Inspire your team to become proactive and comfortable with mental health in our 4-hour positive psychology course, Mental Fitness Teams.
You’ve spent time and countless resources to ensure your workplace is set up for your team’s success.
But despite your best efforts, the new “healthy habits” initiatives never stick, and every year you spend more time, money and resources thinking of a new and improved way to help your team perform more optimally in every area of their work and personal lives…
But what if the solution is not another 10,000-step challenge or healthy communication workshop?
What if the real solution to cultivating a healthy work environment that is productive, enjoyable and thriving is to focus on building the singular skill that all other skills piggyback off of?
Enter Mental Fitness.
Once you build a company-wide culture that’s centered around the importance of Mental Fitness awareness, habits and everyday skills, you can then sit back and watch in amazement as every area of your workplace improves…
From daily peer-to-peer interactions, productivity levels, team engagement, and so much more.
In this training course, you’ll gain the knowledge, confidence and skills you need to create long-lasting culture change in the workplace.
Course Outcomes
After completing this training course, you’ll be equipped with the tools, confidence, and resources you need to:
Understand the relationship and responsibilities between mental health, the workplace and employee performance. When you understand how employee performance is directly enhanced or diminished based on Mental Fitness levels, you’ll be better able to provide your team with the resources and support they need to function at their highest level.
Understand the role of a Mental Fitness Champion in the workplace. A Mental Fitness Champion’s role in the workplace is crucial to building a long-lasting cultural shift of strong mental health habits and values.
Understand how to articulate, implement and sustain a Mental Fitness team culture. You’ll learn how to translate the knowledge and skills you gain into real-life actionable steps so you can build a company-wide culture that’s centered around comfortable and candid mental health conversations.
Apply and share the L.E.A.D. model with teammates. Equip yourself with the resources and know-how you need to share this knowledge with every member of your team confidently, so they can confidently express their mental health needs and concerns.
Influence positive change within the organization. You’ll be able to properly identify the factors within your control that support and undermine your team’s mental health and wellbeing – so you can implement change that will have a long-lasting, positive influence on your company culture for years to come.
This course is proudly presented by our newest partnership initiative, Mental Fitness Hub. Visit the Mental Fitness Hub websiteto learn more about our project and how we help workplaces.
Discover how to apply the skills of Mental Fitness and resilience to invest in your own mental health in our 4-hour positive psychology course, Mental Fitness Circuit.
Improving and maintaining your physical fitness is a concept that’s drilled into most people from a young age. We’re required to participate in P.E. during our school years, we’re encouraged to join sports teams, and the media inspires us to be more active to promote good health and overall wellbeing.
So we know the importance of staying on top of our physical fitness, even if we don’t always do as much as we’d like to. But what about our Mental Fitness?
What if you could maintain, improve and strengthen your Mental Fitness the same way you work on your physical fitness? What would your life look like then?
You’d be more resilient to everyday life stressors.
You’d find it easier to feel a sense of purpose and remain future-focused in the face of difficulties.
You’d be able to focus more clearly and perform better at work.
You may also be less susceptible to experiencing an episode of severe mental illness.
When you’re mentally fit, the quality and experience of your life improves in every way. In this training course, you’ll learn the skills and rituals that will support and strengthen your mental health.
In this course, you’ll learn everyday practices that promote healthy thinking, implement habits and rituals that’ll help you reach optimal functioning, achieve more meaning at work and in life, and so much more.
Course Outcomes
After completing this training course, you’ll be equipped with the tools, confidence, and resources you need to:
Appreciate how common ‘life issues’ affect Mental Fitness. From issues at work to arguments with family and friends, to community and economic tragedies… There will always be something that’s affecting your level of Mental Fitness. With the right strategies, you’ll have the resources to better face challenges in a helpful way with ultimately more resilience.
Apply a growth mindset to Mental Fitness and stress recovery. Positive habits of mind are key to maintaining an overall lifestyle that feels optimized, balanced and stress-free. You’ll learn the habits and rituals essential for everyday stress recovery and growth.
