BLOG TIME!

After spending time building the business, I haven’t been posting many blogs (well zero actually) But, I have been planning them! Over the next twelve months I want to share knowledge and skills to promote better mental health and I thought where better to start than talking about something we do up to 23,000 times a day!

BREATHING

We breathe on average between 17,000-23,000 times a day.  This involuntary life sustaining function is controlled via the medulla in the brainstem. However, whilst it is involuntary and our amazing brains keep us ticking, we do have control over our breath. This is only a good thing, because the majority of us are breathing incorrectly, or at least ineffectively.

Stop and think about how you are breathing right now. Are you breathing into the top part of your lungs, rather than deep down into the largest part that expands the ribcage and raises the belly? This is very common. The result of this type of breathing is that we need many more breathes each day than if we were breathing deeply.  Other side effects of shallow breathing are shoulder and neck pain, increased cortisol (stress hormone) and often unbeknown to us, we are triggering our fight-flight-freeze response. Our body thinks we are in threat.

How can we manage this stress response? Not surprising, we need to breathe effectively.

But what is effective breathing?

Evidence tells us that breathing deeply into the belly, expanding the rib cage and engaging the diaphragm can promote better mental and physical health and the Vagus Nerve has a lot to do with it.

 THE VAGUS NERVE

The ‘wandering’ parasympathetic nerve that runs around a large part of our body, deep into our gut can be triggered by effective breathing. This is known as our ‘rest and relax’ response. Historically, we thought that breathing into our belly getting enough oxygen was enough, and whilst it’s a pretty good start; if we want to enhance our physical and mental wellness, we want to enhance what is called our Vagal tone. We do this by extending our outbreath. Evidence tells us that having a longer outbreath activates our parasympathetic nervous system, engaging our Vagus nerve and having incredible health benefits. We can improve digestion, reduce our heart rate, increase our respiratory function and even reduce tingling in our extremities.

IMPROVING OUR VAGAL TONE

A technique that you may or may not have heard of in relation to mindfulness, meditation and breathing is the 4-7-8 technique. This technique is an approved military technique and is backed up by a largely body of research as a way to improve sleep and reduce anxiety and depression. Dr Andrew Weil from Harvard is a leading advocate of the technique and states it is a ‘natural tranquilliser for the body’

How to breathe using the 4-7-8 technique

• Exhale completely thorough your mouth, then place the tip of your tongue to the back of your top teeth
• Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, breathing deeply into your lungs expanding the ribcage and raising the belly.
• Hold that breath for a count of 7
• Exhale through your mouth slowly for the count of eight seconds expelling all of our breath.

I am so excited to have joined the Action for Happiness movement, co- facilitating an 8 week action for happiness group in Wollaton, Nottingham from 15th May 2019, as part of my aim to improve community wellbeing.

WHY RUN AN ACTION FOR HAPPINESS COURSE?

People who know me well, know that I am always banging on about how society and technology have grown way beyond the capabilities of our frontal lobe. With the constant pressures of society, work and family we may often find ourselves in ‘threat mode’ where we are constantly batting off more work, stressful life events and not to mention little people who can never keep a frigging sock on??!!! Being in threat mode, shuts down our ability to problem solve, think clearly, plan rationally and remember what we need to send our children to school in (I wish they would stick to uniform). This ‘shut down’ state is completely understandable when your body is avoiding threat, it’s trying to survive, it doesn’t care about the ‘Easter bonnet parade’ hat you need to make for tomorrow.

As we have seen most recently, mental ill health is a significant public health issue and with workplaces providing more and more mental health training I thought it would be good to support this with community initiatives. one happiness, wellbeing and positivity can come from community wellbeing and local cohesion. So, myself and my wonderful friend thought we would volunteer to run a local Action for happiness group.

COURSE INFORMATION

The course will run on Wednesdays from 7-9pm on the following dates: 15th May, 22nd May, 5th June, 12th June, 19th June, 26th June, 3rd July and 10th July.

Exploring What Matters is a secular, science-based course for people who want to learn how to live happily and spread happiness to those around them.

