Surprisingly Simple Stress Trick: How to Get Out of Your Head Fast!

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‘Faith is an oasis in the heart that will never be reached by the caravan of thinking’

Khalil Gibran

 

How often do you find yourself overthinking when you’re stressed?

Totally stuck in your head or going round in circles with no end?

It makes sense to think we can think our way around things but sometimes, getting out of our heads and into our bodies is the best thing we can do. Y’see, without learnt tools to master our minds, our brains are designed to keep us stuck focusing on the negative and continuing to do what we’ve always done. Not very evolved, hey?!

Case in point – a career coaching client who was so stressed she was really quite depressed and unable to move forward had a 360 about-turn when she took her focus off thinking about careers and instead reconnected with doing the things that brought her fun and joy in life.

All the things that took her out of her head whether cooking, drawing, running or seeing her friends.

And boom! Then the clarity came – from being more and thinking less. Like a counter-intuitive detour around stress. The renewed energy and clarity came from moving her body rather than just sitting in the stasis of thought. Ironic, isn’t it, that when we stop thinking so much, sometimes we unlock feelings that guide the way.

As the legendary Dr Wayne Dyer says: ‘Think less, feel more’.

What do you do that brings you joy and gets you out of your head? When did you last have this experience? And what were the results?

For me it might be things like travelling, local adventures, meeting new people, working in new cafés, or doing a new activity like paragliding in the wilds of Italy above. Connecting with free spirits in sublime nature is always a sure fire way for me to change my state and get clarity on confusion. Note – most of these things involve movement – as Tony Robbins says: ‘Motion equals emotion’.

What one change can you make today to get out of your head and into your body?

How would that feel?

And what’s the best possible outcome?

 

 

 

Podcast Episode 13: How Changes in Your Diet and Lifestyle Will Transform Your Life!

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Episode 13 of The School of Success Podcast Series is now live! An inspiring and eye-opening deep-dive into how shifts in your diet and lifestyle can transform your life and support females in their 40’s suffering with hormonal imbalance regain vitality, restoration and balance.

This interview with the accomplished Melanie Flood, Nutritionist, Health Coach and Female Hormone Expert, teaches you:

– top tips for losing weight fast, the healthy way;
– the surprising link between nutrition and mental and physical health and the shocking consequences of a bad diet;
– the truth about supplements and the six pillars of wellbeing;
– how gut, hormonal and genetic testing can optimise your wellbeing and happiness;
– the surprising signs of the peri-menopause; and
– why you shouldn’t believe everything a doctor tells you

This is also for you if you have an interest in how optimisation of sleep, movement and even the products you use in your lives can have a huge bearing on your wellbeing and happiness. Or maybe, like many of us, you’re not sure what a Nutritionist and Health Coach is and the main benefits of investing in one!

In this super informative interview, Mel shares her expert wisdom from her own journey struggling with low energy and anxiety and top tips for turning your life around using diet and lifestyle. A successful registered Nutritionist and leading expert in women’s hormonal health, Mel works with a range of clients but has a specialist focus on the perimenopause.

You can find Mel at www.instagram.com/melaniefloodnutrition/ on Instagram and at www.melaniefloodnutrition.com/

Listen to the full episode here!

Podcast Episode 10: How to Re-Wire Your Sub-Conscious to Transform Your Life

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Episode 10 of The School of Success Podcast Series is now live! An inspiring and eye-opening deep-dive into how to re-wire your sub-conscious to achieve transformative life changes from weight loss and fertility and relationships to career success and beyond.

This interview with the accomplished founder of Anna Lancaster Therapy, Anna Lancaster teaches you:

– how stress works in the brain and why the brain can change;
– where our thoughts and beliefs really come from;
– why re-programming our internal monologue is critical to true happiness and success;
– why early childhood is so key in shaping our identity and top tips for parents;
– the 3 root causes that lie at the heart of all dysfunction and how you can upgrade your life through re-wiring your sub-conscious

This is for you if you have an interest in what makes us us, why we behave the way we do and how we can uplevel our lives to achieve true mastery. This is also for you if you’re not sure you have what it takes to change your life and don’t know where to start

In this super informative interview, Anna shares her expert wisdom as a Licensed Rapid Transformational Therapist and Certified Hypnotherapist working with clients across a whole host of industries and with a whole host of sticking blocks to reveal why transforming your life may not be as hard as you think

You can find Anna @www.instagram.com/annalancastertherapy/ on Instagram and at www.annalancastertherapy.com/

Why Businesses Can’t Afford Not To Be Kind

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In the face of a global pandemic, kindness has been revealed to be the greatest currency of all.

