Great Overall Health Includes Great Mental Health:
As the former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy stated, emotional well-being is not just the absence of mental illness.
Dr. Murthy stated that emotional well-being is a resource that allows us to do more and to perform better.
Of course, people suffering from mental illness should always seek professional medical care and not feel stigmatized. The brain is part of the body. Having a mental illness is no different than having a physical illness, such as diabetes.
But for the 80 percent of the population who don’t suffer from mental illness, how much time do we spend on creating GREAT mental wellness for ourselves?
Great emotional well-being will help you advance your career, improve your relationships, and parent better.
How Much Time Do you Spend On Your Daily ‘Mental’ Workout?
We all know the importance of improving and creating great physical health. Dr. Murthy says that having good mental health is as important as eating a healthy diet.
Many of us spend lots of time and money on this: gym memberships, yoga classes, supplements, healthy meal plans, or focusing on a good, long walk each day.
How much time do you spend each day creating or learning how to create positive emotions to be resilient?
Great mental health includes having a resilient, positive mindset in all situations. Easier said than done!
Tips for Creating a Resilient & Positive Mindset:
According to Dr. Murthy, basic things like getting 8 hours of sleep, meditation, having a gratitude practice, and social supports are all very helpful to our mental health.
I would add that having a practice to cultivate a resilient, positive mindset is powerful and will help you with your mental wellness.
How do you cultivate a resilient, positive mindset? Here are a few suggestions:
- PRACTICE the “Triple 3s,” a tool adapted from Dan Sullivan, at the end of each day. Think of: 3 things you are grateful for; 3 ‘wins’ you had for the day – no matter what happened; and 3 wins you will have tomorrow! When you consistently practice this type of thinking, it will become more natural for you throughout the day.
- Become AWARE of your thoughts! Writing for 5 minutes about your thoughts is very powerful. Once you are aware of your thoughts, decide whether those thoughts will help you with your mindset for the day. If you need help with this, download my free “Create a Great Day Tool” to help you.
- DECIDE on your mindset or intention for the day. Do I want to be committed, peaceful, or purposeful?
- ASK, when you are faced with any adversity: “How could this be a good thing?“ Keep asking yourself this question until you get an answer. This is a powerful practice.
- UNPLUG — daily and regularly — from social media. There are many studies that show spending too much time on social media makes us more anxious and unhappy. Looking at “perfect” photos when you are not feeling your best does not help your mindset!
- Get HELP when needed: For those of you who may suffer from a mental illness, always seek help from a trained psychiatrist or therapist first, which I am not. There is no shame in asking for help. For those of you who may just need some extra help with your positive mindset, a great life coach might help! 😄
What is most important is determining what tools help YOU in creating great mental wellness, and practicing those tools as often as you can.
I’d love to hear if you have other ways that you create a great daily mental workout for you!
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💜😀💜
Kathy McCabe
Life Coach
P.S. My current small group coaching programs are full. If you are interested in my summer 2018 small group coaching program, click HERE to get on the list. If you are interested in my Fall 2018 group coaching program, click HERE to get on the list.
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