It was created by the Action for Happiness charity to help people tune in to what really matters in life, connect with people around them and find small ways to start taking action.

On the course you will:

·      Meet with like-minded people to explore what really matters in life and find new ways of looking at things.

·      Enjoy expert videos, mindfulness exercises and a handbook full of resources to help you break big ideas into manageable chunks.

·      Take time each week to think of small actions you can take to create happiness for yourself and those around you.

People find it really valuable and often refer to what they learn on the course as life-changing.

WEEK-BY-WEEK

Each week is based around a big question:

Week 1: What really matters in life?
We’ll explore whether a greater focus on happiness and wellbeing might be better for all of us.

Week 2: What actually makes us happy?
We’ll explore the role of outer circumstances and inner attitudes in our wellbeing.

Week 3: Can we find peace of mind?
We’ll explore some of the skills and practices that can help us in difficult times.

Week 4: How should we treat others?
We’ll explore how to treat others and how we can become more compassionate.

Week 5: What makes for great relationships?
We’ll explore how our relationship to others impacts our own happiness.

Week 6: Can we be happier at work?
We’ll explore what makes us happy at work and what can we do about it.

Week 7: Can we build happier communities?
We’ll explore how to create communities that are more caring, connected and happy.

Week 8: How can we create a happier world?
We’ll explore how to live in a way that contributes to a happier world, not just for ourselves but for others too.

— Click here for a sample of Week 1 to give you an idea of what it’s like —

WHO THE COURSE IS FOR?

This course is for anyone interested in exploring how to create happiness for themselves or others.

Maybe you’re someone who could do with some new approaches to try out in your own life.

Or maybe you’re passionate about creating happier communities and a happier world.

Either way, by coming together with others locally on this course you can find the inspiration and support you need find the actions that work for you.

Please note: this course is not group therapy, if you are experiencing severe challenges at the moment we recommend seeking alternative professional support.

HOW IT WORKS?

It costs Action for Happiness about £90 per person to support each course so we ask all participants to give whatever they can to support themselves and others.

You can choose to either give the recommended donation of £90 or give more or less depending on your circumstances.

BOOK VIA OUR EVENTBRITE PAGE

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-action-for-happiness-course-nottingham-15-may-2019-tickets-59318838242

Occupational stress is common in a lot of professions. I chose to focus on Solicitors this month due to the abundance of Solicitors who have contacted me over the past two months.

Just this year, the resilience and wellbeing survey completed by the Law society’s junior Division, identified that 39% of trainees experienced mental health problems. Understandably, the fear is that the negative experiences will cause good trainees to cease their training due to a lack of support or training in mental health issues. A more shocking statistic from this survey is that 98% of all division members had experienced high stress due to their job highlighting a need to focus on change.

Why do solicitors experience high stress?

Individuals who have studied and worked in law are more likely to be self- critical and lack self-compassion. A lack of self-compassion can impact on our self-esteem and by being self-critical you find accepting failure difficult. This can lead to many other psychological challenges.

Feeling like a failure can lead to over compensatory behaviour, where individuals are more likely to work more hours. This often only increases stress and burnout symptoms which only makes the feelings of failure stronger.

Believing you have to be in control all of the time can cause  additional stress when you make a mistake or you haven’t planned for additional challenges. Many people who are finding it difficult to manage their work can become anxious or seek control elsewhere. This may sneak into home life (increased cleaning, more lists, more routine).

Symptoms of stress and burnout

Excess workload, self-criticalness and the overwhelming feelings of occupational burden can lead to burnout.

But what does that look like? 

• Increased anxiety (perhaps fearing work has been left, you haven’t emailed someone back, fear of not being prepared)
• Snappiness, more expressions of anger in unhealthy ways.
• Increased food intake
• Reduced food intake
• Increased alcohol intake
• Not taking care of your appearance
• Lack of sleep/broken sleep
• Presenteeism (when you go to work but your mind isn’t focused on the tasks in hand)
• Increased physical health complications (coughs, colds, viruses).

What can I do to improve my mental health? 