Understand how to apply Mental Fitness skills to a busy life. Let’s face it, today’s fast-paced living and high-demand world doesn’t set us up for mental health success. The tools you’ll learn in this training course will help you maintain robust Mental Fitness even during the busiest and most chaotic times of life.
Understand and share the F.E.S.T. model. Once you’ve learned and applied all the concepts to your own life, you’ll be equipped with the resources and know-how you need to share this knowledge with your friends, family and coworkers.
Create your own Mental Fitness Circuit Training Plan. You’ll walk away from this course with a personal plan that will help you implement the Mental Fitness practices that work for you and your schedule. This plan will help you create lifelong habits so you can continuously adjust and improve over time.
This course is proudly presented by our newest partnership initiative, Mental Fitness Hub. Visit the Mental Fitness Hub websiteto learn more about our project and how we help workplaces.
Discover how to proactively support others in a fast-paced hybrid world with our 4-hour positive psychology course, Mental Fitness Conversations.
In today’s society, we’ve worked hard to normalize mental health struggles and setbacks — with many workplaces, schools and teams adopting the belief that leaders and peers should frequently check on others, encouraging them to ask, “How are you doing?“
Which is a great start. But what happens next?
What do you do when a coworker, teammate or peer responds with an answer that signals they might be struggling?
For most of us, we don’t know the answer. We may even freeze or flee from the situation entirely — leaving the other person more guarded and less likely to seek the help they need.
In this training course, you’re not only going to learn the best way to approach fellow coworkers, employees, peers and athletes…
But also what steps and actions you can take when you sense they may be struggling and in need of Mental Fitness support.
Mental Fitness Conversations is about more than theory. It’s a practical, habitual and life-long set of skills you’ll use to support others, especially as more of us interact through digital devices and work in hybrid environments.
Course Outcomes
Identify, approach and support other individuals in distress. Never again worry about the best way to approach a colleague who appears to be struggling. Whether you’re having a face-to-face conversation or chatting over Zoom, you’ll know exactly what to say, how to say it, and what needs to happen next.
Understand the application of Mental Fitness to overcome stigma. Because of the lack of awareness and education around mental health and how to maintain or strengthen it, most people won’t reach out for (or accept) help unless they self-identify with having an “illness” or having stopped coping. With the proper education and guidance, you’ll know how to combat this stigma wherever and whenever it appears and guide people to understand that we all have mental health, and that sometimes we have periods of injury or setback that can be overcome.
Understand the Mental Health Continuum and recovery concepts. Mental health is just like physical health — everyone has it. And the more you actively work on strengthening and improving it, the stronger and more resilient you’re likely to be. You’ll know exactly how to support someone at different stages of the continuum (potentially ill → struggling → moderately well → mentally fit) and what steps need to be taken to support their Mental Fitness journey.
Apply and share the C.A.R.E. model across various channels. In today’s society of online conversations — from emails to Slack messages to Zoom meetings and everything in between — it’s important for you to learn the best methods of communication for all channels. You’ll learn how to implement the C.A.R.E. model and lead effective Mental Fitness conversations, face-to-face or online.
Understand and share resources to promote support-seeking. You’ll be equipped with real skills and resources to support colleagues with how to seek support, strengthen their Mental Fitness, and take small steps to improve their quality of life.
This course is proudly presented by our newest partnership initiative, Mental Fitness Hub. Visit the Mental Fitness Hub websiteto learn more about our project and how we help workplaces.
In our 12-hour Certified Mental Fitness Champions Program, we’ll guide you through three comprehensive Mental Fitness online training courses, equipping you with everything you need to effectively create sustainable change in your workplace, school or community group.
Mental Fitness Champions are proud, passionate and most importantly – trained – to promote positive mental health awareness in their workplace, schools, sports teams, families and communities.
