Make Mental Health the Basis of Your Life
After nearly three years of going through the Corona pandemic, it has become even more obvious, that we are right in the middle of a mental health crisis. That doesn’t mean this crisis was caused by the pandemic but, it made mental health issues, deficits and matters more visible, concrete and urgent. Especially kids, the generation z and the millennials are suffering from severe challenges, worse conditions at school, university and work, going hand in hand with their private lives under pressure by societal restraints, inner expectations, and great insecurity. There has never been such a range of opportunities and possibilities for creating one’s own life combined with a speed-up of life, decision-making and working-processes. Life has become ever more complex, challenging and demanding, leaving so many people struggling with their mental health. So, what do we have to do to overcome this crisis and make mental health the basis of our lives?
PUT YOUR MENTAL HEALTH FIRST!
Why is it so important to put your mental health first and to listen to your individual needs, wishes and desires? Mental health is the basis and most urgent priority of our present and future lives. Irrespectively of age, gender, social or ethnic background we all need to be mentally healthy to live a fulfilling and fulfilled life, to make our dreams come true and to take the journey to realizing our purpose.
Mental health is the foundation, the grounding, the basis of all aspects of life. Therefore, it affects our whole life! Our physical health, our emotional health, our social health and our spiritual health can’t flourish and can’t be balanced if we have no more mental health power at all. You have to feel strong from the inside to have the power, the balance and the inner belief that every change, that everything, and I do really mean everything, starts within yourself and with you. It’s time to put yourself in the focus, to take your needs, wishes and emotions seriously, and to start carrying about yourself by putting your mental health first.
WHERE TO START?
It sounds quite easy taking yourself seriously and putting yourself in the focus. But, in fact, it is really hard work letting go off all the doubts, basic beliefs and pictures we all have formed and internalized and which we keep developing unconsciously during our life journeys. So we have to begin at the core, at our main centre, to change. Many of you will now start saying: „Well, that is quite selfish, egoistic, perhaps even narcissistic when I don’t care about other people and just focus on me, my needs, desires and wishes, justifying this by referring to my own mental health and wellbeing.“ But, in deed, being kind to yourself, putting yourself in the focus and ensuring you are well-anchored is the key for going out and supporting other people. Only if you yourself feel well, healthy, strong and powerful you are able to look after other people’s needs and help, accompany and support them on their unique paths to mental health and wellbeing. Being aware of yourself, your needs, desires and wishes has nothing to do with selfishness, egoism or narcissism. Instead, it is a sign of huge self-commitment, self-awareness and self-reflection. So what to do first?
BE GOOD TO YOURSELF!
The first step of focusing on yourself and starting your individual journey to selflove, selfcare, self-efficacy and self-esteem can only start inside yourself, with you. You have to decide to stand up for yourself, your needs and wishes. But how to do this? How to really connect to yourself to let all your needs, wishes and desires come to your consciousness while simultaneously letting go all convictions and pictures of yourself and of an appropriate behaviour you have internalized and developed during your past life? Take a step back and try to visualize a situation in which you felt totally comfortable. A Situation you felt so happy, balanced, fulfilled and full of grace with, so that you had the inner wish the moment would never pass. Does something come to your heart and mind? When you were able to dive into such a beautiful, positive and comfortable situation, then try to fix the feelings that come up when thinking yourself back into the situation. What do you feel? Which emotions can you experience, what feelings are tied to the situation? Write everything down that pops-up. When you are finished, take a look at your list and let the words and the emotions sink into your heart, mind and body. When you feel completely wrapped by the positive, soothing, and comfortable emotions, then ask yourself:“How can I bring these emotions back into my life?“ Reflect on what objects, activities, persons and so on could give you these feelings, again. And then think of how to incorporate and bring them back into your life and your daily routine. So, what else do you need?
TAKE SMALL BREAKS!
