Creating a habit of waking up every morning and deciding that today is going to be the best day ever. Going to bed every night and spending time reflecting on your day. Realising what your achievement for the day was? This habit creates a shift to boost brain health and lessen anxiety.

Disruption

Not to mention that 2020 has been such a disruptive year. In addition it has caused many of us to drop some of our healthy habits. Habits such as our daily exercise regime, eating clean, healthy, fresh foods, and practicing mindfulness. 

A common theme

By the same token, one of my clients resonated with what many have been saying this year, “I have lost much of my confidence and seem to be second-guessing myself all the time”. She acknowledged that this current state was due to her losing her job and financial security. Thinking that she was set up for life. However, losing her job and struggling in the “covid lockdown” had made her question her abilities and self-worth.

Did you know?

– Anyone can suffer from a mental or emotional health problem
– 1:5 of us will suffer a mental health condition in our working life
– Mental health issues cost the Australian economy a conservative $12 billion annually

Problems

So much disruption occurring at such a fast pace has led to an increase in individuals experiencing fear, panic, overwhelmed, and loss of confidence. Most of us think that eating and exercise will take care of things. In part this is the case, however, when there is a focus on brain health, all sorts of improvements can be found.

Our body, mind and brain are negatively impacted by disruption, fear, and anxiety.  Bad news can also impact us. Do you notice that you may become quite negative or more anxious if you have just heard some bad news from the media?

My client made the personal choice that saw her taking control of what was within her sphere of control and worked both on her mental and physical health. Over time her courage increased and in turn her confidence amplified. She is taking one step at a time on her journey but with a solid foundation, her journey has become easier.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”.

Lao Tzu

This so is true for all of us. Start to understand how improving brain health affects our physical and emotional bodies?

The end of mental illness

Dr Daniel Amen is a seasoned American Psychiatrist and author who has spent his extensive career studying the benefits of brain health. He has recently published a book called “The end of Mental Illness”. The book is around scientific research that demonstrates how brain science and eating brain foods is boosting brain health by reducing anxiety, stress, and other mental health disorders.

Amen believes that brain health issues steel your mind! Firstly, he likens mental health disease to other chronic health states such as heart disease. When mental health is viewed through the same lens as people suffering from say heart disease, the “shame” attached to mental health illness is removed. As a result, mental health illness starts to become normalised, without stigma. 

Not an easy fix!

In short, both chronic diseases and mental health illnesses are affected by lifestyle choices. In the case of brain health, choices such as poor sleep habits, consumption of alcohol, drugs, playing physical sports, and ingestion of pesticides on food all have an impact.

Research shared in his book suggests that there are simple ways to start to improve your brain health. Paying attention to healing your brain helps to heal your mind and thoughts. Indeed, the body and mind respond to every thought that we experience.

Blood flow to the brain increases by eating foods high in fatty acids and taking specific supplements to support brain health. Improved brain health increases brain size.

In other words, when you identify what is important in your life, for example, health and longevity. Clarity can be heightened. Providing an opportunity to make changes that will enhance brain health to lessen anxiety. Creating a stronger connection between the body and the mind. A shift in mindset.

Some steps that may assist to boost brain health are: –

1. Work on improving the duration and quality of your sleep. Start to develop a habit of going to bed at the same time each night and waking at the same time each morning. Try to get 7 – 8 hours of sleep per night.
2. Foods high in omega-3-fatty acids and anti-oxidants may assist in keeping your brain healthy. Some of these foods are fatty fish, blueberries, turmeric, broccoli, walnuts, almonds, and pumpkin seeds
3. Seek out a qualified health professional to assist in guiding you to the appropriate supplementation to support brain health if required
4. Write down what you are thinking when you feel sad, scared, nervous, or out of control. Ask yourself if these feelings are accurate? Then write down what you want.
5. Change the way you are thinking. When you get a thought that does not make you feel confident or fulfilled, change it, and replace it with a positive thought that serves you better. 

Developing these simple habits will help to boost your brain health, memory, feelings, and emotions. 

Would love to know what changes you can make to boost your brain health and lessen anxiety? 

The post Boost brain health and lessen anxiety! appeared first on Joan McEwan.

Everybody wants to be the person that can always be relied on. That solid person that seems to be able to ride every storm without flinching. But like all things that person needs to be cared for and nurtured. Otherwise we crumble. Create time for self care, to rest and sleep otherwise sleep deprivation impacts our mental health!