Mental Fitness Champions have the knowledge, confidence and skills to support anyone facing mental health concerns, burnout, emotional distress or struggling with the various challenges in life.
Mental Fitness Champions are vocal and visible. They take time out of their day to proactively promote good mental health habits, activities and conversations. They understand what’s required to build a preventative culture of Mental Fitness and how to inspire real, lasting and sustainable change.
Mental Fitness Champions inspire colleagues, teammates and peers to reimagine a more practical, proactive and preventative approach to everyday mental health.
Courses in the Certified Mental Fitness Champions Program
When you sign up to become a Certified Mental Fitness Champion, you’ll be taken through all three of our comprehensive mental health online training courses – equipping you with the knowledge, confidence and skills to effectively create sustainable change.
Each course will guide you through a set of unique, specific and practical skills for applying Mental Fitness science and practice in your life and work.
Becoming a Certified Mental Fitness Champion helps you become a recognized, certified, and qualified leader around proactive and preventative mental health at your workplace, school or community group. You’ll be able to support other people having a tough time, discover and apply ways to improve your own Mental Fitness so you respond better to setbacks and challenges, and you’ll be able to inspire others in a team or group setting with the relevant and engaging language of Mental Fitness.
Learn how to inspire your team to become proactive and comfortable with mental health.
Who is the Certified Mental Fitness Champions Program for?
Mental Fitness Hub online mental health training is ideal for workplaces, schools, and community groups that want to do more to support employee mental health and to take action in a more proactive and preventative way.
This training program is suitable for team leaders, line managers, supervisors, new starters, teachers and principals, sports club coaches and support staff, as well as individuals who simply want to be more knowledgeable about mental health, and equipped with the skills to make a difference.
Anyone who cares about good mental health and wellbeing can become a Certified Mental Fitness Champion.
How Can I Become a Certified Mental Fitness Champion?
For individuals, you can register for one of our open public courses easily through our online booking system and choose the time slot that fits your schedule. To register, visit our Book A Course page.
For groups and organizations, you have the option to register for one of our open public courses by registering all participants during the booking process, or feel free to contact the Mental Fitness Hub and book a private session at a time and date that works for you.
Once you have completed the three courses and associated course requirements, you will be issued your Certified Mental Fitness Champion Certificate and have the right to use the Certified Mental Fitness Champion Badge in all digital communications.
This program is proudly presented by our newest partnership initiative, Mental Fitness Hub. Visit the Mental Fitness Hub websiteto learn more about our project and how we help workplaces.
Inspire your team to become proactive and comfortable with mental health in our 4-hour positive psychology course, Mental Fitness Teams.
You’ve spent time and countless resources to ensure your workplace is set up for your team’s success.
But despite your best efforts, the new “healthy habits” initiatives never stick, and every year you spend more time, money and resources thinking of a new and improved way to help your team perform more optimally in every area of their work and personal lives…
But what if the solution is not another 10,000-step challenge or healthy communication workshop?
What if the real solution to cultivating a healthy work environment that is productive, enjoyable and thriving is to focus on building the singular skill that all other skills piggyback off of?
Enter Mental Fitness.
Once you build a company-wide culture that’s centered around the importance of Mental Fitness awareness, habits and everyday skills, you can then sit back and watch in amazement as every area of your workplace improves…
From daily peer-to-peer interactions, productivity levels, team engagement, and so much more.
In this training course, you’ll gain the knowledge, confidence and skills you need to create long-lasting culture change in the workplace.
Course Outcomes
After completing this training course, you’ll be equipped with the tools, confidence, and resources you need to:
Understand the relationship and responsibilities between mental health, the workplace and employee performance. When you understand how employee performance is directly enhanced or diminished based on Mental Fitness levels, you’ll be better able to provide your team with the resources and support they need to function at their highest level.
Understand the role of a Mental Fitness Champion in the workplace. A Mental Fitness Champion’s role in the workplace is crucial to building a long-lasting cultural shift of strong mental health habits and values.
