HOW TO NURTURE YOUR MINDSET

Early in my career I had an important realisation.

There is more to getting results than ‘knowing’ what to do.

To lose weight and feel great all we have to do is eat well and exercise right? It’s not rocket science! So how come so my people fail to achieve such a seemingly simple objective? As a fitness coach I began to question why people came to me to lose weight yet not follow through with the recommendations you give them to exercise on their own and eat well. This awakening set me on my own journey of learning about positive psychology and personal growth, to understand how to motivate people. What I learnt went beyond exercise to ultimately something bigger and more important: quality of life and ‘feeling good’.

It is the power and importance of mindset.

We exercise for a healthy body but what do we do for a healthy mindset?

A healthy mindset is probably more important than a physically healthy body because without it we lack the enthusiasm to act and without action nothing changes. So how can we nurture a healthy mindset to have the motivation to do what we need to do and also have resilience to deal with the tough times and challenges we face in life?

I do not mind sharing that lately I have been feeling a little flat. I have been dealing with some personal challenges and uncertainty. This has been dampening my own motivation and enthusiasm. However, I have pulled myself out of it and I am now feeling really good which is why I am writing this article, because I am inspired and want to share what works to help others Feel Good.

Nothing changed. Well that’s not entirely true. The situation hasn’t changed.  I still face the same challenges. What has changed is my attitude and perspective – my mindset. I share with you what I have learnt and continue to practise myself to nurture a healthy positive mindset, to have:

• Enthusiasm to act and enjoy life
• Resilience to persevere through tough times
• Ultimately, Feel Good

Gratitude

In life, we tend to focus on what’s not working, what’s wrong and what we haven’t got. This isn’t very healthy or productive. Changing our focus to what’s good in our life, what we do have and what is working is a very healthy and positive practise and it can literally change how we feel about life very quickly. We all have plenty of things to be grateful for, even when we face tough challenges such as being alive! Our health, a home to live in, food to eat, family, friends. We can all find plenty to be grateful for. I find starting the day  with thoughts of gratitude helps me to have a better day and also take the edge of challenges. Another great time to practise gratitude is at the end of the day, to reflect on what went well  in addition to what you are grateful for. You will find it helps you to have a better sleep.

Exercise

We exercise for physical health but it is also important for our mental and emotional wellbeing. Exercise floods the body with oxygen and feel good, activating hormones that makes you feel great. Exercise is also one of the best ways to deal with stress. Whilst most of our stress is emotional, the stress response is very physical. Stress hormones raise the heart and breathing rate and mobilise resources to prepare you for the ‘fight or flight’ response to danger. But there is no physical danger any more, it is emotional ‘danger’. So exercise helps dissipate and ‘use up’ that physical stress  response whilst also releasing the feel good hormones. I find aerobic exercise is particularly good in stressful times. So if you want to give your mindset a positive boast or cope with some stress commit to some exercise.

Journaling

We all have very busy lives with a thousand thoughts constantly circulating in our mind. Many people wake in the middle of the night because of what is on their mind. Get the thoughts out of your mind and onto paper is a great way to process all the things you need to, what is bothering you and how you feel about it. Writing a journal is like your own personal councillor, a private place to confide your thoughts and opinions and get them out of your head to gain some clarity and perspective.

Reach out

If you are feeling stressed and dealing with challenging situations, don’t suffer alone – reach out. Call a friend, speak with family or get a coach or councillor to support and guide you. A trouble shared is a trouble halved. You will feel so much better for sharing and others while give you a different, often broader perspective plus a constructive path from a coach or councillor. We are social creatures and we gain a lot of comfort from the companionship and connection with others.

Inspire yourself

We can often be overwhelmed by our own situation. The reality is we are not alone. Everyone is dealing with their own tough stuff.  History is filled with incredible stories of people who have overcome incredible odds to survive and went on to thrive. We can be inspired by them and learn how to deal with our own situation by reading or watching movies about inspirational people and stories. It also helps to realise that may be our own situation isn’t that bad compared to what others endure.

Reframe

Look at your life and consider what is not working or troubling you. You have two options. You can come up with a list of ways to make some changes to improve the situation or if things are completely out of your control, the only other option is acceptance. If you can’t change it, you have to move to a place of accepting it and with this comes a sense of peace. Granted this can be easier said than done it is a powerful way to ‘let go’.  Action and acceptance are powerful forces to nurture your mindset.

Celebrate wins

As I have already mentioned we tend to focus on all the stuff we need to get done and what’s not working. It’s important to review what you have achieved.

A win is a win, no matter how small and a win makes us feel good.

Once a week or once a month review and look at what you have accomplished in all areas of your life. Take them to acknowledge your accomplishments and progress and celebrate your wins with some form of reward, such as taking time out to get a massage, go to a movie or buy something you have had you eye for ages, but talked yourself out of getting.

Meditation

Meditation helps to counter an overactive mind and bring some calm and clarity to busy thoughts. Consider, how often in your day do you ‘Stop’ and simply do or think about nothing? For most people it is probably never! No wonder our minds are troubled with stress, anxiety and depression! Our mind is always on and never get’s a break! Meditation allows time for your mind to consciously relax. Most people are too busy to even think about meditation so lets keep it real. Try sitting quietly for 5 minutes, preferably somewhere quiet or peaceful such as in a park, in nature or in your bedroom. Close your eyes and rather than trying not to think about anything turn your awareness to your breathing. Observe and feel yourself breath in and out. I guarantee if you try this, you will feel calmer and more centre. Slow breathing soothes stress and promotes calmness and nurtures a healthy mind.

At the end of the day, if you want to FEEL GOOD you have two options: 1. Choose to look at your situation from a different perspective – instead of focussing on what’s not working, appreciate what is. 2.  Take action and make some changes and do some things that nurture a healthy mind and improve how you feel.

Summary

Mindset changes everything: Our outlook and our actions. It gives us the enthusiasm to take action, it gives us the resilience to overcome the tough times and ultimately it effects our quality of life and we feel.

Your healthy mindset workout summary:

• Practise gratitude and focus on what’s good in your life when you start and end your day.

• Exercise regularly, particularly aerobic exercise to flood your body with feel good hormones and oxygen.

• Journal to get busy thoughts and worries out of your mind and onto paper where you can look at them more pragmatically and workshop possible solutions.

• Reach out and get help and support from friends and family or professional guidance from a coach or councillor.

• Reframe to a different perspective. Take action and if you can’t change it accept it.

• Celebrate wins, what you have achieved and what’s worked well.

• Consider meditation to calm a busy mind. Start with 5 minutes sitting in silence.