Being kind to yourself and acting towards yourself as if you yourself were your best friend lay the foundation for making your mental health stable, powerful and strong. Simultaneously, this caring and loving attitude towards yourself opens up new spaces and energies to letting your life flourish, growing from the inside and taking steps forward on your unique path to fulfillment, happiness and a purpose driven and senseful life! To help your body, mind, spirit and soul having the energy for making development and change possible, you have to pause. You have to reflect on your goals and aims and visualize what really matters to you to attract these things to your life. So, what is the task? Plan small rests every day. Break out of your daily routine whenever you have the feeling and sense you need to pause, to realign yourself to your inner compass and to reframe yourself within the bigger picture of your life and the world as a whole. When you realize this, maybe by feeling tired, stressed, angry, annoyed, exhausted or overwhelmed, stop immediately and create the space for a break. How the pauses are designed depends completely on you, your needs and preferences and also the situation you are in right then. You shouldn’t restrict yourself by making a concrete schedule for your breaks. It is even more enriching and fruitful for your emotional, spiritual and mental wellbeing that you realize the moments when you really need to rest and recover, to take a break, and then decide situationally how to design the break.
What else do you need for making mental health the basis of your life?
FIND AND DEVELOP YOUR SPIRITUAL HAVEN!
To build your mental health on a solid, strong and carrying basis, it is fundamental that you open up to your consciousness, mindfulness and spirituality. These three bear the core qualities and are the irrevocable fundament for your mental health and your holistic health as a human being. Maybe, you are wondering right now, how you shall be able to reach these three, how to find and integrate them into your life? Don’t worry! Inner connection and commitment to consciousness, mindfulness and spirituality usually isn’t reached over night. It is a process of longing and searching for, of trying out, of sensing and feeling what really matches your inner sense. So be open-minded, curious and adventuresome and you will find your spiritual anchor point.
To let consciousness, mindfulness and thereby spirituality come into your life it is important to exercise body, mind, spirit and soul. How can you start?
ESTABLISH A AMEDITATION ROUTINE!
To bring mindfulness and consciousness back into your life (as we all came out of pure mindfulness), it is a good start to meditate. Meditation puts yourself into a state in which you are aligned to your higher self, your inner senses and all that lies inside yourself that is usually covered by thoughts, impressions and feelings. When you start meditating, you uncover your unconscious wisdom, your feelings and your knowledge - in short, your full potential, everything that is inside yourself. When you are in a state of letting go, of surrender and of trusting the universe, everything will fall into place. This state of wholeness, completeness and connectedness to yourself, your higher self and the divine in universe, will open up your body, mind, spirit and soul to mindfulness, trust, surrender and spirituality.
Start by integrating small slots of meditation every day. You can begin with just five minutes. Since, as a buddhist quote says: Even one minute of meditation changes your consciousness.
That’s how to begin: Find a comfortable seating position in a quiet, comfy and supporting atmosphere. Close your eyes and focus on all bodily sensations. Whenever a thought, feeling or distraction comes up, just let them pass by and turn your attention back to your inner alignment to consciousness, wisdom, emptiness and universal trust. Breathe deeply and feel the air flowing in and out, streaming through your body and flooding you with power, strength, peace and calmness. Just focus on your breath and nothing else. Let the fresh energy, the feeling of relaxation and serenity, flow through your body, mind, spirit and soul. Sense your inner alignment, your inner connectedness with everything else, the universe, love and light. Stay in this state as long as you feel comfortable with and then, when you feel ready, gently open your eyes. Turn your attention back to your daily, earthly presence and let the enchantment of surrender, inner peace, love and wisdom support you throughout your day.
If you are a little bit scared right now, if you don’t really know, how to start, what else to do for making mental health the basis of your life: don’t worry! Just reach out and we will go on this adventure together. You are not alone! You are incredibly wonderful, gifted, unique!
The only thing you have to do is:
MAKING MENTAL HELATH THE TOP-PRIORITY OF YOUR LIFE!
#mentalhealth, #mindfulness, #spirituality, #personaldevelopment, #lifecoaching