WOW It’s hard to believe that is already November. At this time Mo Bros and Mo Sisters unite to bring awareness to the mental health challenges many of us face. So with this in mind I wanted to take a moment to talk about mental health. In Australia, 1 in 5 people aged 16-85 will have a mental health illness each year. With the difficulties that 2020 has brought, it is even more important to look at some mental health strategies to help you in your day to day life.
One book that I found incredibly helpful is by a Melbournian named Hugh Van Cuylenburg. Hugh heads up a group called The Resilience Project (his book has the same title) which travels around Australia working with schools, corporations, sporting clubs etc sharing the benefits of practicing the three principles of Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness. These three principles are incredible and can have an amazing effect on your mental health. So what is it about? Here is a quick guide….
Gratitude
So what is gratitude? Gratitude is about being thankful for the things we have now, and importantly paying attention to those things. You can practice gratitude by noticing the positive things around you, those people or places in our lives that make us thankful. For example I keep a journal where I write 3 things I’m thankful for every day. It’s quick and easy to implement, after 21 days it became a habit and now I never miss.
Empathy
There is a close link between empathy and kindness, similarly there are close links between empathy and compassion. To be empathetic is to put ourselves in the shoes of others, to feel and to see what they are. You can practice this by being kind to others, saying thank you or listening.
Mindfulness
Practicing mindfulness helps us be present in the moment, to be still and help create a feeling of calm. You can practice this by focusing on one thing at a time without distraction. Think meditating, colouring in or doing a puzzle.
All three of these principles are research backed and show positive effects on our mental health.
If you’d like to read more about the Resilience project you can look at their website below, I highly recommend it.