• Be active (regular exercise can improve your mood and productivity)
• Mindfulness (Living in the moment can reduce anxiety and allow you to enjoy more experiences)
• Imagery (develop a picture in your mind that you can go to at times of stress- mine is my grandma’s garden!)
• Acceptance (practicing acceptance that we aren’t perfect and we can’t achieve unrealistic goals)
• Live in line with your values (consider what is important to you and think of ways you could practice what is important i.e if you value the environment consider ways you could preserve it more effectively)
• Talk (it’s likely others feel similar)
• Practice the ten actions of happiness. (I think this is a wonderful way to improve wellbeing and resilience)
• Visit your GP
• Visit a counsellor
• Book onto our Mental Health first Aid course (MHFA)

How could our workplace improve? 

• Train some of your employees in Mental Health First Aid
• Offer an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Have wellbeing days
• Encourage breaks
• All employees to engage in mental health awareness training
• Complete wellbeing challenges

Book onto our Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) course

The Junior Law Division published guidance stating that Law firms should consider appointing mental health first aiders to support  other employees experiencing stress of symptoms of mental health problems. With the Health and Safety executive (HSE) also recommending that healthy and safety should be assessed and if mental health difficulties are apparent then having a Mental Health First Aider would be advised.

Exercise doesn’t save you from depression? 

Don’t tell me to run, that won’t help me in my darkest hour! 

These are, understandably, some of the posts I see when individuals experiencing depression or anxiety receive the advice ‘just go for a run’. 

Depression can be a lonely place, often misrepresented as sadness. Yes, sadness is a part of an individuals experience, but add in numbness, hopelessness, tiredness at a level that can cause moving your body painful and thoughts that can be only perpetuate the lonely cycle of darkness.

How can exercise and physical activity begin to cure these experiences?

My initial response to this is, rewind a little and consider physical activity as a protective measure. Putting on your wellies and taking your dog for a walk may not just protect you from the muddy puddles but can provide you with a coat of armour for the busy week ahead. Getting in nature, moving those muscles and living in the moment can improve your resilience. 

Improving your resilience doesn’t mean that stress is like ‘water off a ducks back’, rather that when you experience anxiety, low mood or  negative thoughts that you are able to ‘bounce back’ more effectively. Building resilience takes time and patience. You are worth this time. Invest in yourself.

When your mental health is suffering and you don’t feel able to exercise or keep active. Take small steps. If you haven’t been able to get out of bed because of your symptoms of depression or anxiety start by having a shower  and brushing your teeth, build up to walking to the shop. Being active doesn’t mean running a marathon, its training for a goal no matter what that goal might be.

“You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you have to overcome to reach your goals.” – Booker T. Washington

Take additional steps to improve your mental health. Talk to a friend, a support line and visit your GP. Being active isn’t a panacea. However, it is a very large cog supporting good mental health  both directly and indirectly.

A very good friend of mine once said, “have you ever regretted going for a run?” vs “have you ever regretted not going for a run?” Well, yes, I have regretted going for a run when I can’t climb the stairs two days later. But, that’s more about regretting suitably stretching! 

She was right, I haven’t ever regretted the rush of endorphins when I run. The achievement I feel when I reach my goal or the satisfaction that my raised heart rate is because of my improving physicality, rather than the consideration of the week ahead.  

Alongside the obvious physical benefits, the mental health benefits of exercise are evidenced. These benefits aren’t just due to the release of the ‘happy hormones’, but those other indirect advantages such as:-

-Improved appearance

-Better sleep

-Larger social network

Put on your RED armour

Post Christmas is notorious for being hard on our mental health. Both because of weaning off the Prosecco and also dealing with possible family conflicts, financial worries or getting back into the swing of work. There can be many barriers in getting active. But activity can be free, enjoyable, social and part of a healthy routine.

As a result, I’m going to be joining the other 50,000 people that are going to be registering for RED January, attempting to achieve the goal of ‘being active everyday’. Taking part in a fantastic challenge, for a fantastic cause. My passion to take care of my own mental health as well as raise awareness for others is why I signed up at www.redtogether.co.uk

Use RED January to build that armour. Look after your own mental health and kick start your year.

Amy

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