Today is World Mental Health Day, but as I always say we don't 'just' need dedicated days to think about mental health – or any other topic on any other awareness day – our mental health deserves attention every single day.
Did you know that mental health is now a top global health concern, surpassing even the big C?
More than half of us believe it’s one of the biggest issues facing the country and millions of people are waiting for support, lingering on waiting lists while continuing to struggle.
And the reasons are manifold – the world seems to be getting weirder and weirder and the main culprits are the aftermath of the Covid situation, conflicts and wars in far too many places, a cost-of-living crisis, the environmental situation, even going into the darker months that many people are dreading.
And I haven't even mentioned personal situations like arguments, challenging work situations, relationship break-ups, bereavement ... the list is endless.
Sometimes the weight of many small stresses can build up, pushing us toward breakdown.
But it doesn’t have to get that far.
I want us to appreciate and nurture mental health every day.
Therefore I can wholeheartedly recommend proactively taking matters into your own hands and learning how you can safely release tension you are holding – while also down-regulating an overly active nervous system and building up resilience.
Take my client Amanda (not her real name) – who reached out because her anxiety was taking a toll on her daily life.
It's typical for anxiety to manifested physically and her digestive issues were a clear sign of this.
The Body Keeps The Score*.
When we initially met Amanda was so nervous and needed to go to the toilet a couple of times during our chat.
Once she started to trust me, she shared how her tummy is grumbling and how her anxiety is really affecting her life, mainly her working life.
I noticed how she slowly became calmer and more trusting and although she was only shaking for a couple of minutes or so, she said 'wow, I feel my tummy is calming down'.
Imagine the impact of a few minutes of shaking!
Amanda left the session with a smile on her face and a spring in her step and I was so happy for her.
Most importantly, she gained a TREmendously amazing tool she can use at any time to ease her mind and calm her body.
Now she can handle stress with greater ease.
By integrating TRE into her life – remember, it only takes a few minutes to practise – she builds up resilience and increases her stress threshold.
Are you ready to explore how TREmendously amazing your own body is and how you can give your constantly busy mind and many of your not-so-helpful thoughts a rest and let the body do the work?
I'm here for you.
Let’s do it.
One day you might join me in wondering:
Why on earth isn't everybody shaking it off?
I invite you to get in touch if and when you are ready to explore the light at the end of the tunnel.
Natural. Innate. TREmendous.
*The Body Keeps the Score is a bestseller by psychotherapist Bessel van der Kolk
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