Understand how to articulate, implement and sustain a Mental Fitness team culture. You’ll learn how to translate the knowledge and skills you gain into real-life actionable steps so you can build a company-wide culture that’s centered around comfortable and candid mental health conversations.
Apply and share the L.E.A.D. model with teammates. Equip yourself with the resources and know-how you need to share this knowledge with every member of your team confidently, so they can confidently express their mental health needs and concerns.
Influence positive change within the organization. You’ll be able to properly identify the factors within your control that support and undermine your team’s mental health and wellbeing – so you can implement change that will have a long-lasting, positive influence on your company culture for years to come.
This course is proudly presented by our newest partnership initiative, Mental Fitness Hub. Visit the Mental Fitness Hub websiteto learn more about our project and how we help workplaces.
Discover how to apply the skills of Mental Fitness and resilience to invest in your own mental health in our 4-hour positive psychology course, Mental Fitness Circuit.
Improving and maintaining your physical fitness is a concept that’s drilled into most people from a young age. We’re required to participate in P.E. during our school years, we’re encouraged to join sports teams, and the media inspires us to be more active to promote good health and overall wellbeing.
So we know the importance of staying on top of our physical fitness, even if we don’t always do as much as we’d like to. But what about our Mental Fitness?
What if you could maintain, improve and strengthen your Mental Fitness the same way you work on your physical fitness? What would your life look like then?
You’d be more resilient to everyday life stressors.
You’d find it easier to feel a sense of purpose and remain future-focused in the face of difficulties.
You’d be able to focus more clearly and perform better at work.
You may also be less susceptible to experiencing an episode of severe mental illness.
When you’re mentally fit, the quality and experience of your life improves in every way. In this training course, you’ll learn the skills and rituals that will support and strengthen your mental health.
In this course, you’ll learn everyday practices that promote healthy thinking, implement habits and rituals that’ll help you reach optimal functioning, achieve more meaning at work and in life, and so much more.
Course Outcomes
After completing this training course, you’ll be equipped with the tools, confidence, and resources you need to:
Appreciate how common ‘life issues’ affect Mental Fitness. From issues at work to arguments with family and friends, to community and economic tragedies… There will always be something that’s affecting your level of Mental Fitness. With the right strategies, you’ll have the resources to better face challenges in a helpful way with ultimately more resilience.
Apply a growth mindset to Mental Fitness and stress recovery. Positive habits of mind are key to maintaining an overall lifestyle that feels optimized, balanced and stress-free. You’ll learn the habits and rituals essential for everyday stress recovery and growth.
Understand how to apply Mental Fitness skills to a busy life. Let’s face it, today’s fast-paced living and high-demand world doesn’t set us up for mental health success. The tools you’ll learn in this training course will help you maintain robust Mental Fitness even during the busiest and most chaotic times of life.
Understand and share the F.E.S.T. model. Once you’ve learned and applied all the concepts to your own life, you’ll be equipped with the resources and know-how you need to share this knowledge with your friends, family and coworkers.
Create your own Mental Fitness Circuit Training Plan. You’ll walk away from this course with a personal plan that will help you implement the Mental Fitness practices that work for you and your schedule. This plan will help you create lifelong habits so you can continuously adjust and improve over time.
This course is proudly presented by our newest partnership initiative, Mental Fitness Hub. Visit the Mental Fitness Hub websiteto learn more about our project and how we help workplaces.
Discover how to proactively support others in a fast-paced hybrid world with our 4-hour positive psychology course, Mental Fitness Conversations.
In today’s society, we’ve worked hard to normalize mental health struggles and setbacks — with many workplaces, schools and teams adopting the belief that leaders and peers should frequently check on others, encouraging them to ask, “How are you doing?“
Which is a great start. But what happens next?
What do you do when a coworker, teammate or peer responds with an answer that signals they might be struggling?
For most of us, we don’t know the answer. We may even freeze or flee from the situation entirely — leaving the other person more guarded and less likely to seek the help they need.
