Looking After our Mental Health In Challenging Times

Managing purpose and productivity during the coronavirus pandemic

Our mental health has a huge effect on our physical health and it’s important we take notice and care of both, particularly during challenging times such as these. As physiotherapists, we talk a lot about physical health so we asked our specialist physio Alex, who is also a Life Coach and Yoga instructor, to talk about looking after your mental health:

I hope that you are all keeping well and have been safe and healthy during this unusual time. It’s encouraging to see that the green shoots are hopefully appearing and slowly but surely we will be returning to a more normal way of living. It has been a challenging time for everyone no doubt in many ways. Not only has the financial implication taken its toll on many, the major shift in balance of work, life,  family and  social time has made it a challenge to re adjust. 

I wanted to briefly share some of the insights I have had and how I have managed to keep momentum going despite a huge reduction in my day to day work which has given me time and space to explore other things. I do this to see if I can hopefully help guide you into a mindset which focuses on the positive which has come from this. 

I wanted to write about two concepts which have perhaps been a challenge for many to find results in: they are productivity and purpose. So much of our value in terms of productivity and purpose comes from our time spent at work and for many of us who have not been able to continue working in the same way, this dramatic shift could have been met with a lot of resistance and a sense of feeling lost. A lot of our work is based around a problem and then solution type scenario. Whatever line of work we are in there is usually a starting point and an end task to to our duties and with that comes a sense of accomplishment, recognition and validation for our efforts. We gain purpose from being productive in the work we have been given to do, that's completely natural.

So what happens when our external source of productivity gets taken away? How do we generate that internal fuel to drive our feeling of purpose? What happens when our daily focus suddenly shifts and we have a blank canvas as to what we can attend to? 

The brain and mind is a wonderful thing and one of the beautiful contradictions is that when we get the things we often yearn for, we miss, we wish we had more of, we are often not prepared and actually struggle to manage them. It’s the reason why so many lottery winners actually end up losing all their money or run into emotional and social problems because they suddenly step into a new way of life which they themselves have not created, so they actually are unaccustomed to it, it’s alien to them.

So what can we do to manage this so we come through it with purpose, productivity and a sense of value? 

Here are 5 ways we can look at what has happened and happening with a fresh and positive mindset, a mindset which will make us appreciate things. 

1. Ask yourself this simple question. Prior to the change, what were the things I really wanted more of? Of those things, which ones were in my control to make use of and appreciate. 

2. What areas in my life needed more attention? Perhaps it was health and fitness, your relationship with a significant other, your relationship with your children, your intellectual life, your emotional and spiritual well being, your career (perhaps a career change), your time spent communicating with family and friends. Looking at those areas, what steps have you taken to elevate them to a new level? Where can you find areas of personal growth to work on? 

3. What can you be truly grateful for? The simplest way to do this is to start a gratitude journal or practice. A nice way to do this is the ’10 finger gratitude practice’. Each day, sit quietly somewhere for 5 minutes where you know you won’t be distracted (the start to the day is usually best if possible) and open your hands. Close your eyes, visualise and internally repeat 10 things you are grateful for and each time you do, close one finger until you have done 10. Then take your hands openly and place them over your heart and breathe deeply 5 times inhaling the things you have just show gratitude for. Literally fill your body with a sense of appreciation for what you have. 

4. Understand that rest is a necessary thing. Taking a pause from usual life, if you are fortunate to be able to come out of it unscathed, is a blessing. If, we say live to an average age of 80, 5 months off equates to 0.5 percent of your life. Think about it, 0.5 percent of your life to recharge, re group, re evaluate what matters and spend time doing some of the things you really really want to do.

5. I personally came from a place of thinking that we are just merely passengers on this planet. As much as we have created some wonderful things we have also done some extremely damaging things to the planet. I take solace in thinking that perhaps the planet needed a break from us to recharge, regroup, find it’s beauty again, breathe and restore some of it’s natural existence so that us humans can live in more peace and harmony with our surroundings and the other creatures and living beings which we share this world with. Think about the dolphins in Venice, the flamingos in Mumbai, the pandas in Hong King zoo mating. Theses amazing pictures and stories which have come out of the earth having some time to itself. 

Another wonderful tool we have at our disposal in this modern era is the availability of free information. At the touch of a button we can watch a TedTalk, a you tube video, listen to a podcast, download free programs, access free exercise routines. So many wonderful ways we can keep exploring self development and personal growth, for FREE! 

When we come from a mindset that things happened for us and not to us we can hopefully begin to accept the challenges and appreciate the new opportunities that may arise in this time. 

• There is purpose in reading a book 

• There is purpose in spending uninterrupted play with your children 

• There is purpose in having the chance to sit as a family to share a meal more often 

• There is purpose in taking a walk in the woods and saw during the amazing weather we have had

• There is purpose in listening to podcast

• There is purpose in watching that Netflix series you have been wanting to 

• There is purpose in starting to learn a new language 

• There is purpose in learning to cook 

• There is purpose in just slowing down

There is purpose all around us. Once you can detach from needing an end result to something, needing that goal crossed off, one can find purpose in the journey and the existence of just being present and appreciating the things right in front of our eyes.

In perhaps one of the greatest movie speeches of all time and a personal favourite of mine, Al Pacino playing Tony D'Amato in the film Any Given Sunday, says ‘That’s what living is, the six inches in front of your face’. It’s a wonderful philosophy as it can keep us grounded and in the moment. 

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this message. This kind of work is a passion of mine and I have been fortunate to learn from some of the very best and I am grateful to have a platform to share and serve people in a way which I too have been served by others. 

Words by Alex Manos.