Cause?

Sleep depravation occurs when we have an inadequate quality or quantity of sleep either due to choice, circumstances or a medical condition.

“Sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together”

Thomas Dekker

The Signs!

Many years ago a university friend of mine was studying to be a Doctor, his name was Mike. It was no secret that he was a high achiever with dreams of being a world famous surgeon.

Graduating from university he was so excited to start his career as a resident Doctor in a busy city hospital. Before long the glamour of what he thought the job would be had disappeared. Working long hours became the norm. Every 3 weeks him and his fellow residents would be required to work 3 days and nights straight to be the on -call Doctor.

They worked from Friday through to Sunday doing ward rounds during the day, attending to trauma and being on call during the rest of the time to support the patients and other medical team in the hospital.

The Struggle!

During this time it was common for Mike to struggle with his workload. Making mistakes were not uncommon, being grumpy and irritable as well as overthinking due to a slowing down of his thought processes due to fatigue. He was always yawning and would zone out when people were talking to him. He would always apologise but he was unable to stop himself.

Most of the time he was exhausted and dragged himself around. Living on coffee and chocolate to keep him “functioning”. His weight increased as his diet consisted of non healthy choices due to ease and instant energy gain. It wasn’t long before his sleep patterns became erratic and found sleeping difficult, his norm had become maybe a 2 -3 hour sleep in a 24 hour period. Catnapping when he could.

Research!

Research shows that sleep disorders costs the Australian economy over $66 billion per year in health care, loss of wellbeing and indirect costs. 40% of the adult Australian population suffer from sleep disorders. They also contribute to depression, stroke, workplace injuries and motor vehicle accidents. 

– 53% of Australian adults have a medical condition that impacts their sleep habits and quality
– 52% of Australians claim they are less motivated, irritable and cant concentrate after a poor nights sleep
– 18% of Australians use prescription medication to aid sleep

Circadian Rhythms!

Circadian Rhythms – This is our internal body clock that regulates us to feel sleepy at night and awake during the day. Being exposed to sunlight helps adjust our clock with night and day. Finally, when the body is ready to sleep a hormone melatonin is raised and the core body temperature lowers. As the rhythms align in the body and with the environment provides the best opportunity for quality sleep. It has been found that when our body clocks are out of alignment, this negatively affects health and wellbeing.

Did you Know?
– 8 hours of sleep per night is the average an adult should aim for
– Our brains are active when we sleep
– Sleep cycles last around 90 minutes and change throughout our sleep

Pulling it Together!

So we know that the research links lack of sleep to increased health effects such as anxiety, depression, weigh gain and poor cognitive function to mention a few. We also know that our body and mind and intricately connected so when our body is impacted our mind is also impacted. Ultimately sleep deprivation impacts our mental health!

Mike’s story highlights how we can push our body and mind to extraordinary levels when we become deprived of sleep. The body also works hard to normalise our current situation. However the research confirms that long term exposure to sleep deprivation has an adverse effect on our mental and physical health.

Simple Steps!

Find out for yourself. Take some steps to prevent sleep deprivation and improve mental health. Correct and re-balance your body and mind by beginning with some simple steps added to a daily routine:-

1. Reduce your intake of stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol
2. Relax before you go to bed, listen to calming music, reading a favourite novel or meditate. Avoid using all electronic devices.
3. Make sure your sleeping area is a comfortable temperature, with a quality mattress, a comfy pillow and darken your room to aid sleep.

The responsibility of our health is in our control, our responsibility and affected by the choices we make. All the tools we need are within us no, its about acknowledging them and taking action now! 

Love to hear your thoughts?

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Joy-fullness is a state of happiness, a sense of well-being that comes from within us. It is like the fire in our belly that keeps us warm. A feeling of contentment. Transferring this state outwards is so important now to help others. Joyful leadership boosts wellbeing in tough times.

Research!

Recent research has identified that 57% of the Australian population are experiencing stress during this period of social isolation:-
– 77% not seeing their family
– 71% not seeing their friends
– 60% paying bills
– 49% losing their job
– 48% Not feeding their family
– 38% Losing their home

Social Isolation!

