World Mental Health Day: A View Through My Eyes
World Mental Health Day was on October 10th. A great reminder of the importance of ones own personal health and well being.
Running my own business for many years was rewarding and challenging. When things were running smoothly if felt wonderful and the best job in the world. At other times the pressure felt unbearable. I felt I was always juggling the needs of clients, employees, suppliers and the tax office. I struggled with finding time for myself.
This seesaw effect was often difficult to manage. It took great perseverance to juggle all the different needs a business throws at you each day. Over many years I learnt to manage the highs and lows. I don’t feel I was ever an expert at it, I just found different approaches for me that worked well.
Over time I became aware of the challenges I would face on a daily basis. Learning about the best way for me to cope with them took time. I would trial different approaches. I would listen to my mind and my body. I learnt to be mindful of my stress levels and asses when the levels were reduced.
I realised to be successful and survive, I needed to manage these challenges. They weren’t going away. I wanted to continue running my own business and in doing so I had to take care of myself. There were times when I didn’t and I suffered. Rather than blame myself, I learnt to be kind to myself.
Over the years I found focusing on the following would help me better manage the challenges I face each day:
A good nights sleep. 8 hrs works best for me and I wake refreshed
Exercise in the morning. This energises me for the day and helps make me more resilient to what is coming my way
Volunteer. It is wonderful giving out, with no expectation in return
Use positive words. I always get a much better response when I start with a positive
Set a start & end time each day. Staying late doesn’t give me time to relax and unwind
Do it now. When I complete tasks, even the difficult ones, I feel more in control
Share. This really helps me to offload and talk about issues. I find having a mentor or coach is a great benefit.
Use World Mental Health Day and the discussions in the media as a time to reflect on yourself. Think about how you are feeling and if there are things you could do differently to take care of you.
Ask for help early and remember you are not alone.