Mental Health or Resilience?
Mental health is a measure of wellbeing. But wellbeing is only a temporary state & people thriving today might be struggling tomorrow! Resilience is the toolkit for maximising our wellbeing, everyday…
Each year across the globe we take time out for World Mental Health Day in October and RU OK Day in September. Days in the calendar where we are reminded to ask ourselves and each other ‘Are you okay?’. It can seem a bit hollow having one day in the year to check-in with others. But just as birthdays remind us to celebrate our loved ones, and religious holidays remind us to embrace our faith, Mental health days remind us to take care of our mental wellbeing! We celebrate birthdays, when all you have to do is survive for 365 days, so why not celebrate our mental wellbeing as well!? But should we be focusing wellbeing conversations on mental health, or Resilience?
Nobody escapes pain, fear & suffering!
Mental health is a vast topic that’s deeply personal. It’s used as a measure of wellbeing, and talking about it often leaves people feeling they are falling short in how they are handling and responding to work and life – especially when comparing ourselves to others who seem to just breeze through setbacks!
But given the inevitable tragedies we all face in life, its highly likely you and some of the people around you are Not OK Today!
Here’s 2 facts about life that are worth acknowledging…
1. Nobody escapes pain, fear and suffering.
2. Life doesn’t get any easier, we just get more Resilient!
Every single person you know and meet is on a Resilience journey. Mentally, Physically, and Socially they’ve been to hell and back in some way or another! They’ve survived childhood. They’ve educated themselves. They’ve made and lost friends or loved ones. They’ve emigrated or moved home. They’ve arrived at the place they are right now, somehow more Resilient than when they started in this world! You are likely far more Resilient than you give yourself credit for.
Unfortunately, very few people are aware of their Resilience, even fewer can tap into it in purposeful ways, and only an elite group of people know how to cultivate more of it! Understanding and cultivating our Personal Resilience is how we achieve positive mental health outcomes. It’s how we achieve career and academic success, and positive social relationships. Put simply, cultivating Resilience is how we improve our health, our wealth, and our belonging!
Try this wellbeing habit they say!
During a crisis wellbeing advice typically dominates the headlines. We are told to “Eat healthily! Exercise more! Mediate every day!”. But you’ve probably noticed self-care habits often go straight out of the window when our workload is unmanageable, we’re facing personal situations that cause unease, or one of life’s inevitable tragedies hit us like a curve ball. At times like these we realise the importance of our mental health… or lack of!
Mental health is one of several measures of ‘wellbeing’. But here’s 3 facts about wellbeing…
1. Wellbeing is only a temporary state of being! The people thriving today might be struggling tomorrow.
2. Wellbeing is only achieved moment-to-moment or day-to-day through effective self-leadership! Many people lack a toolkit for this.
3. Wellbeing is so temporary that sporadic self-care habits are not enough! Especially when one of life’s inevitable tragedies hits unexpectedly.
Resilience is the self-leadership toolkit for cultivating our wellbeing!
The key to achieving optimal wellbeing and living our best life likely isn’t found in the latest wellbeing fad, but instead requires a toolkit for understanding and harnessing the Resilience you already have, and learning ways to monitor and cultivate more of it! So instead of a focus on ‘mental health’ as a yard stick for wellbeing, let’s turn the conversation to the Resilience Journey we are all on. To the skills and tools we can learn for being aware of our mindset, taking charge of our perspective, and managing our emotions and responses when facing life’s inevitable setbacks and tragedies… Because nobody escapes pain, fear and suffering, and Life doesn’t get any easier, we just get more Resilient!
Below are some Free Resources to help you do just that…
Free Resilience Building Resources…
Resilience is a set of skills for taking charge of our thoughts, emotions and behaviours in ways that benefit us mentally, physically and socially. Tapping into the Resilience you already have is often easier than you might think, and cultivating more of it simply requires an awareness of your biological, cognitive and social Resilience habits. Here’s some resources to help you understand and maximise your wellbeing today, and everyday!
For Understanding what Resilience is and where it comes from.
Including understanding mindset, emotions and behaviours. The different types of Resilience. And awareness of situations impacting your wellbeing right now!
For Learning to nurture and cultivate your Resilience.
Including ways to boost biological, cognitive and social Resilience!
Looking to give your or your teams wellbeing an instant boost?
Not OK Today?
Given the inevitable tragedies we all face in life, its highly likely you and some of the people around you are struggling today!
While the answer to people asking you “Are you okay?” might be “Yes, I’m doing okay”, the truth is probably far more complicated. If you are Not okay today, then take action. One of the strategies the most Resilient people on the planet have learned is asking others for help! They know they cannot be all things to all people. They know it’s because of our ability to socially organise, to collaborate and help each other that we are the most successful species on planet earth. They acknowledge that asking for help is a strength not a weakness, because the alternative is struggling alone and that leads to poorer outcomes for everyone! Don’t suffer alone.
Asking for help and collaborating with others to solve problems is a skill you are hard-wired to be good at. Today of all days, take the opportunity to say “No, I’m not okay. I could really do with your help”. And if your work colleagues, friends or loved ones are not the best people to turn to for support, then consider setting up a meeting with a GP or Health helpline, to talk through your situation and struggles. We are all struggling through this life together, and you are not alone.
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