Jul 26, 2018
Mental Health Awareness
Here’s my two pence for the day.
Mental health awareness week, black history week, International women's day, Pride, Learning disability week the list goes on. All events that bring awareness. That’s great. And then we carry on. Do we integrate this awareness into our thinking, our everyday lives? Are we really taught to apply this awareness to how we live, communicate and form relationships? We are all human beings, a community living on earth completely connected. The COVID-19 epidemic is an amazing example of how we are connected. Unfortunately this is currently prevalent through this disease which is causing illness and death. But it’s the same connection of existence that exists on a positive level through thinking, living, breathing, sharing. We are a community. We can support each other and be united. It is a choice.
But back to Mental Health.
Mental health, IS health. Do you know how much influence our thinking has over our physical health? We can empower ourselves to channel the thinking to make our daily lives more enjoyable, more positive and more rewarding. Thoughts have physical reactions in our bodies. Take anger. You may get hot, the heart rate increases , blood pressure rises, feelings of anxiety arise and an increase in cortisol (created from the adrenal glands to deal with stress) becomes present in the blood. That’s quite a lot to deal with! So how do we not just become a chain reaction of emotions and chemicals relevant to the external events?
Create space.
Your thoughts are choice. You cannot blame your emotions on others actions. It’s your response to the situation. Creating some space to become aware of those feeling and reactions is the all important key. Grounding yourself. Listening inside. Creating some perspective. Connect to the breath.
I am definitely work in progress as the mind is so very powerful and wants it’s own way. As a teacher of yoga and meditation the honesty with which I have to have to be aware of the demand of the ego to be right and justified is paramount. My challenges are many but as I grow, learn and encounter suffering and challenges, both mental and physical, I can share my experiences. I’m learning so much. It is said ‘A good teacher is a good student’, so I hope to walk this path of honesty and awareness. There is no such thing as perfection. But there is connection, union and acceptance.
You can’t control the challenges of life or the actions of other people, but you can influence your own responses to these external circumstances.
I offer free weekly guided meditations and chair yoga for upper body stress relief.
To get involved and help discover your inner peace then subscribe and benefit from the experience I have to share.
Subscribe here for your free access
Creating communities for you to thrive.
