Free Mental Health Hacks for a Healthier Life

Hello long lost pals. I haven't blogged for a while. Partly because I am particulate and don't like doing things half-heartedly, but also because I have not been feeling 100%. Yes, you heard that right, even your most irritatingly optimistic and positive pals get down in the dumps too. Therefore, in respect of my fluctuating moods and chaotic brain recently, I decided to stop and get deep down and groovy with my head. Coincidently, it was also mental health week (last week) and in homage to the annual awareness of the most powerful blob on the top of our heads, I have put together some nifty activities you can utilise to boost the health of your brain. After all, mental health is for life not just for Christmas.

Out of sight, out of mind...

Shhh... Hush... Mental Health who, what, why, when, how? Nah, don't wanna talk about it. I'm fine. No really I am fine. Indeed, MH (have abbreviated the word to keep it discreet for ya'll) is still quite the taboo subject, gradually coming to light in our diagnostic, prescribed, labelled ridden society. BEFORE I CONTINUE- I shall make a disclaimer I am no expert on this matter (wanna keep the peace, because I hate confrontation and want to be liked BY EVERYONE- 'Annabel did you really just admit that?'). Indeed, I am communicating this information on a personal level. For a more general ideology and picture on MH, I shall leave you to search the wondrous array of information via book or web, or a qualified professional. When looking at MH I believe it is important to acknowledge many factors including socioeconomic, cultural and environmental, for the purpose of this blog I shall be delving into the 'Life-style' sphere of taking the reins on our complex brains. So jump back on that pony and ride the wave with me. YE-HAH.

Free Gym Pass

Look at us, a population of fitness enthusiasts, aware of the importance of our physical health, we've even built rooms for us to pay a monthly fee to run on the spot and stare at a wall. Nobody feels particularly shameful about going to the Gym, in-fact we love to share and celebrate the fact we've 'worked out'. We even dedicate a day to a body part. Imagine if we had the same commitment and enthusiasm towards our mental health. Dropped the shame about; seeking help, not feeling fabulous all the time and gained insight into the incredible mechanisms of our neurology. Picture this, alongside "booty day", we dedicated time in our busy schedules to care for our beautiful brains. Now, I'm not suggesting we get our Nintendo DS out and play 'Brain Training for an hour' (Great game, still shite at mathematics though). What I'm saying is... how about we take our mental health as seriously as our physical health! Think of it as, taking your brain out for a run, less sweaty and minus the shin splints but with all the wonderful benefits...

6 is nawt the Devil's Number

I will not bore you with the classic, do these steps and you'll be happy clappy, full of rainbows, fluffy clouds, unicorns, smiley faces and skipping to work type of joy :) However with these 6 small wins, you can check you are doing yourself a favour by implementing them into your lifestyle. If you don't read all of this post, for whatever reason, I'll try not to get offended. Whatever, it's fine. I understand. I hope you take-away at least the 6 following must-haves. For, further information, look on Google, because I do not have the word count, nor your attention span to discuss them all deeply in this DMC;

1- Exposure to Nature (have you been skipping in the corn-feilds today?)

2- Nourishment & hydration (are you regularly eating avocado on toast, and drinking lots of water?)

3- Social Connection (have you spoken to anyone today? Commenting on Facebook posts doesn't count.)

4- Exercise (have you put your leg warmers on and jumped around to 'Call on me'?)

5- Screen-time (is time running away with you in the Matrix?)

6- Sleep ('Did you have a nap today?) - I will discuss Zzz later, so don't you worry.

On to the juicy stuff...

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands

-Embracing your dark side

Nothing worse than being in a dodgy mood and feeling 1/10, when somebody comes skipping along whistling the melody of 'Everything's gonna be alright". Such ridiculous, optimistic ideologies when in a time of personal crisis make one want to drop kick the smile off their smug little face. Being 'negative' and feeling down is something often frowned upon and labelled in society as bad, and thus something I have often suppressed, priding myself on being an optimistic, glass overflowing with positivity kind of gal. However, when squishing our tuts, sighs and tears to the bottom of our conscious, our sub-conscious often makes up for this in the form of a meltdown, panic attack, crying attack, you name it. This avalanche of vulnerability and raw emotion has been a reminder that, it's okay to be negative and express our down times too. In fact, evolution encourages the expression of our negative emotions to keep us safe. Let's embrace our 'Dark Sides', they can actually be very healthy for us. We can't always actually control our emotions due to external factors (eg. Hormones, Circadian Rhythm etc.) Now I'm not saying we go all Ted Bundy on each other, what I am advocating is welcoming our 'negative' signals that allow us to spot a psychopath when we see one. We can honour our negative sides to keep us safe and evolve and teach us wonderful messages. Just be wary of when our thoughts are advantageous or disadvantageous. (Eg. Disadvantageous - thinking everyone is a psycho). Let's be accepting of 'all of us' to bring all our strengths and awkward bits to light! BTW, this isn't an excuse to be intentionally mean to people and say oops soz it was my 'Dark Side' mwahaha.