Nurses and carers continue to be revered for putting their lives on the line for others.

Companies like Starbucks, Krispy Kreme and Crocs have gone viral for offering free products and services to frontline workers.

Innovative movements like Scrub Hub South East London have garnered praise for creating personal protective equipment for our medical professionals from their kitchen tables.

On the other side of the coin, business owners like Richard Branson, Stella McCartney and Victoria Beckham have drawn scorn for their seeming disregard for employee and taxpayer wellbeing when kindness should seem like a drop in the ocean of their privilege.

In short, against the backdrop of one of the biggest crises the world has ever seen, kindness has been feted as the jewel in the crown of humanity, lending credence to the notion that: “Your dreams will have greater meaning when they’re tied to the betterment of others.”

And with the pandemic putting mental health on everyone’s agenda, there has never been a more powerful time to reflect on the power of kindness to organisational success.

Read the full article for GD Consulting here

‘COVID-19 Has Put Mental Health On Everyone’s Agenda’: The Former Lawyer Turned Corporate Wellbeing Trainer

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I am often asked why I left law to train law firms in Mental Health First Aid. In aid of U.K. Mental Health Awareness Week, I would like to share my story.

The truth is, many lawyers are confronted with the same career paradox that I was: they are high achievers who have made the cut, they have skills in abundance, thrive under pressure, problem-solve and add real value to clients.

Yet they are still human beings with lives of their own. The challenges of juggling an intense workload, managing relationships, caring for family and other life stresses have never been more apparent than during the pandemic. COVID-19 has put mental health on everyone’s agenda. Read the full article for Legal Week here.

Corporate Social Responsibility: Moving Mental Health to the Top of the Legal Agenda

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The legal profession is widely known for attracting high achievers, those with excellent grades, drive, attention to detail and resilience. There is no denying that the legal industry is built on extremes; think the A-Type personalities driving Magic Circle revenues north of a billion pounds a year to the cut above intellect which sees only a third of student barristers securing pupillages.

It is with irony that these stellar qualities can also be many lawyers’ and barristers’ Achilles’ heel. For while the high-powered legal industry thrives off outstanding professionals, this same unrelenting standard for excellence can leave legal professionals feeling imbalanced, burnt-out and more vulnerable to mental illness than employees in other industries.

You certainly don’t need me to tell you about the impact the Covid-19 pandemic is having on the legal profession. This crisis has disrupted the workplace like nothing before. As an industry, law firms are scrambling to plan for the post-coronavirus working environment. There is a real danger however that, whilst the physical aspect of returning to work under a ‘new normal’ will be respected, the mental wellbeing of staff may be overlooked. Read the full article for The Law Society Gazette here

THE GREAT CAREER REVEAL: WHAT COVID19 TEACHES US ABOUT SUCCESS

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“Often in the chaos of daily life we don’t have an opportunity to think about our purpose”
Jonathan Moult, Lawyer turned Counselling Psychologist
 
Despite the many negatives of the pandemic whether financial, professional or human loss, Covid19 has revealed one great pearl of wisdom: that the best paid are not essential, raising some serious questions around the notion of purpose, meaning and value.
 
Turning commonplace norms around social status, service and worth upside down, the pandemic has triggered soul-searching among financiers, lawyers and other esteemed white-collar workers who may have previously measured value (and been valued) in terms of net worth and social status. This begs the question, what is success?
 
Read my article for Thrive Global here to see the fatal flaw that causes most career unhappiness and harness this universal pause to get clear on what purpose, value and meaning mean to you.
 

