Part 5 - Mental Wellbeing
Online Program Contents:
Part 1 - The Big Picture
Part 2 - Physical - Learn to be Healthy
Part 3 - Emotional - Learn to be Happy
Part 4 - Mental - Learn to be Aware (this page)
Part 5 - Spiritual - Learn to be Purposeful
Part
Key Principle of Mental Wellbeing
Be aware and choose your focus wisely
In this section we learn more about developing our awareness and how we use our minds' capacity to focus on different things and see them differently through the lens of our beliefs. Our beliefs form mental models of reality. It is those mental models which determine much of what we think is reality. This is good news... because by changing our beliefs (mental models) we can change of experience of reality. Perspective is everything.
Our thoughts, guided by our beliefs play a huge role in creating the emotions we discussed in the previous section.
Part 1 - The Big Picture
Part 2 - Physical - Learn to be Healthy
Part 3 - Emotional - Learn to be Happy
Part 4 - Mental - Learn to be Aware (this page)
Part 5 - Spiritual - Learn to be Purposeful
Part
Key Principle of Mental Wellbeing
Be aware and choose your focus wisely
In this section we learn more about developing our awareness and how we use our minds' capacity to focus on different things and see them differently through the lens of our beliefs. Our beliefs form mental models of reality. It is those mental models which determine much of what we think is reality. This is good news... because by changing our beliefs (mental models) we can change of experience of reality. Perspective is everything.
Our thoughts, guided by our beliefs play a huge role in creating the emotions we discussed in the previous section.
The Direct Experience Circuit in Your Brain - Mindfulness
In Workshop 1 we talked about developing awareness or, in other words, your ability to access the Direct Experience Circuit in your brain. One way this is taught is through Mindfulness practices.
Introduction to Mindfulness (4 minutes) – Good short introduction to mindfulness and it’s benefits. You can also find here some short guided mindfulness meditations. They are a great way to practice.
Introduction to Mindfulness (4 minutes) – Good short introduction to mindfulness and it’s benefits. You can also find here some short guided mindfulness meditations. They are a great way to practice.
To access their excellent mindfulness training program click here. You will find guided meditations, mindful yoga sessions, walking mediation and additional tips.
If you want to strongly improve your mindfulness capacity... practice:
• Establish a regular practice by finding the time of day that works for you.
• Don't be discouraged if your mind seems busy. It's normal. Stick with it.
• Practice mindfulness meditation even when you don't feel like it. Working through that is part of the process and it helps build the habit
However don't think you have to be mindful all the time to get real benefits. Just increasing your mindfulness a little can be very helpful. For example, noticing briefly that you are upset or stressed and taking steps to care for yourself instead of just reacting blindly.
You actually don't want to be mindfully present in the moment all the time. There is often value in reflecting in the past, some daydreaming, and planning for the future.
Your Beliefs and Stress
Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive, and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for stress reduction: reaching out to others.
The following video is a great example of how your active beliefs change everything... well... everything inside you at least. By changing your perspective (reframing) you can change the effects of stress (and other things) from serious negative health impacts to positive impacts. Watch to the very end to catch the important point she makes about meaning... a great lead in to the next part of the course on Spiritual wellbeing and energy. Don't miss this 14 minute video by Kelly McGonigal!
If you want to strongly improve your mindfulness capacity... practice:
• Establish a regular practice by finding the time of day that works for you.
• Don't be discouraged if your mind seems busy. It's normal. Stick with it.
• Practice mindfulness meditation even when you don't feel like it. Working through that is part of the process and it helps build the habit
However don't think you have to be mindful all the time to get real benefits. Just increasing your mindfulness a little can be very helpful. For example, noticing briefly that you are upset or stressed and taking steps to care for yourself instead of just reacting blindly.
You actually don't want to be mindfully present in the moment all the time. There is often value in reflecting in the past, some daydreaming, and planning for the future.
Your Beliefs and Stress
Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive, and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for stress reduction: reaching out to others.
The following video is a great example of how your active beliefs change everything... well... everything inside you at least. By changing your perspective (reframing) you can change the effects of stress (and other things) from serious negative health impacts to positive impacts. Watch to the very end to catch the important point she makes about meaning... a great lead in to the next part of the course on Spiritual wellbeing and energy. Don't miss this 14 minute video by Kelly McGonigal!
