Mental Health Matters
October is Mental Health Month in Australia.
Everyone goes through different experiences and there will be times when you drop into low moments, where it can be difficult to pull through these times.
Here are some sobering findings from the WHO
Mental health conditions are increasing worldwide. Mainly because of demographic changes, there has been a 13% rise in mental health conditions and substance use disorders in the last decade (to 2017). Mental health conditions now cause 1 in 5 years lived with disability. Around 20% of the world’s children and adolescents have a mental health condition, with suicide the second leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds. Approximately one in five people in post-conflict settings have a mental health condition.
This topic means a lot to me. I have found myself in those moments where it’s difficult to “bounce back”. There have been periods when my mental health was not strong, and I couldn’t operate at my best, with everything feeling like a vicious cycle of negative thoughts, and despite multiple attempts to reset my mindset and set action plans, the problems didn’t go away and I found myself not knowing how and who could help.
Why am I sharing this? Hopefully to help someone out there, who may be going through a difficult time, and at the very least not feel alone. In my role, I’ve been conditioned to the thinking that exuding confidence is what gets you ahead, and what makes you a “leader”, giving others confidence in you. Then you feel like a fraud because not everything is always awesome sauce.
I’d like to share my learnings in the hope that it can help you. I’m not an expert, these are some takeaways that I’ve walked away with.
- Talk to someone — It can be a friend, family member, colleague or a professional.
- Take a break — This helps with mental clarity and stops you from continually hitting your head against a wall.
- Progress in small steps — Set small daily goals that you can hit. Work on a hobby that makes you happy.
- Support in your network — Has someone else encountered the same problem before? What would they do? Who in your current environment could help?
- Be realistic — Are you setting your expectations too high? Are you stretched right now? Is there something you can pause or delegate?
- What can you change — Is there something you can change right now that will help the situation?
- Be kind to yourself — What would you say to a friend? Compare that with what you are saying to yourself.
When you find you need a pick me up, confidence and inspiration, these resources are some to look into
- No F*cks Given Podcast with Sarah Knight
- Carla Harris’ TED Talk (I love her energy)
- F**K Being Humble by Stephanie Sword Adams on confidence
- Brene Brown’s TED talk on Vulnerability
If you need to speak to someone, there are organisations out there who can help, check out
- https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/mental-health-helplines
- https://www.lifeline.org.au/
- https://mentalhealthmonth.wayahead.org.au/
Thanks for reading through this piece. Even though I haven’t met you, I believe in you and what you are capable of.
