Mental Health and Wellness

Gratitude practice: Set aside a specific time each day to be grateful for what you have, who you and what you have experienced. It is often a natural response to notice the negative, but we can choose to acknowledge the positive.

Another strategy is to pause for thirty seconds and notice all of the good things around you using the five senses.

A gratitude practice I do with a word/phrase each night in my diary: GLAD (Grateful, Learned, Achieved and Delight).

Mindfulness: Throughout the day, take a few minutes to be present, and notice the world. We are so busy, and when we have a few minutes to spare, rather than resting or breathing, we look for other ways to be busy, often by perusing social media on our phones! There are many meditation apps and guided mediation videos online. Find one you like and make ti a daily practice.

Breathing techniques: To calm down, ensure that your exhale is longer than your inhale - breathe in for 4 and out for 5. Box: Inhale for 3, hold for 3, exhale for 3 and pause for 3. This helps activate the Parasympathetic Nervous System (Rest and digest), and encourages the body to relax by calming the Sympathetic Nervous System (Fight of flight).

Body Relaxation Techniques: Anxiety is felt in the body, but we can help our bodies relax. One technique is to take two fingers and trace a figure eight/infinity sign over the bridge of the nose and around the far edge of each eye ten to twenty times. When I do this, I feel my body relax, and then my mind can become calmer.

RAIN: Recognize, Allow, Investigate and Nurture. Life is not easy, but we can show compassion to ourselves and others in difficult situations, and RAIN helps with this. More information on mindfulness with Tara Brach: https://www.youtube.com/user/tarabrach

Reframing: Try looking at the bigger picture - is this situation as negative as it seems to you at this moment? View it through a different lens: Your future self, a friend, a person from the past, etc. What can these alternate perspectives tell you, and how can they help you cope? Is this situation within my control or not? If not, how can you let it be, be with it or spend less time/energy worrying about it?

Positive Affirmations: Positive self talk is key to changing limiting beliefs about ourselves. Louise Hay is an expert on this and has many videos to support this: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=louise+hay+affirmations

The Four Agreements (4A): These guiding principles have shaped my life positively: do your best; be impeccable with your word; Don't assume things and don't take things personally.

Move: Find your physical joy - walking, running, cycling, tennis, other ball sports, yoga, dance, etc. - whatever makes your heart shine! Physical exercise releases endorphins, and these help make us happy!

Diet: Research shows that diet not only directly affects our mood in the moment, but also overall mental health and well-being. Nutritionists recommend eating plentiful amounts of vegetables and whole grains.

Hobbies: We often work too much without making time for hobbies. I love teaching and learning, volunteering, yoga, Spanish, tennis and exploring our beautiful world!

De-Tech: Tech has changed all areas of our lives, but it is important that we schedule time without it. It is okay to do nothing; in fact, this is when some of our most creative moments can occur! Self-regulating with tech is a continuous struggle with me, but I now turn my phone off or put it in another room as this is the only way I know I will not impulsively check it. I do not think anyone will ever say: "I wish I spent more time on my phone!" at the end of their life!

Sleep: Sleep affects our ability to function, cope and excel in our world. Doctors recommend 7-9 hours/night.