to focus on a more positive thought not only lightens the mind but actually changes the physiological state of the body. Very few of our thoughts are neutral and all have a powerful effect on how we feel. For good and sometimes not so good. Even in the most challenging of situations, we can always find at least one thing to be grateful for, even if it’s the knowledge that we have the ability to choose better.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Or how about the tough get kind? We humans can be very tough on ourselves, judging our own struggles and feelings in a way that we never would our friends. Condemning our difficult emotions and reactions to challenging situations serves no one least ourselves. By cultivating a more loving and accepting relationship with our darker parts, known also as the shadow self, can be deeply healing and not only lighten our process but positively effect those around us. The resistance is the most painful part for when you start to sit and breathe into what is arising, you begin to find that these are just feelings that come and go. Yes, they can be strong and unnerving but they are not us. They are not a fixed truth of who we are. Just states moving though us. Remember, all things come to pass - even a global pandemic...

I wish you much love and light on the path xx