By Nancy Coblenz, ActOne Group VP of Marketing
As we are in the midst of Mental Health Awareness Month, to some, this might be just a reminder to drink more water, take a day for yourself to recharge, or binge-watch Netflix … but to others, this month represents a personal commitment to self-growth, self-love, and self-care.
You might have heard the analogy “make sure to put the oxygen mask on yourself before helping others,” and I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment. In order to commit yourself to serving others to your best and highest ability you must first honor that same commitment to yourself by infusing mentally, physically, and emotionally positive practices into your daily life.
Hear me clearly; I am not asking you to do the same. I am simply sharing my personal journey related to mental health and the significant part it plays in my career as a servant leader. It has taken several years for me to truly understand the power our brains possess and how vital it is to adopt a regular routine to support my mind and body health.
The way we move, think, and feel are all components of mental health. A daily practice of hard-core exercise and carving our time to meditate, journal, and read in the morning has done WONDERS for me.
Committing a specific time to adopt a daily practice is much like learning how to golf. When you get pretty good at it, it’s all about perfecting your golf swing. There are about 27 different movements, positions, and techniques you must tweak through trial and error as you customize your posture and movements to eventually perfect your swing. And what works for you most definitely will be different from your golf buddy. It may seem intimidating to start, but it is up to you what the journey looks like. You hold the keys to your next level.
For those of you curious as to why anyone would integrate a mental health routine daily, it’s because our brain physiologically creates neural highways that revert to a “default mode” of thoughts, feelings, and emotions. This default mode becomes so ingrained in us that we eventually operate on autopilot. The beauty of the astounding power of our brains is that we can change that anytime we want to. It just takes daily practice to overwrite those pathways with a positive mindset, an active body, and intentional thoughts.