"Emotions are signals not reality". (Brendon Burchard)

ACTIVITY:

• I've said it before and I shall say it again.... Meditation (Yawn). It's not about thinking of nothing and being calm, cool and collected all the time. It's more the art of sitting still and letting your thoughts come and go. Through the process of 'Noting' technique we are encouraged to acknowledge our thoughts and feelings and not get tangled up in them.

• Try Headspace or Calm for guided meditation to get started.

Once upon a time...

-Letting go of your own stories & the past

Raise your hand if you have ever been personally been victimised by ___________ (Insert the name of your own 'Regina George'). Raise your hand if you have ever declared "I don't care what people think" channeling your 99 problems but a bitch ain't one vibe. But deep down you ponder what Sandra the workplace bully thinks about your latest accomplishments or downfalls. The truth is we do care what people think. I care what you my reader thinks, and that's handy because I care about this space. The slippery slope of sefl-acceptance comes when we obsess about the Sandra's of life. We give so much of our energy seeking validation from people that no longer serve us. Before you realise I am stating the obvious, here's my latest revelation... "No-body gives a shit about your shit, they are too busy worrying about their own shit". Drops Mic.

Now, that's not to say nobody cares about you, the right people do, the Sandra's of this world most likely don't.

This got me thinking, hot damn-diggity Annabel...I wonder when I've been a Sandra or Regina George to other people in life. The truth is, no, I am perfect. Absolutely bloody not Pinocchio, of course I have. Such hard truths about oneself and other people can conjure up resentment and guilt for yourself and others. With this nostalgia, we start to play stuck in the mud with our past, curating diminishing effects on our present and future. With these Scrooge type flashbacks of the past, we can feel like a victim to life's wonders, only recalling the dodgy bits. Whilst a victim mentality might keep us safe in the Short-Term, Long-Term it can curate some powerful self-limiting beliefs and identities (based on false evidence) that stick like PVA glue to our neurological circuits. Preserve yo energy, for the good stuff and wonderful people, and for when shit does inevitably hit the fan. Honour your past, learn from it and grow to accept it. Re-write your present and future and get excited yeh! Easier said than done, Annabel. Agreed. But you can start the process of getting deep down and dirty now. You will quite literally feel the weight come off your shoulders. Learning to find clarity, peace and gratitude for all things smelly and sweet.

ACTIVITY:

• Write down everything you feel resentful/guilty about on paper. Think and write down what these moments have taught you. Thank these moments, associated felons and yourself. Forgive these moments. Find gratitude for these moments. Take time. Sit with it. Welcome the emotions in; cry, laugh, whatever comes out is good. Reflect with it. Then do what you wish with it. Shred it, burn it, jump on it, recycle it, dance round a campfire with it, make a paper aeroplane with it. Whatever floats your freedom boat my friend.

• Check out this Podcast for a deeper discussion on the topic

What's the worst that could happen eh.

-Make friends with your fear and keeping it real

How many times in life have you not done something because you were scared? Avoided doing things you wanted to because of the 'What if's?'. How many times has your worst case scenario actually manifested its grizzly teeth? None? Yeah me too. Then the in-action feels worse than actually doing the chosen scary step. When spending too much time dwelling on the 'What If's' we don't full enjoy the present and stop ourselves from creating the future we want. The unknown can either be scary or exciting, its our decision...

ACTIVITY:

• Watch this video, whereby wise man Tim Ferris explains Fear-Setting

• Try 'Fear Setting' for yourself here! Do it scaredy pants.

The Princess & the Pea

-The Stress- Sleep Cycle

I'm sure we can all relate to being sleep deprived and feeling overly- emotional, irritable and confused. In-fact, studies have now shown that sleep-deprived 'healthy people' can experience similar neurological patterns similar to those experiencing psychiatric conditions (eg. depression, anxiety, PTSD.) Therefore, highlighting that maintaining our mental health is crucial to a good nights Zzz, whilst also highlighting without a good nights sleep we don't feel mentally healthy. Vice versa. Versa Vice. Some of the top factors disturbing mother nature's restorative gift to us is; Constant exposure to un-natural light, Caffine and Alcohol. (Top 3 naughty habits, dang it.) So with that in mind, here's my top healthy habits for encouraging a good nights slumber;

ACTIVITY:

• Minimise your screen time; avoid bright lights (eg. phone) at least 2 hours to sleeping. Why? Our 'Suprachiasmatic Nucleus is responsible for controlling our Circadian Rhythm (sleep cycle), if we look at artificial lighting between 11pm and 4am it sends a signal from our eye to our brain to suppress our dopamine (less good vibes) and confuses our sleep cycle (melatonin and cortisol go all whacky) = Mother Nature saying nu-uh get back to sleep.