In this training course, you’re not only going to learn the best way to approach fellow coworkers, employees, peers and athletes…
But also what steps and actions you can take when you sense they may be struggling and in need of Mental Fitness support.
Mental Fitness Conversations is about more than theory. It’s a practical, habitual and life-long set of skills you’ll use to support others, especially as more of us interact through digital devices and work in hybrid environments.
Course Outcomes
Identify, approach and support other individuals in distress. Never again worry about the best way to approach a colleague who appears to be struggling. Whether you’re having a face-to-face conversation or chatting over Zoom, you’ll know exactly what to say, how to say it, and what needs to happen next.
Understand the application of Mental Fitness to overcome stigma. Because of the lack of awareness and education around mental health and how to maintain or strengthen it, most people won’t reach out for (or accept) help unless they self-identify with having an “illness” or having stopped coping. With the proper education and guidance, you’ll know how to combat this stigma wherever and whenever it appears and guide people to understand that we all have mental health, and that sometimes we have periods of injury or setback that can be overcome.
Understand the Mental Health Continuum and recovery concepts. Mental health is just like physical health — everyone has it. And the more you actively work on strengthening and improving it, the stronger and more resilient you’re likely to be. You’ll know exactly how to support someone at different stages of the continuum (potentially ill → struggling → moderately well → mentally fit) and what steps need to be taken to support their Mental Fitness journey.
Apply and share the C.A.R.E. model across various channels. In today’s society of online conversations — from emails to Slack messages to Zoom meetings and everything in between — it’s important for you to learn the best methods of communication for all channels. You’ll learn how to implement the C.A.R.E. model and lead effective Mental Fitness conversations, face-to-face or online.
Understand and share resources to promote support-seeking. You’ll be equipped with real skills and resources to support colleagues with how to seek support, strengthen their Mental Fitness, and take small steps to improve their quality of life.
This course is proudly presented by our newest partnership initiative, Mental Fitness Hub. Visit the Mental Fitness Hub websiteto learn more about our project and how we help workplaces.
Staying Connected- How Our Relationships Affect Our Wellbeing
‘There are few stronger predictions of happiness than a close, nurturing, equitable, intimate, lifelong companionship with one’s best friend.’ David Myers, Psychologist.
You’re probably wondering how relationships have such an impact on our happiness?
It may be surprising, but research suggests that our relationships are one of the most significant predictors of physical and psychological wellbeing across all ages. There are so many predicted health benefits as a result of the presence of positive relationships, such as;
Improved recovery from surgery
Better immunity to cold and flu viruses
Lower incidence of heart attacks
Greater ability to cope with stress (oxytocin)
Higher worker satisfaction and productivity
Increased life expectancy (due to hormonal, cardiovascular, and immune responses in the body)
Higher academic achievement
Greater career mobility
Greater life satisfaction
During times of challenge, our team can be significant source of support. Your team are the people in your life that you would normally spend regular time with, such as your work colleagues, friends, family, etc.
Take a minute to think about who’s on your team? Who supports you emotionally?
For many, the lack of social connection during these unprecedent times has been a significant source of stress. Research shows that one risk of remote working is social isolation and loneliness, but the current COVID restrictions complicate this further. Evidence shows that relationships and connection are critical for high levels of psychological wellbeing. So, without a plan in place, individuals are at risk of developing mental health problems, so we must find ways to try to stay connected as much as possible during this current pandemic.
A few new ways we’re able to stay connected include:
Catching up for coffee or dinner with a friend whilst abiding by the current social distancing rules.
Reconnecting with old friends on social media. It is never too late to rekindle old friendships.
Organise a virtual game night.
Joining positive social media groups to discuss hobbies and shared interests.
Sending a card, letter or gift to those that you can’t travel to see right now.
Spending quality time with those in your household, playing games, dancing or cooking together.
Asking your colleagues to share something funny or a story about their weekend during conference calls.
Starting a hashtag and encourage your workplace or community to post around a positive topic.
