Helping Ourselves On #WorldMentalHealthDay

Solving Problems Is Easier When We Act Together. (Picture credit Photo by August de Richelieu from Pexels )

Today, of all days, it is worth saying that life without good mental health is hard.

From my experience, in the developed world, it can still feel dark, stressful, and overwhelming to struggle on alone.

In developed and developing nations stigma about mental health conditions can affect outcomes. In some countries and cultures mental health taboos can leave those issues to silently fester in the dark. People affected can hide their illness. It can feel their secret shame to bear alone.

Left untreated their illness can become more significant than it needed to be. That is bad news for their loved ones, their colleagues and everyone else affected.

So, to change those outcomes, wherever we live, tackling mental health issues needs to involve:

  • Recognising something is making our life more complicated than it needs be
  • Reaching out to professionals who are able to help
  • Staying in touch with good listeners amongst our family network and friendship circle
  • Being kind to ourselves

What has worked for you, or people you know?

Always worth remembering, wherever in the World we find ourselves, and whatever else is important in our lives, struggling alone is not a solution.

We are stronger together.

Making Change Happen – Personal #Goals In 2021

What Needs To Change? (Picture credit SHVETS Productions via Pexels.com)

So, what has September felt like to you? 

Post-pandemic is it business as usual, once again?  

Or, is it more like something from a science fiction film, complete with rapid testing and face coverings? 

Happiness involves choice.

Making change happen starts with moving towards a goal.

Everyone choosing to follow a different path after lockdown has had to plan their way forward. Maybe that is something you want to do? If so there’s plenty of information in the posts here to get you started.

Check out the download section too, if you want some ideas on where to focus your attention.

The first step is to ask yourself, what do I want to change by the end of next month?

Then figure out what your next step looks like. 

Then take it.

Leave a reply and let everyone know how you get on!

#Business As #Usual ?

Now We Can Work Together Much More Should We? – Photo From Fauxels From Pexels

Step 4 in the Covid-19 recovery process means fewer restrictions. 

Step 4 doesn’t mean everything is back to business as usual, workwise.

In fact, it could take a while for ‘usual’ to emerge.

Blended Working: Pros and Cons

How does a blended approach of 50:50 working from home and an office sound?

The Pros are obvious:

  • Less hours commuting
  • More creative contact with diverse colleagues

The Cons are less obvious:

  • Quiet pressure to work just a bit more (early morning / in the evening / on the weekend)
  • More exposure to any toxicity in the workplace and the potential to get into disruptive relationships

What We Choose Affects Our Happiness

Our choices will affect our happiness.

A well-thought through choice will help build job satisfaction.

A casual one could cause damage.

So, it is worth taking time to figure out what we want from the work we do.

That reflection will help us form new work goals which help us deliver better results.

Why not have your say. What will you do differently, when you go back to work?

Photo by fauxels from Pexels

3 #Leadership Lessons From 3 Lions

Last week, like 30 million others, I watched the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy.

England’s confident, diverse team had reached a major final after more than 50 years.

At the end of extra time, I watched 19-year-old Bukayo Saka step up.

His penalty would make the difference.

It did.

His shot was saved.

That result was painful, but Gareth Southgate and the rest of the team held each other up.

But some ‘supporters’ tried to tear them down.

Cue a wave of online racism.

Monkey Emojis.

The N word.

The usual crap.

Not the kind of thing anyone should ignore, whether it is obvious who is creating it, or hidden behind a screenname.

And that’s why Saka, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and their teammates take the knee. Despite the boos.

  • Because leaders set the tone for their teams.
  • Because drawing attention to a problem isn’t ‘gesture politics’.
  • Because the process of change is uncomfortable.

A Few Thoughts For #Carersweek

Taking Care Of Someone Else Means Taking Care Of Yourself First – Picture credit Madison Inouye on Pexels.com

It has been another tough year.

The Coronavirus is still knocking people for six.  

