Tag: Mental health

lifestyle, Mental health, Uncategorized

Don’t give up!

brainbiscuitscoaching

When everything feels a little hopeless….

We all have times where we feel like giving up on things, the targets we set, the plans we make the goals we have because at times everything is hard and can be such a effort! It can feel like every part of you is tired and everything seems well, hopeless and empty. So what do you do to keep going and not give up?

We all experience days like this or will do at some point in our life and it’s good to know how to help yourself through this and what you can do if you find yourself in this position.

1) Stay connected, tell someone your not having a good day! however you communicate that just make sure you let them know. Take a moment also to think about who that would be so that if you ever find your day to be a struggle you’ll no that when in the middle of feeling like this who that person is you would call.

2) Think about What normally helps lift and lighten the mood.what makes you feel better? Try to do it, exercise, crafts, sleep, music, art, cleaning,Baking? Whatever it is try to do it, use it as “your go to! ”

3) Leave the house! don’t shut away from everyone, even if it’s a short walk, drive or full on run you chose leave the house ! environment change can really help and keeps you connected to the world.

4) It’s also still that time of year where many of us struggle because it’s cold, dark and the sun isn’t always out, so the days can seem very long and dark! When there is daylight and reasonable weather it’s a great idea to go outside!

5) When your struggling also remebr to give yourself acknowledge for the things you have done and are doing, remember where you started and where you are now, that you have the strength to get back up! believing in yourself and that you can get through this!

6) It’s so important to be kind to yourself and prep talk yourself through this day! Whatever you take comfort from do!

7) Laughter is a great way to lift spirts try watching something you like that you find funny.

8) Plan things to look forward to doing in the near future, Watch, read, listen to things that inspire you. This can help you to look forward. “Maybe look at a holiday”?

9) Also functioning properly is so important, Sleep how are you sleeping ? This is so important and it could be that your also very tired and exhausted and could be experiencing burn out! So try to rest and look to get a good sleep,

10) it’s important to also see if there are any trends that you notice which cause you to feel this way, there might not be but if there are it’s worth going into that in more detail and working out why and what can be done to change this in the future. Do you need support there is nothing wrong in asking for help!

Please also be aware your not alone we all have down days if they turn into longer periods of time and more often definitely speak to someone don’t suffer alone!

Identity, Mental health, personal development, Self development, Taking time, Well-being, world mental health Day

Ahead of world Mental Health day 10th October,Mental health, stress and your resilience!

brainbiscuitscoaching
alone animal bird clouds

Photo by Gabriela Palai on Pexels.com

We all have mental health just as we have physical health however, it is not always something we look at regularly supporting and training, or exercising and reviewing.  It would be wonderful to think we soon will be in a world where we could openly ask each other ” how you feeling today and how’s your mind”, without it being uncomfortable.

We all have those moments in life where things can cause us to feel lower in our mood. This often affects our mental health.  Times of this “low mood “ or any ongoing sadness can happen to any of us at any time, feeling as if it comes upon us without any warning.   It is important to recognise your own personal triggers.  It’s important to ask yourself

1,what are my triggers?

2,What sends  my stress levels over the edge?

3, Is there any changes you can make to help you manage these things?

4, what helps you to keep going  when you feel like this?

The triggers could be anything, such as a memorable date, topics you are sensitive to and don’t want to face yet, family, relationships, self-limiting beliefs, traumas, life events, medical reasons, life pressure, public speaking, anything!

It is so important to take the time to look at any trigger patterning you have. By looking at triggers you can possibly unlock a resilience strategy for yourself that just might help you cope better when you are in need.

Emotional stress can be really overwhelming, it can impact both your physical and mental state.  Strategies to support your resilience can work wonders in helping you through this time, along with of course any support groups, professional outreach etc available to you.

