A RETURN TO MENTAL STRENGTH

I want to share 2 things around mental health that I’ve known and observed.

Firstly, how do we know if our mental health is compromised?

Secondly, what do we do if we or someone we work with has an episode or patch of compromised mental health?

There is a well know saying ‘Death by a 1000 papercuts.’ Not a particularly lovely image but packs a punch, nonetheless. It encapsulates the concept whereby seemingly innocuous events can culminate into a catastrophic outcome.

Another saying that springs to mind is ‘the straw that broke the camel’s back’ again this concept of lots of straws, seemingly weightless and innocuous and then 1 straw is the final straw that breaks a massive mammals’ spine.

These are insightful metaphors to help us understand our mental health and well-being. It can sometimes be negatively triggered by 1 seemingly innocuous event.  

So, what the heck do we do if we find ourselves suddenly struggling with our mental health? What do we do if we have episodes of anxiety or depression or overwhelm, or deepest darkest fear AND we have to perform well at work?

A way to manage a wobbly patch of mental health, for you or a colleague, is taken from Dr. Clare Weekes.

She has a 4 step process:

1.     Face it

2.    Accept it

3.    Float through it

4.    Let time pass. 

1.     Face it. Be aware of it Infront of you. Be aware of the “thing” or emotion that is causing you stress, anxiety, depression, overwhelm, heavy emotion. All too often we are avoidant and seek to push through and not acknowledge it. (This will only make it last longer)

2.     Accept it. Don’t fight it, don’t push it to the back of your mind, or seek to cognitively reason it away. It’s there, accept that the stress, frustration, exhaustion, or overwhelm is there and isn’t budging. Acceptance is a gentle stance that calms the body whereas refusal/fight is more active and triggers more from our flight, fight, freeze chemistry (so exacerbating a stress response)

3.     Float through it. Step back and look in as though you are almost a phantom. Mindfulness refers to this as passing over it like a cloud, being aware of it beneath you but you are above it. Floating through it rather than being at the nucleus of it.

4.     Let time pass. This is exactly as it sounds, whereby to return to mental strength we realise that time is a friend. Time lessens the intensity of stress, or anger or depression. Know in the episodes of mental stress/challenge that ‘Let time pass’ is the hook that will lessen the intensity of the episode.

This is a practical methodology that can really help. So even if you don’t have challenges with your mental health, you can offer this to those around you. We need to do all we can to help, and empathise with those who struggle because it is the loneliest journey. By offering helpful, researched insight with kindness we can soften those jagged edges and be greater humans.

What others insights have you heard or observed around this subject that can really help?