• Cut down on the alcohol & caffeine. Why? These stimulants and suppressants cause havoc with our bodies natural sleeping arrangements. For a a very in-depth explanation and horrifying awakening check out Why We Sleep.

• Get a helping hand from natural remedies. Why? If you haven't been sleeping well, it's hard to find the headspace/ motivation to implement the habits to encourage a good nights sleep when stuck in 'The Stress-Sleep Cycle'. I'm not usually an advocate for 'pills' or 'supplements' as I prefer to get to get to the root and not mask a symptom. However, Kalms natural sleep remedy has helped massively in ensuring I get a good nights rest when nothing else seems to work. With no side- effects, quite literally, dreamy.

Namasteyay

-Releasing those Bad Vibes

Have you ever noticed that when you get stressed, overwhelmed, insert your chosen unsatisfactory adjective here _______, our body feels tense and our breath is short. Perhaps it's your shoulders or back that are most noticeable, or maybe your hips feel achy? Such tension makes me want to jump around and release my frustration angrily with some jump squats and air punches resembling a violent, sweaty workout. However, always taking the busy, energetic route can actually mask our tension, creating even more cortisol (stress hormone) to pump around the body, don't get me wrong I love a HIIT, but learning when to be still is just as powerful. Which brings us to one of the most wonderful physical activities you can treat your body and mind to...YIN YOGA. This style of yoga is slow, whereby you hold asanas (body postures) whilst focusing on breath. This sometimes uncomfortable combo of breath and mindful movement is an incredible tool to acknowledge and release negative energy out of your body. A personal favourite is Pigeon pose for releasing tension out of the hips and whole body.

ACTIVITY:

• Before you knock it, try it! Whilst we can't attend classes...check out Boho Beautiful on You Tube, plus Ocean Mind for some incredible Yoga Flows and live Zoom classes!

YIN & YANG

You are Enough- READ THAT AGAIN

You know what, sometimes it doesn't matter how much meditation, journalling, yoga, you name it I do... I can still feel like a pile of poo (what makes you feel more uncomfortable - me talking about MH or poo?). Yep, that's right, some days I eat quadruple slices of buttered toast, binge watching Louis Theroux documentaries, and playing Grand Theft Auto...and that's groovy. Some days I feel like a lovely, pure, kind gal, ticking off my to-dos, whilst somedays I feel like a massive moo cow bitch. Yin and Yang baby. It is worth considering however, whether your binge watching, toast gnawing bitchin' days outweigh your good, motivated, bright ones. What I am trying to say is, you don't have to change you. We are enough just as we are. In fact, we are all pretty great and we shall welcome imperfections! Doing activities like the ones I have shared with you are powerful tools at enabling us to acknowledge all the shite we got lurking up there, and makes room for all the incredible bits, enabling greater clarity and a chance to show up for ourselves. I repeat you are enough just as you are, but avoid the trap of comfortable Louis Theroux watching complacency.

ACTIVITY:

• Write down everything you love about yourself. Then ask your nearest and dearest what they love about you too!

• Try this self-acceptance guided Mediation by Marissa Peer here.

In the wise words of Take That "Just have a little patience.."

We wouldn't expect to gain rock hard abdominals over-night, similarly we can't expect to feel tickety-boo mentally after whispering 'Namaste' a few times, it ain't no quick fixity. Our health and self acceptance is a continuous, evolving journey. How exciting is that! Each day we have the choice and power to do something beneficial for our mental wellbeing! Sit back (not literally) and try to enjoy the ride me friends. I dare you to try at least one of the above... Triple-diple dare yah (acknowledge your thoughts right now as they tell you all the reasons not to do something unknown & new)... HAH, gotcha.

I leave you with this final thought, when I was about 7 years old I wanted to be a Woolworths checkout girl when I grew up because I loved the Pick & Mix in there. I even pinched (stole) a piece of fudge from the Pick & Mix when I was a wee chubb (and thus my guilt complex began). Moral of the story is, external circumstances change that you cannot control (eg. Woolworths Closed RIP), our desires and dreams can evolve (eg. I no-longer aspire to be a checkout gal), and our past does not define us (eg. I am not a criminal, but still enjoy 'purchased' fudge).

Lots of love to you all and our wonderful brains.

If anyone ever wants to talk, I'm here.

Bella

xxx

Me doing my best moody face.