To learn more about how to think about stress in your life read this article from Standford University.
Heads Up - Supporting Mental Health within the Workplace
There are many specific things that workplaces can do to support mental health (which in this context includes emotional health). The leading organisation in Australia promoting mental health in the workplace is Heads Up Australia. This is their 2 minute introductory video:
Price Waterhouse Coopers Australia research shows $2.30 is the average return on investment for every $1 invested in creating a mentally healthy workplace.
Mentally healthy workplaces work better for everyone, and Heads Up is all about giving individuals and businesses free tools and resources to take action. Check out the Heads Up website to develop an action plan to create a mentally healthy workplace, find out about taking care of your own mental health, and get tips on having a conversation with someone you're concerned about.
To listen to 3 podcasts on supporting mental health in the Australian workplace click here.
The team at Your Staff Wellbeing can help you develop and implement a mental health action plan if desired.
Mentally healthy workplaces work better for everyone, and Heads Up is all about giving individuals and businesses free tools and resources to take action. Check out the Heads Up website to develop an action plan to create a mentally healthy workplace, find out about taking care of your own mental health, and get tips on having a conversation with someone you're concerned about.
To listen to 3 podcasts on supporting mental health in the Australian workplace click here.
The team at Your Staff Wellbeing can help you develop and implement a mental health action plan if desired.
Other Websites
Is Compassion for Suckers?The Case for Integrating Your Head & Heart to Cultivate Self-Compassion - Compassion for others and self must be integrated and balanced.
Books
Some excellent books to borrow or buy:
Books
Some excellent books to borrow or buy:
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he Mindfulness Colouring Book
The bestselling adult colouring book! Working with your hands is a good way to soothe anxiety and eliminate stress. This pocket-sized colouring book offers a practical exercise in mindfulness that draws on your creativity and hones your focus. Beautifully illustrated, The Mindfulness Colouring Book is filled with templates for exquisite scenes and intricate, sophisticated patterns, prompting you to meditate on your artwork as you mindfully and creatively fill these pages with colour. Take a few minutes out of your day, wherever you are, and colour your way to peace and calm. Cost delivered from the Book Depository is about $12. You Are Not Your Brain - Using the Four Steps to Overcome Negative Thoughts and Unhealthy Actions - these Four Steps developed by Dr Jeffrey Schwartz are a powerful, yet easy-to-follow method that teaches you how to enhance your awareness and focus your attention in the ways you want to, while simultaneously changing your brain in positive and healthy ways. This approach is an example of applied mindfulness. You can read an good summary here. You can also listen to a podcast with Dr Schwartz below or trying doing an episode search in your podcast app on his name. Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation Dr Dan Siegel combines Western neuroscience with Eastern meditation in an exciting exploration of how a troubled mind can right itself. Drawing on current science and case studies, Siegel, a clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA School of Medicine, reinforces the idea that the power of reflection allows us to approach, rather than withdraw, from whatever life brings us. And learning to stay with a feeling, even a threatening one, is the beginning of discovering that this emotion is just a set of neural firings in our brain. Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence Why is it easier to ruminate over hurt feelings than it is to bask in the warmth of being appreciated? Because your brain evolved to learn quickly from bad experiences but slowly from the good ones. You can change this. Hardwiring Happiness lays out a simple method that uses the hidden power of everyday experiences to build new neural structures full of happiness, love, confidence, and peace. Dr. Hanson’s four steps build strengths into your brain— balancing its ancient negativity bias—making contentment and a powerful sense of resilience the new normal. In mere minutes each day, we can transform our brains into refuges and power centers of calm and happiness. The Code of the Extraordinary Mind: 10 Unconventional Laws to Redefine Your Life and Succeed On Your Own Terms What if everything we think we know about how the world works―our ideas of love, education, spirituality, work, happiness, and love―are based on Brules (bullsh*t rules) that get passed from generation to generation and are long past their expiration date? This book teaches you to think like some of the greatest non-conformist minds of our era, to question, challenge, hack, and create new rules for YOUR life so you can define success on your own terms. Next - Part 5 - Spiritual - Learn to be Purposeful |