Relatives and friends looking after loved ones are feeling invisible and under-valued.

For instance, research shows more than 7 out 10 UK carers haven’t practiced self-care and had a break in 12 months (a link to the report is below).

Which mean thousands of people are exhausted. Which means tired relatives struggling to focus on caring for a loved one. Which leaves the cared for person with less than the full support they need.

Vaccination is making a difference. Society may look different before too long.

Hopefully, by June 2022, better support will be offered to carers and carers will be more visible and valued. If so, the cared for will feel the benefit.

‘Breaks or breakdown’, Carers Week 2021 report – Carers UK

Picture credit Madison Inouye on Pexels.com

#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek2021

Lockdown: how has it felt to you?

Did staring at the same four walls each day get you down?

If the answer is ‘sometimes’. join the club.

I’ve found staying indoors to avoid infection hard sometimes.

Safety has meant less

  • fresh air
  • sunshine
  • social contact

There are health benefits resulting from connecting with nature. That can mean raising a plant indoors or taking a walk outdoors. Follow the link if you want to know more:

Mental Health Awareness Week 2021

So, from this week on I am going to spend a bit more time taking care of my health, with help from Nature itself.

How about you?    

Picture Credit Pok Rie at Pexels.com

The Power of #Gratitude

So Many People Have Helped Us Get This Far During The Pandemic

(Photo by Piron Guillaume on Unsplash )

Thank You.

Two very powerful words to express gratitude.

Do me a service (large or small) and expect a ‘thank you’.

After the year we have all survived, gratitude seems like the least we can express.

Over the past year I have thanked:

  • Nurses
  • Doctors
  • Physiotherapists
  • Transport workers 
  • Funeral staff
  • Family
  • Friends
  • Neighbours
  • Police 

and so many others.

From what I can see ‘thank you’ goes a long way to showing we are all in this together. 

So, who will you thank today? 

What Happens When We #ChooseToChallenge ?

A Black Woman Working In A Laboratory
Picture credit CDC at Unsplash.Com : Women Work In Science Technology Engineering Mathematics

My Mum and Women like her lived through incredible times

During the late 1960s and early 1970s the Race Relations Act and the Equal Pay Act arrived.

Legislation meant that Black women could not be excluded from the job market by employers.

 Which meant access to greater job choice.

Jobs with prospects.

Jobs which paid Women equally for their labour.

These changes didn’t happen by chance. They didn’t make everything perfect.

They did come about because Women and Men chose to challenge inequality.

Great journeys begin with the first important step.

Happy International Women’s Day!

(Picture credit CDC at Unsplash.Com)

How To Create #Memories

A year ago I was wrapping presents for my Dad’s birthday. He was easy to please. His favourite aftershave (the one with the ship on the bottle) and some other small items would do.

Then the Coronavirus arrived.

Two months later (the first peak) I was wearing PPE and saying goodbye to him.

The one thing I regret not doing was recording his voice.   

There are photographs. There is even that unopened aftershave. What I didn’t get around to doing was recording one of his anecdotes about his life in the Caribbean. Even a familiar story about life in London would do. there was always going to be the chance to do it tomorrow.

Until there was no tomorrow.

What Do You Want From #2021 (And Who Stands In Your Way) ?

(Feel free to like and share if you enjoy this post)

This is the time of year when we make changes. Getting healthier; making savings grow; changing our job: these all feature on people’s To Do lists.   

Maybe you made a 2021 Resolution yourself (if so, how is it going)?

The hardest part of making change happen is taking a first step, having stood still for a while (weeks / months / even years).

The biggest obstacle to getting started can be other people, especially when they are important or influential figures in our lives. There are ways around people who want to block our growth.

Take a look at my video on the subject via Youtube if you need to think about working around the people getting in your way. What strategies do you use to keep moving forward? Don’t forget to comment, like, share and subscribe if you enjoy what you see.

All the best – Roger