What is the relationship between a change in habits and our mental health? What does it take to change a habit that we know is unhealthy for us? What are our priorities? Do we want to change them? Are these changes really important to us? Are we going to do everything and how much work does it take to make the difference we want to see? How often do we give up on these changes when something goes wrong? How do the steps we take show how emotionally prepared our minds are? Consequently, how much do we care about ourselves?
When people ask me about the coaching process and what I do during these sessions. I tell them that my role as a coach is to make suggestions and provide information; then my client will tell me how these changes will fit in their agenda and if they will be viable or not. I provide the tools so that you can use them to take the necessary steps to change certain behaviors that are not helping you achieve goals, or overcome health conditions or situations. As a team, we can mutually decide on the next steps to take. I do not fix anyone, you are the one who makes those changes and the one who deserves all the rewards of these achievements. But, just to be clear, we both have roles; I provide the tools and steps and you execute them. We all know that we can make plans, but no plan is successful if there is no action that follows this plan. The more dedication we put into them, the more we can adjust these changes so that they are part of our life; consequently, being able to see the results.
However, when we talk about changing behaviours and lifestyles, these are deeply related to your state of mind or how ready you are to make those changes. For this reason, many do not achieve the results they desire. Life does not stop because we decide one day to wake up at a certain time, so we have to stop doing things the night before, to go to bed earlier to achieve this "new goal", which in some situations is not very easy to achieve right after starting this journey. Habits are patterns that are there by repetition, and that is why it takes time to have a new one as part of our daily routine. Most of the time the challenges you encounter are so strong because it's a routine we've had all our lives and trying to change it overnight won't happen right away. An example of this is when you are trying to add physical activity to your daily routine and you want to do it very early in the morning. But the day before, you have work until late at night, and you have a baby that you have to take care of and it doesn't sleep like you expect. In these cases, flexibility should be your go-to, because getting frustrated with a lack of time, sleep, and patience won't do your body any good. If you are trying to lose weight, stress will not allow your body to release leptin, which is the hormone responsible for weight loss, but will instead produce cortisol, the hormone responsible for weight gain. But, how different and complex is this for people who have other major health problems? Such as an immune condition, depression, or any other mental condition? Changing a habit for them is deeper than caring for a baby because they need to heal something that has been buried for some time, as well as other behaviours that they might want to change.
For this reason, a holistic approach is so important during a coaching session. Underlying emotional issues can impede a person's health or goal progress. A holistic approach gives me an overview of the person's situation so that I can understand the obstacles they may encounter during our sessions. It is very important to understand the connection between our mind, body and soul. How the discrepancies between them can affect our bodies, decisions, emotions and actions, and some of these can really have drastic consequences in our life. Some medical conditions are rooted in a person's emotional stability, and overcoming these conditions will require more than just changing daily behaviour. When I talk about food, I'm not just talking about the food you eat, but what you emotionally consume in your daily life and how you talk to yourself based on these daily experiences.
I know that we all live in a real world where we are bombarded with different kinds of experiences in our daily lives and through the media, and we can't help but have bad experiences in life. Furthermore, I know that we are responsible for how we assimilate or react to those experiences; but I also know that just as we are responsible for our behaviour, others are responsible for their behaviour. Respect and compassion are what we all deserve. A person's mental health not only affects how a person responds to their experiences but is a crucial part of their overall health.
BE KIND.........AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO ADDRESS A SITUATION, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY ANYTHING....... SOMETIMES THAT PERSON JUST NEEDS TO KNOW THAT THEY ARE NOT ALONE.....
If you know someone who needs immediate help, do not hesitate to call these numbers or share any of these links with them.
"MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS, A SILENCE THAT HURTS"
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