I was in the middle of another bout of tears and not coping well with change at work when a conversation with my husband helped me to start turning things around. He was extremely worried about me as I’d suddenly developed painful tummy problems that the medical system was stumped by. I couldn’t eat and was in pain a lot of the time. He kindly and gently asked some questions that made me stop and think.
I began to realise that my illness was being caused by the extreme stress I was experiencing at the time. I also started to open to the possibility that being menopausal could be affecting me mentally as well as physically. This was 6 years ago and hitting rock bottom was my wake-up call to change my mindset and start on a personal growth journey.
Why am I sharing this? Well, I thought it would be helpful to share three key steps to improve mental health that I’ve learned from my own journey. Whatever your current situation, these will help you deal with stress or anxiety when going through difficult situations at work or in your home life.
Fast forward to today and I’m loving my life supporting people with my coaching skills and running workshops to share tools to conquer stress, deal with menopause and improve mental wellbeing.
3 steps to improve your mental health
Step 1 – Develop self awareness
It took getting ill and some questions from my husband to start seeing that things could not continue like they had been. I’m someone who can be quite emotional – it’s a joke in my family that I’ll well up at the slightest things in films and in books. However, my emotions had reached another level during the period I was suffering from chronic stress. The thing is that it can be hard to see what is happening when you are in the middle of it.
So the first action I recommend is to take a step back and jot down a few points right now about your current situation and how you are behaving. Is it out of character? Have things become too much?
Step 2 – Join the dots and find your patterns
Once you’ve written things you are noticing about yourself, see if you can note any patterns. Or perhaps just write out whatever comes up for you in reading your notes. It might be obvious, but seeing it on paper can help you get clarity.
I had some counselling that helped me start to process what had been happening. And I tried something new by attending a meditation day which gave me lots to reflect on. I began to realise that I was the architect of my own life and I had to take action to improve things.
Step 3 – Get the support you need
I was lucky enough to have some coaching once I’d decided I wanted to be proactive in bringing about some change in my life. I went to my first session not really knowing what to discuss and left with a crystal clear picture of my situation. I found coaching sessions so helpful in turning things around that I decided to become a coach so I could help others.
Think about where to get your own support. It might be a trusted friend or family member or maybe you’d like someone more neutral. Counselling can be beneficial when you aren’t coping with things day to day and need to process a lot of difficult emotions and thoughts. Coaching helps you move forward when you are ready to work on your own personal development and feel you need a helping hand. It helps you clarify what needs to change and allows you to take steps towards new goals. If you are fed up with how things are, know that it doesn’t have to be like this. You can turn things around with a bit of help.
Summary
These three steps to improve mental health have transformed my life, and I hope they help you move from stress to mental wellness too. The steps may sound simple but doing them can be hard. You will find your own personal path to overcome stress and anxiety. I wish you well on your journey.
I offer a complimentary 60 minute taster coaching session where we chat about how coaching can help you transform your life to one where you thrive. There’s no obligation to book further sessions.
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