Joining a virtual trivia games or participating in virtual cooking classes.
APPLI have put together a‘Staying Connected’ toolkit which will provide you with additional strategies and practical tools that you can use to manage your relationships and wellbeing during the COVID pandemic and throughout life.
References
Aknin, L.B., Dunn, E.W. & Norton, M.I. (2012). Happiness Runs in a Circular Motion: Evidence for a Positive Feedback Loop between Prosocial Spending and Happiness. J Happiness Stud, 13, 347–355. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-011-9267-5
Brannan, D., Biswas-Diener, R., Mohr, C., Mortazavi, S., & Stein, N. (2013). Friends and family: A cross-cultural investigation of social support and subjective well-being among college students. The Journal Of Positive Psychology, 8(1), 65-75. doi: 10.1080/17439760.2012.743573
Brown, S. L., Nesse, R. M., Vinokur, A. D., & Smith, D. M. (2003). Providing Social Support May Be More Beneficial Than Receiving It: Results From a Prospective Study of Mortality. Psychological Science, 14(4), 320–327. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.14461
Diener, E., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Very Happy People. Psychological Science, 13(1), 81–84. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467- 9280.00415
Myers, D. G. (1999). Close relationships and quality of life. In D. Kahneman, E. Diener, & N. Schwarz (eds.), Well-Being: The foundations of hedonic psychology. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Robinson, P. L., Oades, L. G. & Caputi, P. (2014). Conceptualising and measuring mental fitness, Doctor of Philosophy thesis, Department of Psychology, University of Wollongong. https://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/4269
Robinson, P. L., Oades, L. G., & Caputi, P. (2015). Conceptualising and measuring mental fitness: A Delphi study. International Journal of Wellbeing, 5(1), 53-73.
3 Tips to Support Your Mental Fitness in the Age of Coronavirus
If you’ve been thinking that the world has become consumed with the Coronavirus, you’re right. A recent article states that “Coronavirus” was mentioned in the media more than 18,000,000 in one day. Everywhere you turn, someone or something is talking about the virus. It is clear that this issue is one of global concern, worrying governments, schools, workplaces and families around the world. Governments and organisations are taking extraordinary cautions that many of us have not seen in our lifetimes in order to reduce the potential negative impact of the virus. We are beginning to see schools and businesses close, instructing students and employees to conduct their work virtually. Some countries and states are in total lockdown with the exception of pharmacies and groceries stores. Even travel has been restricted to and from several countries around the world, changing plans of travellers and affecting industries many countries like Australia rely on.
For many people watching this situation unfold, thinking about the possible physical and financial impacts is causing significant stress and worry. Some have even started to panic, hoarding the essentials that all households rely on. While it is important to take this situation seriously, it is equally important that we all continue to stay calm, support those around us and look after our own physical and mental wellbeing. In this article, we will give you some strategies that can help you stay more mentally fit during these challenging times.
1. Reduce the Time You Spend Watching News and Engaging in Social Media
It’s important to stay informed about the current situation. However, spending too much time reading about the negative can incite fear, chronic stress, anxiety and poor health. Research shows that watching bad news can significantly increase the tendency to catastrophise a personal worry, even if it’s not related to the content of the news story. Research from a 2001 study examined how 9/11 coverage impacted viewers. In some, it was enough to trigger PTSD symptoms. Interestingly, the severity of symptoms was correlated with the amount of time people spent watching television.
If you have children in the home, be particularly mindful about what is on the tv while they are home. Children’s developing brains do not have the ability to reason the same way as adults. One study suggests that just five minutes of distressing news daily (i.e. disturbing stories, images, or videos) may lead children to struggle with fear, anxiety, aggression, sleep problems, and behavioural difficulties.
What You Can Do
Develop healthy boundaries with media and technology. Limit your access to social media and other apps through features such as Apple Screen Time on your mobile phone. You can even set a time limit for each day so that you can unplug from the 24-hour news cycle. Also apply these tools for any family sharing plans to keep your family safe and healthy online.
