Beat those “Frosty February Feelings”  - 5 Top Tips for Better Mental Health and Wellbeing:

Life has been different for many of us over the last year and the recent New Year lockdown may have left you feeling fed-up, unmotivated, unhappy, or worried. I know staying optimistic and hopeful has been a challenge for many of us. Here are some of my top tips for lifting your mood this February.

1. Make a Happy List
Write down all the things that make you happy. These could be a hot bubble bath, reading a book, colouring, talking to a friend, etc. Whatever makes you happy and do at least one thing on your list daily. Be kind to you, for if we take care of ourselves then we are better able to care for others.

2. Breath Deeply
When you feel things are getting a bit stressful take a moment to pause and breath deeply. Belly breathing where you take a deep breath in and let your belly expand and then breath out slowly helps to increase your parasympathetic nervous system which in turn helps to calm the mind and body.

3. Move More
It is ok if you are not a fan of formal exercise, all you need to do to improve your health and feel-good is to move more and sit less. Choose something that is easy for you, maybe a walk, chair exercise or spring clean the house. Start with 10 mins once a day and increase as you feel able. For some safe and easy workouts visit the 10-minute workouts - NHS (www.nhs.uk).

4. Think Differently
Thoughts are just thoughts and yet over thinking and worrying can cause feelings of sadness and behaviours such as anxiety. We are unable to stop thoughts popping up whenever they feel like it! However, we can choose just to note the thought and let it go. What we worry about hardly ever happens and other things we have not even considered do. Focus on the now and be present in the activity you are doing to help reduce overthinking.

5. Caring and Connecting
Helping and supporting others can help us to feel more positive. Reaching out, connecting, and talking to friends, family or professionals to share thoughts, gain insights and find help. By sharing we also realise that other people are experiencing similar problems and feelings and we are not alone.

Wishing you a happier, healthier February,

Source: SPARK Magazine P28, February 2021 edition.

As a senior health and fitness practitioner, Suzi realised early on in her career the need to balance physical, emotional and mental health when working with customers and patients experiencing illness and depression. She became interested in personal coaching after the sudden death of her father and found a natural transition from physical coaching to embedding coaching throughout her training and coaching of others.

She delivers a worldwide community group to aspiring coaches and is on the board of volunteers for the CALM Town initiative in St Ives helping to prevent depression, loneliness and suicide.

Suzi says,

This is when I started my coaching journey... learning, developing and qualifying to be able to support other people who are experiencing difficult times, thoughts, feelings and emotions.

Overcoming Fear
I remember nearly walking away from one of the best training jobs I have ever had because of feelings of not being good enough.  Thankfully, a good friend talked some sense into me, and I attended the day long interview with 16 other applicants, and guess what I got the job.  I was defiantly out of my comfort zone, there was strong competition, and I was extremely nervous during that day. Life might have been vastly different if I had walked away from this opportunity because of the fear of not being good enough.

Inspired by Others
I have been inspired by those that have overcome physical and mental challenges.  Working as a tutor on the Aspire InstructAbility project training disabled people to become Fitness instructors was one of the most rewarding roles I have enjoyed.  The newly trained fitness instructor specialises in working with other disabled exercisers and other gym users. Watching a military triple amputee set up a concept rower with the help of prosthetics limbs and teach another student how to row was a humbling experience. I realised that day the old saying “there’s no such word as can’t” was true! It is only our belief of what we can and cannot do that either pushes us forwards or holds us back.

Conquering our Self-doubts
To follow the career of Rick Long, now a L3 Fitness Instructor and a World Disabled Strongman after losing his leg and the death of his TT racing partner in a terrible accident inspires me to keep working towards my own goals. To overcome sadness and loss we must focus on how to move forward with love for ourselves and others, helping others can really open our eyes to what we have to be thankful and grateful for.

Listening
Working with people and supporting friends with anxiety and depression, has taught me to listen and really understand, to be there to support and provide guidance, not advice.  I believe we all have the resources inside ourselves to make the changes we need to live a happier fulfilling life.  Just sometimes we need to listen so others can verbalise their thoughts and feelings to find their own solutions to the challenges they are experiencing.

Coaching is Empowerment
Coaching is not about needing to be fixed or saved or helped…. it is about becoming aware of yourself, how sometimes we can get in our own way, preventing us from achieving what we really want.  Everyone needs a coach in their corner from time to time; taking responsibility and learning to let go of what we cannot control develops empowerment and self-belief.

Do you repeat the same habits, patterns and end up in the same situations repeatedly? Do you have a dream for your life?  Are you scared to try? If there was one thing you could change about your life what would it be?

Training as an NLP Master Practitioner, Hypnotherapist and Time-Line Coach helped me to become a better friend, wife, mother, colleague, and human being!  It has provided me with clear direction, focus, success, happiness, and fulfilment. I am grateful for each day I can share my passion, knowledge, and skills with others.

Get out of your comfort zone and start saying YES to change, Yes to your dreams, YES to happiness and YES to greater fulfilment in your life.

Some years ago a dear friend and life coach asked me: “Why do you choose to feel that way?". After my initial thoughts of how dare you, I do not choose to feel this way, the situation is out of my control. I took a moment to reflect and thought maybe there is another way.

This was the start of a fascinating, challenging and rewarding journey of self-discovery, undertaking training in motivational interviewing, coaching and culminating in a master practitioner’s qualification in neuro linguistics techniques to help others learn and develop to be the best version of themselves.

So how often do you hear yourself say, I’m not very good at that, I’m not fit enough, slim enough, smart enough, clever enough?  My favourite limiting belief is I don’t understand social media, as I struggle with this new technology, social media and the World Wide Web.  Hey, there wasn’t even the internet when I did my degree!

We are often limited by our inner beliefs and yet why do we feel and think this way; is there really any evidence that we cannot achieve our dreams or potential. Surely, if we think differently, seek out the resources and training anything is possible – we are only limited by what we allow ourselves to believe.

Famous People Who Overcame Huge Obstacles | Wise Founder

• Bill Gates could not make any money.
• Steven Spielberg got rejected three times from film school.
• Simon Cowell record company went bust.
• Albert Einstein didn't speak until he was four years old. 
• Jim Carrey used to be homeless.

 
And what if we never achieve the dream, surely we’ve been more fulfilled making a positive journey in the right direction rather than listening to negative self-doubts.

If you have the desire to challenge those limiting beliefs then start today with “I can” and contact us for free career’s advice on how to develop a rewarding and fulfilling career in the health and fitness industry. 

My dear friend and life coach is Bevis Moynan of Magenta Coaching Solutions:

Bevis Moynan
Magenta Coaching Solutions
Email: Bevis@magentacs.co.uk
Tel:: 07764758460
Web: www.magentacs.co.uk