We are still in the early stages of social isolation with no indication when these conditions will improve. While, mental health issues will increase the longer this state continues. Let’s try and counteract some of these issues? Joyful leadership boosts wellbeing in tough times!

Consequently, imagine being joyful? It’s like the seeds on a plant, the wind blows the seeds all across the land, they land in the earth and grow to create new vibrant life. 

Be Happy!

Being joyful is described as being in a state of happiness, a sense of well-being that comes from within.

Notably, discussions around happiness began over 2,500 years ago in China, Greece and India. Philosophers Zhuangzi and Aristotle agreed that there were 2 types of happiness, the first type is a craving for material things and the second is a desire for more internal things. To create a balance.

In particular, the buddhist teachings look to a deeper type of happiness. Buddhism is very focused on the mind, and they find that by the individual engaging with the inner self and the reality allows one to achieve deep happiness and well-being. Focussing on mindfulness deters from thoughts of the past or the future but staying present in the here and now.

In fact the practice of mindfulness allows the person to look within and understand who they are and what they desire. The practice enables happiness to flourish by being selfless and kind. Understanding your purpose puts you “in flow”, resistance is gone, thought is effortless and stress reduces.

So leaders who are joyful, have that inner happiness and calm that supports well-being. Energetically this creates momentum so the leader can lead teams and share this level of energy. The leader teaches new ways and the practice of living in the present reducing stress..

So What’s the Point?

The more we take control of what we can control the less stress we may experience in these extraordinary times. Leaders, lead by example so when they are joyful and happy their team will be affected positively. The science shows that when we are happy our health and wellbeing improve.

Here are some strategies to consider increase joy and boost wellbeing:-

• Be open and honest about how you are feeling. Let you friends, family work colleagues know how you are feeling. Your tribe are able to support you because they care about you
• Cultivate kindness in a genuine way
• Keep active and eat well. Try and eliminate preservatives and sugars from your diet and eat more fresh food, fruit and vegetables
• Find something to do that you are passionate about e.g playing a musical instrument. It is suggested that when you do something you love, you become “in flow”, happy and joyous. Your worries leave you!
• Find something small everyday that you are grateful for and take a minute to reflect on it

Finally, remember that these tough times will pass. Just hang in there, reach out and ask for help and trust that we will all get through these times.

Reach out, if I can help happy to have a chat?

The post Joyful Leadership Boosts Wellbeing in Tough Times! appeared first on Joan McEwan.

To explain, you can create your reality by projecting your thoughts and capturing them in your action plan. This allow the individual to take some control of where they want their life to go in these uncertain times. Action plans facilitate the process of when you project your vision of the future. It provides a tool to focus, create clarity and inspire. 

Project your thoughts into the future to make your dreams come true by bringing them to life. Focus on specific goals in all aspects of your life, get clear on what they are by using all your senses to bring them to life.

Uncertainty to Clarity!

This current situation with COVID-19 has caused much fear and anxiety in our world due to all the uncertainty. This had led to discussions with some clients around the need to control what we can control.

This all starts with our thoughts, what our intent is and an action plan or otherwise know as a vision board. I prefer using action plan as it has a sense of urgency and of “doing”. 

Currently we need a clear plan of how we are going to get through these challenging times and be ready to launch into life post COVID-19. Time to grab hold of the steering wheel of the car and start steering it in the direction that we want. Control the controllables!

Our World!

In effect we are creating a virtual world for ourself where we are the designer of our future. Bringing our thoughts to life to create our dreams. It’s all about taking action to bring your thoughts to life by creating awareness.

” If you can dream it, you can do it”!

Walt Disney

Bring to Life!

In essence an action plan works when you bring your thoughts to life and attach emotions to them. Start to create an abundance of what you want in your life and experience how that makes you feel. It works on the universal law of attraction, like attracts like. 

Firstly you get clear on what it is you want. It’s like turning on the light when you are in a dark room, suddenly you can see clearly and in detail. Secondly, you start to focus on what it is you want and add emotion to the focus. It becomes something very tangible and you begin to believe that it will happen. Thirdly, as your self belief strengthens your resistance dissolves and you relax into your intent. What you really want. Further creating your vision.

Law of Attraction!

Australian author Rhonda Byrne published her book The Secret in 2012. In her book she talks about the law of attraction forms your life experiences through your thoughts. As you bring your thought into the present moment and visualise it you send that particular vibration from your body out to the universe. In turn this vibration returns to you stronger and clearer.

