Mental Health Awareness

Thanks again to local Life Coach, David Jamieson, for this month’s helpful article. In this article, David discusses the very important issue of mental health awareness. If you wish to contact David, you can find his details at the end of this article.

Mental Health Awareness

Mental Health Awareness-By David Jamieson

In case you weren’t aware, last week was about Mental Health Awareness, with this year’s emphasis on stress.

Are you aware that according (UK government-commissioned study) mental health illness costs the economy nearly £99bn a year?  Small wonder that it’s become a hot topic for businesses and for the government.

Stress is defined by the charity MIND UK as:

• Situations or events that put pressure on us – like times where we have lots to do and think about, or don’t have much control over what happens.
• Our reaction to being placed under pressure – our feelings when we have demands placed on us that we find difficult to cope with.

I’m sure we’ve all been there at some stage in our lives; our challenge is ensuring we are aware of the symptoms and learn to manage and control stress before it starts to take over our lives.

Central to this is managing external pressures, so that stressful situations don’t seem to happen quite so often, and you develop emotional resilience so you’re better at coping with tough situations when they do happen.

Some stress can be good for us, like getting you ‘into the moment’, ready and focused prior to giving a presentation, and for students facing GCSE exams; fully prepared they’re fine, if not they feel overwhelmed.

MIND

MIND believes it’s a two-way challenge; stress can cause mental health problems, and mental health problems can cause stress.

The former may lead to anxiety or depression, and in the latter, if you’re already dealing with a mental health issue, simply managing activities in your day to day life such as hospital appointments can add to the burden.

I have written elsewhere about the linkage between good mental and physical health, and the first signs of stress may be physical, such as tiredness, headaches or an upset stomach.

Looking back to the days of the caveman/woman stress was a means of alerting us to potential danger; maybe a predator lurking in the bushes, when our initial response would be ‘fight or flight’.

The hypothalamus in the brain responds to physical symptoms including:

• Increased heart rate and breathing
• Not feeling hungry
• Release of cortisol and adrenaline hormones

If you often find yourself in stressful situations, you’re probably producing high levels of these hormones, which can make you feel physically unwell and can affect your health in the longer term

The impact is on both feelings and behaviour; you may be aware you feel irritable, aggressive, impatient or wound up, perhaps your thoughts are racing and you’re unable to switch off?

The result may be finding decision-making hard, snapping at people, inability to concentrate, and changed eating and drinking habits-perhaps smoking or drinking alcohol more than usual too.

So what causes stress?

The main sources are personal issues, friends and family, employment/study, housing and financial.  Changes in one area can easily impact upon others; e.g. an expanding family may require a larger home, requiring a higher income requiring you to seek a promotion at work or a new job.

A study from a few years ago identified the top 35 situations and the top 5 were:

1. Death of spouse/partner
2. Divorce
3. Marital Separation
4. Jail sentence
5. Death of close family 

What can be done?   

• Identify the main triggers and avoid stressful situations where possible
• Improve time management and planning ahead e.g. paying bills on time
• Take breaks and don’t over-commit
• Become more assertive (do persevere…) and more accepting of yourself
• Practise relaxation techniques-e.g. mindfulness
• Improve your sleep quality-lose the Smartphone…and become more active with a better diet
• Develop a support network; friends and family, colleagues, online groups and of course your GP who may refer you to specialist professionals for specific support e.g. coach or counsellor.

It’s really important to recognise what is within your control and what is not, to manage the former and be more accepting of the latter-if change isn’t possible.

B.I.R.D.

Whilst writing I’m delighted to share that I have recently joined the Brain Injury Rehabilitation & Development (B.I.R.D.) Charity as a Trustee.  Sadly, David McGlown-the original founder, recently passed away, leaving an amazing legacy.  B.I.R.D.’s mission is to improve the lives of people of all ages with learning difficulties and brain injuries, which they do through a dedicated management team and specialists, collectively amazing.

Having been interested in the brain and neuro-conditions for some time supporting students and adults in the workplace-some of whom may have neuro-challenges, the opportunity was perfect.

There are many success stories on their website www.birdcharity.org.uk and speaking personally, a cousin with cerebral palsy was helped by B.I.R.D. and is now able to live in independent accommodation.

Wishing you good mental and physical health,

David

David Jamieson

Professional Certified Coach

info@davidjamiesoncoaching.co.uk

Website:

www.davidjamiesoncoaching.co.uk

Thanks again David, for your insight and the information provided in your article. Mental health awareness is a topic that many avoid talking about. It shouldn’t be a taboo subject. Hopefully, David’s article demonstrates that you should not be afraid of tackling this sensitive subject. Mental health awareness is such an important and integral part of our lives. Embrace it and if you feel the need to talk to anyone, then speak to David.

If you missed David’s previous articles you can find them here……

Mental Health – A Holistic Approach

You can find this article HERE

Good Mental and Physical Health

More HERE

Are You Lonesome Tonight

Read more by clicking HERE

All very useful and helpful articles. Thanks for your valued contribution David.

For More Information on Chester and Chester Lifestyle

If you wish to know more about the beautiful city of Chester and Chester Lifestyle – click HERE.