Examples of resilience you can use when this happens are things such as supportive building blocks to help manage your stress levels.  Some of mine are below:

  • When life is busy I have to make sure I  have me time
  • Personal head space-time, walk, read, chill out somewhere away from everything to just clear your mind (a pause moment)
  • Something that is physical such as sport; for me my main choice of activity to spend my “me” time on is running
  • Something that makes you feel a sense of belonging such as socialising with the right community
  •  Things I enjoy, things that make me happy, as happiness is so important!  Such as hobbies (Creative Diet)
  • I try to goal set my activities into my weekly plans, looking at how I can review and improve and identify the priorities I have. These keep me on track and both my physical and mental health are in better shape for it (Muscle Motivation)
  • Predict my stress triggers.  When I know something is coming up that is likely to cause stress good planning is key.  I look at what I can do to manage it as best I can, and what best supports me
  •  Make sure you tell someone.  If I am worried about things or stressed, just saying things out loud to someone can make a huge difference as you then own your true feelings
  • Choose to hang out with people on your level.  Someone you can text, call, meet and have that support with
  • I ensure I take regular pause moments; so important!
  • Even when you don’t feel like it connect with the world daily so you don’t become withdrawn.

Remember you are often not alone with these feelings and it is so important to tell someone. Don’t suffer in silence, it will only get worse.

Excersie, lifestyle, Mental health, personal development, Running, Thinking space, Uncategorized

Sometimes my Trainers are all the therapy I need!

brainbiscuitscoaching
silhouette of boy running in body of water during sunset
Photo by Samuel Silitonga on Pexels.com

Had a bad day? Feeling drained? Brain fog?  Frustrated?  At the end of the day are you left feeling “how am I going to change my mind frame?”

Well….I choose to run!

Run off the day, run off the negative thoughts in my mind and any frustration or worries, and get outside and run!  Personally I love what a difference it makes.

Running is such a great example of a good coping strategy to clear my mind, it’s also a way of doing something to support yourself in releasing any bottled up emotions, thoughts and turn them around and let them fuel you to have willpower!

My running helps me build up resilience to my ever filling stress container! You see once I’ve run I feel like  I’ve achieved something too!

Its hard  to sometimes commit time to yourself, so anything that promotes this and leads to you feeling  positive is worth making time for.

You cannot beat that feeling of helping yourself through things and feeling like you’re getting there, you are making things change for the better. I find what’s great with running I can choose the path, route and distance, so it’s totally your call. Running is something that you can do alone, with someone else or as part of a community/ team. This can also help you feel you are connecting with the world regularly.

My running also gives me a new  found lease of life, It’s a tool that acts as a motivation muscle for me to stay on track with my goals, reflect who I want to be and keeps me on the right.

It’s a good idea is to think of what you are going to have as your support tool if you don’t yet have one.

Make the you time count, invest in you!

Identity, life coaching, goal setting, lifestyle, Mental health, New beginnings, New you, personal development, Running, Self development, Steps to success, Uncategorized, Well-being

How to re-identify yourself again after change….

brainbiscuitscoaching
asphalt dark dawn endless
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Do you often put yourself to the back of the priorotiy list when it comes to others?  Are you someone who has life responsibilities where you have to care for others so it’s hard to have time for you?  Has a change occurred that has changed you and your identity?

Change is always hard and can be difficult to cope with, even a positive change takes time as it’s still new!

The first top tip when your feeling a bit lost and not sure of who you are anymore, or who you want to be, is to look out for clues. They will be everywhere you just need to be in a place to capture and remember them when they come your way…..

The clues are normally things that you are drawn to, activity, people, tasks, places, colours, sounds, environments, pictures in magazines or on-line, Pinterest, following research, stories, fabrics, books, clothes, pictures, views etc these are all things that you might be drawn to and might just give you a clue to what your new found identity might be, if you want it!

The mind works best with lots of things to reference as evidence so use these clues, to keep you motivated and not to give up on finding yourself, and creating project you!

If you find yourself out walking and are drawn to a particular area and view or place,  that’s because it connects with you in someway and so it’s great to add that into your lifestyle as it is something that calls out to you.

