Managing my mental health
Since my last blog post on Thursday for World Mental Health Day, I've been inundated with love and support! Several of you have been surprised that someone like me struggles with my mental health - I'm so happy and cheery all the time, I'm positive, inspirational and confident.... and yes, I'm blushing with such compliments, but I have demons too - and they still surface every now and again.
You've asked how I manage my illness so well.... well, these are my four top tips. They might work for you, they might not. Don't expect miracles overnight or quick fixes - managing your health takes time. If you want to lose a stone in weight, it takes weeks, maybe months - it's the same with your mind - you have to commit to making a change - to working on you:
Educate yourself about your diagnosis: whether it’s anxiety, depression, PTSD, or something else, don't just sit and accept what you've been told - learn about it. Get to know and understand your demon - inside out. Then learn about the feelings and the actions it stirs up and work out where they’re coming from and how. For example, when I knew a panic attack was surfacing, I’d get stomach ache, I’d feel sick and I’d go slightly dizzy. I discovered these feelings were caused by the chemical reactions going on in my body and how my brain and gut were reacting to them. Once I’d worked out the logics, I could process them to a point where I didn’t worry about the feelings - and in turn, focus my energy on calming things down, allowing the panic to subside...
Breathe: when you feel anxious, you disrupt the ease and flow of your breath - you might not even notice these slight disruptions in your breathing pattern and how they affect you. But re-establishing normal breathing restores your energy and focus. Yoga obviously, is a big help with this and over the years, a regular yoga practise has massively increased my lung capacity, improved my VO2 max and probably been the quickest of fixes to overcoming an attack.
Set an intention: when you want to break out of an unhealthy habit or pattern, or start your journey to a new goal or achievement, you must first have a strong intention to do so. The power of intention is the power to manifest, to create, to live a life of unlimited abundance, and to attract into your life the right people at the right moments. You can set an intention for every action in your life, from big things like your career or relationship, to everyday tasks such as eating and working out. For example, before eating, set an intention to eat mindfully. Before working out, connect to your intention and ask yourself, ‘What am I aiming to achieve?’
Express gratitude: modern society is constantly telling us we need to be more, do more, have more and achieve more but this can be de-motivating, depleting and depressing. Keep your vibe high and light by filtering out the noise and filling yourself up with gratitude every day. There have been numerous studies regarding the positive effects a daily gratitude practice has on the mind, body and spirit. Keep a journal and jot down what you're grateful for each evening before bed or when you wake up in the morning. Try writing affirmations too — positive things about yourself and your life. Or even write a thank you note to someone to say how grateful you are to have him or her in your life.
My Sass Month of Gratitude has been a game-changer for me - actually writing things down has opened my eyes to so many things I'm thankful for, which I would usually have taken for granted. The gratitude vibes have spread wider too, with my students taking part and even further afield - I'm aware of some individuals joining in who have never even met me, or attended one of my classes! Positivity surely does attract positivity!
So why not try out some of the above if you're struggling with your mind at the minute? Feel free to reach out and ask me any questions - I've always got time for those who are experiencing a blip!
Love and deep breaths,
Kate xxx