This informal CPD article, ‘Mental Well-being Awareness’, was provided by BulliesOut, one of the UK’s most dedicated and ambitious anti-bullying charities.
The uncertainty of watching costs increase, the pressure of how we’ll manage and support ourselves and our families is piling on the pressure, but with all this worry and concern, so many of us forget to take care of our mental well-being. Mental well-being can be difficult to define as it doesn’t have one set meaning. We might use it to talk about how well we're coping day to day or whether we are feeling upbeat or a bit low. Good mental well-being doesn't mean you're always happy or unaffected by your experiences. But poor mental well-being can make it more challenging to cope with daily life.
It is important to establish an awareness of our mental well-being. Through this, we can begin an awareness journey of our mental health. This is in part learning a bit more about us and what can be negative triggers to our mental well-being. As an example, this could mean saying no to a night out and choosing to take some time out for yourself instead.
Through awareness and learning more about our minds, we can begin to discover what can trigger a negative effect on our mental well-being. This can provide empowerment and put us all back into the driving seat. For some, as an example, having a routine can help massively. Incorporating good practices into your everyday life such as keeping fit, daily meditation, and ensuring your sleep pattern is consistent, can make a massive difference to your overall mental well-being.
Benefits of Meditation
An article on Healthline notes that, “Meditation has been shown to offer many benefits. Although it’s well known as a technique to reduce stress and anxiety, research shows that it may also help enhance your mood, promote healthy sleep patterns, and boost cognitive skills.”
It is a common misconception that meditation takes too long, and people complain about not having enough time to practice. However, you can meditate for as long as you need. Can’t do half hour? Just do two minutes.
Meditation is a great opportunity to keep yourself in the present. An opportunity to be kind to yourself and we can use it as a process for training our minds to focus and redirect our thoughts. Ultimately, we can develop a meditative practice to develop other beneficial habits and feelings, such as a positive mood and outlook, self-discipline, and healthy sleep patterns. Through good practices such as meditation, we can learn to accept, observe, be kind to ourselves, and recognise what is noise in our minds, and what is actually real.
Will good mental well-being practices provide you with a completely carefree mind? Probably not. However, by ensuring you take time out for your mental well-being and by incorporating well-being practices into everyday life, you are putting yourself in a better position to create that positive mental well-being state.
So, when you are going about your busy lives, remember to always take some time out for your well-being. Do meditation, some breathwork, go for a walk, do whatever you need to do. Taking that bit of time to learn more about ourselves and being aware of our mental well-being can really make a positive difference to our lives. Take some time to be in the present, breathe, and you will feel better because of it.
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