Psychologists have long been sought after to work using visualisation techniques with elite sporting figures to enhance their performances. Back in the 1960’s famous tennis champion Billie Jean King was an active participant of these techniques that served her well.

Research!

In short, Research has found that mental practices such as visualisation are almost as effective as true physical practice. However it has been found that by combining both practices they are more effective than doing either physical or mental practices in isolation.

Brain studies show that thoughts produce the same mental instructions as actions. In effect using visualisation techniques the brain is getting trained in performance. These mental practices develop motivation and increase confidence. Visualisation trains you to achieve your dreams.

So What is the Point?

That is to say in these disruptive times we have a choice? We can chose to drown in the disruption or we can get creative and build an action plan. Project Your Vision of the Future!!

Furthermore, this creates a distraction and space to think and plan for the future. The more we visualise our thoughts, goals and plans the more energy we give to them. As the brain studies show this actually trains our brain to turn thoughts into actions.

Here are some tips to get started on your action plan:-

1. To clarify, your intent should be to bring everything on your action plan to life
2. Handwriting your action plan is energetic impact
3. Identify 5 key areas of your life – for example relationships, career, finances, family, personal and professional growth
4. Imagine what these areas will look like in the future (your dream)
5. Translate your thoughts into your action plan and allow it to grow as you develop the plan
6. Look at your plan every day and update as necessary or at least once every 12 months
7. It is useful not to clutter your plan so you have  space to add things

On the positive side is it time for you to develop an action plan or refresh your current plan? What are your key items to re-focus and re-invent your year?

Drop your comments here?

The post Project Your Vision of the Future! appeared first on Joan McEwan.

A recent article in Forbes magazine has highlighted some issues of teams working in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some say “many extroverts are screaming that they cannot take anymore after one week of working from home in isolation”. That got me thinking? How to manage your extroverted team members during self isolation!

“Introverts, please put down your book and check on your extrovert friends, they are not okay” Unknown

Time to Pivot!

To point out, society as we have known it has changed and as a result we have been called to pivot. To change direction and re-focus and re-invent so that we can re-energise. We are all in this together. Moving forward one day at a time.

Many many years ago when I completed my registered nurse post graduate studies in Psychiatry (now known as Mental Health). I recall some of the patients I worked with. I thought it may be useful to share my observations at this time.

All of these people had been institutionalised to keep them safe and help them heal. They were struggling to cope. Suffering a combination of many mental illnesses including anxiety and depression. By the same token we did not consider if they were extroverts or introverts.

In fact, looking under the surface of these people. I realised that they were all desperately trying to cope in their own way. In effect, trying to maintain some control in their life.

The harder they tried to cope the more confused they appeared. Leading to feelings of frustration, anger, fear and loss of control. Playing out in a variety of behavioural ways. In short, they were scared! Obviously unclear about the future!

Emotions affect us all!

It got me thinking how many of us are feeling like that right now in the mist of the fall out of COVID-19? Many feeling like they are struggling to take control of a normal life. Anxiety levels are escalating! Stress and fear are real leading to spiralling out of control.

Losing jobs, livelihood, income. work and family contact is difficult. Conversely our first line workers, emergency responders, health care workers and service industries are exhausted. Not to mention they are potentially being exposed to COVID-19, run the risk of contracting the virus and passing on to their families. Similarly these emotions are not too dis-similar to my patients from my student days. 

Support!

I reckon that there are many similarities for us all at the moment and being an extrovert just highlights some challenges more. Additionally, it is so important to explore how to manage your extroverted team members during self isolation!

So what can we do to support our extrovert friends and colleagues during this period of working from home in self isolation? Extroverts generally become energised being around others, love to talk, solve problems through discussion and love group work. Usually they start to feel isolated if they spend too much time alone.

So here are some tips that may help:

1. Develop a morning routine and stick to it
2. Exercise in the morning is useful to get energised
3. Always dress for work, it sets your frame of mind for the day
4. Take regular breaks, do some stretching or running on the spot for 5 mins – get the energy moving
5. Schedule regular networking electronic conferencing sessions throughout the day
6. Update your calendar to have regular group meetings, make them short, sharp and succinct
7. Develop habits – schedule video calls with friends regularly 

Stay safe in these unusual times and check out my coaching programs that may be helpful?

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