How do you start your day each morning? When you open your eyes do you dread the day ahead or are you able to be positive about what lies ahead? The reason I ask is because mental health is just as important as physical health and quite often it’s overlooked.
If you choose to exercise and become more physically active, as well as being more conscious of the food you and your family eat, would you consider exercising and training your mind too?
It’s all still a bit taboo and hippy isn’t it, meditation and spirituality. Yet our thoughts and what we think daily have a huge impact on our behaviour, so why shouldn’t we look after this part of our body too?
I’m going to be honest here and think back 10 years ago. No way would I consider mediation, (I still struggle with this) affirmations (more my thing) or positive thinking (I’m all over this), but since I have tried it and have felt the outcome in myself, I cant get enough of it. It’s the same kind of excitement I get when I buy something and at he till it comes up cheaper than the ticket price… That kind of smug attitude of – ‘I’ve got one over on the world‘ and you cant wait to tell the first person you bump into! Genuinely, positive mental attitude (PMA) is the key to happiness and inner calm. You will feel less stressed, able to make better life choices and important decisions by being in control of your mind.
When your head is in the right place, quite often you’ll find problems and situations you once struggled with, easier to do and maintain. Exercise and physical activity the most common. Think about it for a minute, when you’re stressed, busy and unorganised, what’s the first thing you consider? Food, alcohol or exercise?
If you chose exercise there, congratulations! You’re officially a committed gym bunny! If it was the other 2, consider exercising your mind first, and starting a new journey of self awareness.
Your Guide To Self Help
Here’s my top 6 tips to becoming your own therapist. You can improve your life instantly with a few techniques I’ve tried over the last 6 years.
- Audiobooks – There are literally hundreds to choose from on audible. Very easy to listen to as you drive to work, supermarkets, evening clubs etc. Audible also offer a 30 day trial so you have nothing to lose from trying this method.
- Meditation – First thing in the morning before your day starts is more productive. Take 10 minutes to clear your head, visualise your up coming tasks and how you’re going to tackle them. It’s worth getting up earlier for just to do this. (It worth knowing that your mind can not distinguish between real life events and visualisation! Therefore, completing your upcoming tasks in your mind is extremely powerful.)
- Positive Affirmations – What you tell yourself daily is absorbed into your subconscious mind. Try using positive phrases and repeat to yourself which describe how you want to be. When you first start saying your positive affirmations, they may not be true, but with repetition they sink into your subconscious mind, you really start to believe them, and eventually they become your reality, they become a self fulfilling prophecy and actually become true. Not sure what to say? Imagine you’re 5 years old and speaking badly about yourself. What would you say to your inner child to comfort him/her?
- Practise Gratitude – Everyday! This is so important and key to being positive. What are you grateful of in your life right now? Working up to; What do you like about yourself? Remember – do this daily!! Better still write it down in a diary or journal each morning and read it back later in the day.
- Remove everyone who’s negative in your life. – Crabs I like to call them! Sounds harsh but don’t be afraid to do this. Quite often this results in a feeling of immense pleasure. Once you have made a decision to cut off bad relationships your own one with yourself strengthens.
- Take action – Doing nothing changes nothing. Put little actions into place like committing to spend 5 minutes each evening listening to calm.com (great app to use just before bed.)
What’s In Season?
Cucumber, curly lettuce and cherries are in season for July. I love cucumber through the spiralizer, Try this recipe below for a really delicious and super fresh way to use a load of seasonal veg in one dish. The cucumber adds a coolness to the proceedings.
Cucumber, Broad Bean, Tuna & Spinach Salad
Serves 4
- 125g/4oz Baby Spinach leaves, washed
- I Cucumber, cut
- 200g/8oz Broad Beans, cooked & cooled • 375g/12oz Tin Tuna Fish, drained
- 2 tbsp Parsley, chopped
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Directions
- Arrange the spinach leaves on the 4 plates, then add the cucumber & broad beans over the spinach
- Flake the tuna fish & add to the salad with the chopped parsley
- Mix the oil & vinegar together. Drizzle over the salad & grind some black pepper over the salad
And Finally…
Thought of the week
“Life is not happening to you. Life is responding to you.“