1 in 4 of Us Experience Mental Ill Health Yet Nearly Half of Managers Have Never Received Mental Health Training

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Just another reason giving mental health first aid training is so rewarding – because even though awareness is improving, there’s still a gaping need for greater awareness of mental ill health at management level. 85% of managers feel responsible for employee wellbeing yet at least 50% aren’t receiving any kind of training to execute this duty of care – that’s despite at least 1 in 4 of us experiencing mental ill health every year in the UK and 99 million sick days being taken due to mental ill health every year.

Aside from the prevalence of mental ill health, managers are the role models of organisations and they have a huge effect on employee wellbeing and mental health. They also have the power to implement organisational policy and make positive change. There are so many more stats which make a no brainer business case for mental health first aid training including unsupported mental health costing the UK economy £36 billion a year and over 80% of line managers admitting they’d judge someone with a mental health condition. This is why the watch words of my training business are understand, create, transform. Because any transformation, organisational or otherwise, starts with understanding and having an action plan for change.

As per this insightful article from Health Insurance Daily on occupational health:

‘the Chartered Management Institute suggests workplace training should become a legal requirement.

Nearly half (49%) of managers have never received training on managing mental health in the workplace, according to a survey by the Chartered Management Institute.

Less than a third (30%) have received training in the last 12 months, the poll of nearly 950 managers found.

The survey also shows over half (51%) of managers have had a member of staff disclose a mental health problem, such as stress, anxiety and depression as well as rarer problems like bipolar, eating problems and post-traumatic stress disorder.

This means that over three fifths (62%) of managers who have had a member of their team disclose a mental health problem to them have either never received any training, or received it over 12 months ago, the CMI said.

CMI’s chief executive Ann Francke said there is very long way to go to make mental health training a part of essential workplace practice.

“Line managers play an absolutely critical role in supporting employees’ mental health and wellbeing. Employers are already required by law to provide training on physical health and safety. It’s time the same requirements applied to mental health,” she stated’.

If not now, when?

Rachel Brathen: 5 Top Tips For Wellbeing

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I just read a beautiful article by the lovely Rachel Brathen, the hugely popular yogi based in Aruba otherwise known as Yoga Girl. Instead of re-creating these top wellbeing tips myself, check out Rachel’s 5 favourite wellness practices you can implement into your daily life. In the busy run-up to Christmas, these will be just what you need to slow down, tune in and stay centred:

1 – Create sacred mornings. Give yourself the time and space needed to have time to start each day off right. Light a candle, sit in meditation for a few minutes, practice yoga, eat a good breakfast. Set your intentions for the day! Rushing out the door sets a hectic tone for the day. Make your mornings sacred and the rest of the day will follow suit.

2 – Drink hot lemon water in the mornings.
 It works! Think of it as a way to completely reset your system, so anything you ingest after that (coffee, breakfast, a bagel munched down on the train on your way to work) will have a better chance of settling in a good way. Don’t bring yesterday with you! Hot water with lemon is cleansing, gets you metabolism started and gives your body a fresh start.

3 – Practice yoga. I’m not saying you have to be a super yogi and spend 90+ minutes sweating on your mat every single day, just do what makes you feel good! 30 minutes a few times a week on your mat at home is a great start. Focus on the parts of your body that feel tight or sore and that you know need a little bit of extra love. Or go to take a class at a studio close to your home! Creating community is a big piece of making yoga a permanent routine in your life.

4 – Let yourself feel.
 By this I mean – allow yourself to have ups and downs! Don’t push things down below the surface but make space for your emotions. Holding in frustration, pain or grief is the fastest way to ensure bad health. Our physical bodies are a perfect manifestation of how we feel within, so take care of your heart! Speak to friends about things that trouble you. Write a journal. Share! It will make you feel lighter.

5 – Be thankful. By focusing on the beautiful things we already have in life, we start attracting more of the same! Keep your attention on the positive, and say thank you as often as you can. Gratitude is the best attitude.

Thank you for a beautiful reminder of things we can do to stay happy day to day, Rachel. For more where that came from, check out her super cute website here!

New York Times: 7 Top Tips on Building Resilience

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Much of the scientific research on resilience — our ability to bounce back from adversity — has focused on how to build resilience in children. But what about grown-ups? This article in the New York Times gives 7 top tips on how to build resilience and improve your life. The second and the last one are my particular favourites 😉

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Melanie