Mental Health

Is Crucial For Everyone

During the global pandemic, it became even more clear to us just how important mental health is. But what do we mean by 'mental health'? What are we referring to when we talk about it?
It is such a complex topic, but to put it simply, I would say it is: Feeling at ease mentally.
What helps to improve it is in my humble opinion: Resilience. Happiness. Peace.
Setting boundaries. Being honest, authentic and open. Knowing one's self-worth.
Being vulnerable and showing up as oneself, each day.
Being willing to learn, to let go, and to be present.

Being present. There we go. Another buzz word. We read it all the time in the social media channels. We hear influencers and coaches talk about it - about the importance of "being fully present". Having done some research, I can now more easily explain what everybody is talking about in terms of 'presence'. Having bough Ekhart Tolle's book "The Power of Now", I am now aware of the simple explanation the author gives to make us aware of the importance of being present. The meaning of presence, summarizing Ekhart Tolle's definition (read more here on Wikipedia), is to be grounded in onself, to listen to the whispers of the soul, to truly see what is within you and what is surrounding you. In my words, it is to be free. To be conscious. To be awakened. To see the beauty of nature. To feel connected to the earth, the universal power, may it be called 'god', 'the universe', 'Christ', 'Buddha' and so on.

So, what can you do today to become more present?
Here are my easy-to-implement tips. Just try it out yourself. See what suits you.
Here we go...

  1. Take a deep breath.
  2. Tell yourself you are okay as you are.
  3. Name one thing in your head or write it down that you are thankful for.
  4. Smile whilst thinking of one good thing that happened to you today or yesterday.
  5. Be gentle with yourself. You do not have to do everything at once and you do not have to do all of your tasks perfectly.
  6. Enjoy yourself. Enjoy today. Try to see the positive in bad things that happen. A rejection may hurt, a boss that's unfair may make you mad. Keep in mind: These situations teach you something.
    They make you more resilient if you choose to see it that way, if you choose to thank people who wronged you for teaching you how to become more resilient.
    More grounded. How to set more boundaries. Better boundaries. How to speak your truth. How to stay focused when faced with adversity. Thank these people in your head. Every person has faced someone who goes low. As Michelle Obama said: "Go high". Try to communicate with your higher self.
  7. Think about your self-worth.You are good as you are. You are capable. You are strong. Go tell yourself that. By telling yourself that, you become that person. Your mind begins to see you differently when you do that.
  8. Act as if you were that person that you want to be. What would that person do? What would that person say? What habits does that person have?
    Slowly, you will become that person.
  9. Manifest it. Visualise it. See it, feel it, hear it. Speak it as if it were the truth. Pull your dreams into your life by speaking it into existence.