If you have children in the home, be sure to talk to them about the messages they are hearing in the media. Assure them that they are safe, and it will be ok. Turn the tv off when they are in the room and engage in a positive activity instead.
2. Understand the Negativity Bias
Negative emotions have allowed us to survive as a species. They protect us from danger and still remain an important part of our evolution. However, this evolutionary mechanism in our brains, known as the Negativity Bias, makes us pay more attention to the negative experiences or things in our life than the positive.
There’s a good reason for this. For survival, our ancestors had to be attuned to those things that were life-threatening (predators). Paying too much attention to the positive things around them (that did not pose a risk) made no sense when survival was a day-to-day proposition.
Fortunately, life is much safer in the 21st century. However, the Negativity Bias is still alive and well in the primitive part of our brain. Our brains are, in fact, hardwired to ‘Velcro’ the negatives and ‘Teflon’ the positives. This can cause problems for us by creating an unhealthy positive-to-negative emotional ratio, particularly during times of stress.
What You Can Do
Examine your thoughts and think about how they are making you feel. Sometimes, we experience Automatic Negative Thoughts (we call these ANTs). It is important to remember that your thoughts are not facts and sometimes we all tell ourselves things that may not be true. Watch out for thinking traps and try to change them when you can. One common thinking trap you or someone you know may be experiencing is something called catastrophising. Catastrophising has two parts, the first is predicting a negative outcome. The second part is jumping to the conclusion that if the negative outcome did in fact happen, it would be a catastrophe. Catastrophising can make people feel helpless and cause rumination.
You can help balance the negativity bias by first spotting you ANTs and challenging them in a realistic way. When you have this thought, ask yourself (or the other person with the ANT) a few challenging questions:
How much do you believe in this thought?
What is the evidence for and against this thought? Could you convince a jury that your negative interpretation is the best or only valid one?
How many times in the past have you had this kind of thought? Have you ever been wrong?
If the thought is true, are there some things you can do to improve the situation?
THE KEY QUESTION!! Is this thought helping me?
Promote healthy thinking by catching your own ANTs and helping those around spot and challenge theirs.
3. Think About Who’s on Your Team
Isolation is, well, isolating. With isolation becoming more frequent, people are beginning to express the challenges that they are experiencing from connecting less with others. Being isolated for medical reasons, or even working from home can make people feel flat and lonely. It is no surprise that this change is having a big impact on people around the globe. Research suggests that our relationships are one of the biggest predictors of physical and psychological wellbeing across all ages. During this unusual time, it may be important for all of us to find new ways to stay connected and support our families, friends, co-workers and communities.
What You Can Do
It can be helpful to think about who in your life you can reach out to when you need some support, a laugh, or just looking for a chat. You can create a list of people to ring or video chat to have on hand when you need a bit of a mood boost. To get your list started, you may want to ask yourself some of these questions:
Who could you turn to for help with daily chores or work tasks if you were sick?
Who makes you feel energised when you spend time with them?
Who is someone that can give you information to help you understand a situation?
Who makes you feel good about yourself?
Who is someone you can count on to listen to you when you need to talk?
Who is someone to have a good time with?
You can schedule a time to connect with the people in your life and set a reminder on your calendar. It can be as simple as a quick text, a phone call, a video chat or even sending a card or letter. Remember, if you’re feeling a bit lonely there’s a good chance that others are as well.
Stay Calm and Healthy
The tips above may not prevent Coronavirus, but we hope that they provide you with a few ideas on how you can stay mentally healthy during this challenging time. Just like physical fitness, your mental fitness requires regular practice and good habits. Practising the tips above regularly can help you stay mentally fit and bounce back more successfully when things are tough.
If you are interested in learning more ways to build mental fitness in your home, school, workplace or community, visit our website at www.appli.edu.au. We also offer digital wellbeing programs, online courses, training programs and consulting services for individuals and organisations.