You might find these places to be things that start to unlock your creative side, for example the places you visit might make you want to take photos of the scenery, or create paintings of the views, or collect things such as leaves and flowers for pressing.  Recreate what you love in your home or if it’s gardening choose the plants that you are attracted to for their colour or texture etc.

Gather all the things that are clues for you and all the clues to help you then look at your identity more.

ask yourself…

1,what is it about each thing you have collected, seen, visited, describe what you are drawn to and like about each thing

2, how does it make you feel

3, do you want more of this in your life, yes or no

4, why?  What does it bring or do for you?

This is the start of you slowly re-evaluating things, gaining identity again which will lead to you then taking steps and look at areas that are priorities.

Some people find it hard to find inspiration, you need to dig deep at times. Making up a new routine to help support yourself to become inspired again to have things that you enjoy and are drawn to as part of as many days in the week as possible. Make time for me time.

Remember project you is the best thing you could ever work on! The happier you are the better your life will be!

 

Breaks, lifestyle, New you, Steps to success, Taking time, Thinking space, Travel

How to take real “Time off” from the normal routine.

brainbiscuitscoaching

DSCN3966.JPG_1

Why is it when it comes to having time away (a time that should recharge us), we often return and quickly feel like we never left! 

I wanted to try to explore ways of getting more from my short (1-2 day) holiday breaks away with the family so that they refuel me.  

I want those breaks to have a lasting effect, to feel the benefit when I return to normal routine.

So, I did just this and headed to the coast!  I took some things I love such as a camera for taking photos of the scenery, a notebook and pen to write down my thoughts and any ideas that come to me, and I took my workout gear.

One of my strategies for this break to really work, was to take myself away from anything that had a screen, for me a break from social media and the phone was key to really relaxing; no Wi-Fi, no clock watching, no tv on, no rushing round. This change allowed me to take “real-time” off from normal life. My time was spent doing the things I enjoy, allowed me time to pause and take everything in. 

I was able to do activities that allowed me to feel really calm  and positive, and I had emotional space to notice how much that environment was influencing my mood and behaviour. I felt so much happier and relaxed!

This time allowed me to see what my life can be like if I make certain changes when I return home. For example, managing my workload, looking at the time spent on tasks that are not really benefiting me, and limiting my screen use. I could focus on what I *want* to spend more of my limited spare time doing.

I took this opportunity of time away to start one of my goals; to eat a lot cleaner food (nothing artificial, only natural sugars).  While there I really enjoyed buying food sourced from the local farm shops. I cut back my caffeine intake too, as it seemed the right time.

I love being by the sea and it was very clear to me how quickly this new environment had such a positive impact.

This time and space allowed me to feel recharged for the first time in ages; I had a real break! 

keys to successful breaks

 

1, Choose an environment somewhere that’s the opposite to your home one, or to a place you really want to go to.

 

2, Cut back on “screen time” social media, phone calls, emails etc as much as you can.

 

3, Take a note of how the different places you visit whilst there made you feel. Was there anything that you felt some inspiration from? Drawn to? Want to now do? If so don’t forget to add them to some of your SMART goal lists.

 

4, Think about any new good habits whilst there you could bring back with you to include into your normal routine, such as eating better, getting more active, planning more “me” time doing things you enjoy.

 

5, Make sure you pack things that make you happy and are a positive way to occupy your time.  Examples of this: reading materials, craft project stuff, walking gear, workout gear, notebook and pen etc. It’s great to try these activities in new surroundings.

6, stop clock watching, don’t rush around, you doing need to do this here so make the most of this.

7, every time you go to do some activity whilst away, just ask yourself do you want to do this or do you feel you have to, and try to do the I want to do this, over the I feel you should, this is for you this time. Can any tasks wait till you return, if so leave it for then this is your break.

9, pack ready for this break, take the things you have wanted to read, do, make but have not made the time and put them in the case ready, preparation is key.

10, take pictures, remember this time and use this when you return to remind you on where you want to be and the true aims you have in your life when back to normal routine.

Enjoy trying new things and all the different environments on offer.  Look at how you react to the new surroundings and explore how it makes you feel and behave.