Practical Mindset is founded by Jill Trevena, specialist occupational therapist. Practical Mindset aims to provide practical strategies and resources for positive and proactive mental wellbeing.
Practical Mindset supports children, young people and adults to develop healthy self belief and coping strategies; to identify and celebrate their unique traits, treating themselves and others with love, respect and kindness.
It recently occurred to me that when I was employed by an employer, I was reluctant to talk about my mental health battles. It wasn’t that the organisations had acted in a way that made me feel like this, it was more that mental health just wasn’t talked about.
I hid it on a daily basis, in case I was viewed as incapable of doing my job, with a fear that people would judge me or treat me differently.
What a relief now to be able to have a voice. To be able to be me and to talk about it without fear of repercussion.
I have spent many years going to therapy, exploring why I feel the way I do, crying, panicking, feeling like things will never change, and then one day ... they do.
The more I’ve talked about it and opened up to it, the less power my anxiety has had.
When I honestly acknowledged and accepted it, that is when things started to positively change.
I used to hide it - now I don’t. We need to talk about our mental health.
I’m Jill, I have anxiety, some trauma-based stuff, and sometimes I can be an obsessional thinker. What about you? What do you know about yourself?
If you’ve experienced poor mental health, you’ll know what I mean. At the height of my anxiety, I lost sight of “normal”...
I hated being alone, my thoughts were all over the place, I couldn’t sleep or eat. I didn’t really know who I was and was lacking in confidence. It was a chore to do anything every single day, even the things I’d always just done. I couldn’t remember how these things felt and couldn’t imagine ever feeling normal again.
But now... I have normal. I like being alone. I sleep well, I’m generally motivated and enjoy life. I accept myself, even on my bad days. What a difference.
This is how life should be. This is why I do the work I do - because I truly believe that we all can find a place of peace, calm and enjoyment if we’re open and ready.
Lots of great online mental wellbeing sessions this week. For your teenager or older child, here are some good tips for working with an anxious or ruminative thought:
🌟Name the thought as “irrational”, “anxious”, “weird”, or whatever word the child chooses.
🌟Write the thought down.
🌟Rate the likelihood of it happening on a % scale of 0-100% (1 is low, 100 high).
🌟Step outside the situation and think about what you would say to a friend.
🌟Write down the true, rational story and thought and use this as a statement to counteract the anxious thought.
