How's your 2020 mental health vision?

It’s that time again, when society tells us we should set crazy goals, quit unhealthy habits, and launch ourselves into oblivion! GO GO GO!

However I vote we do something different. Something that’s better for our mental wellbeing. How about we aim for imperfection, invite in mistakes, make room for figuring things out and not having all the answers. Now THAT, would take some pressure off and relieve some anxiety!

What is your response when you hear that? If it’s anything like fear, worry, feelings of absurdity, head shaking and an increased heart rate? Then this might just be for you after all, my friend. And you are not alone. Many of us set unrealistic expectations for ourselves and bite off more than we can chew. We over-commit and have trouble saying no. We work in a grinding, laborious culture with high rates of presentee-ism. We are operating in ongoing states of elevated cortisol conditions - the stress hormone - which is becoming our norm. And as a result, our mental health suffers.

When things go slightly wrong, or late, or not as planned, suddenly everything is thrown out of whack! A mental crash and burn occurs. Relationships can be damaged during this time. And there is a high risk that we speak negatively towards ourselves and set unhealthy templates for our core beliefs.

In order to affect change in this space, we need to intervene right at the beginning. So while I’m all about planning, factor in some imperfection while you’re at it. With a sprinkle of ‘oh well, we gave it a go’, and ‘but I learnt so much in the process and I’m still glad I did X’.

We can all work on consciously inviting things into our lives - where our attention goes, our energy flows. When we consciously plan for imperfection, cos lets face it, it’s going to happen from time to time, suddenly you can breathe better. Trust me, we are all suffering from this WAY too much.

This might be a shadow area for you… inviting in imperfection, and the fear of that unknown. Reflect on your responses, shake up that open mind, purge from self-imposed rules and expectations, and free your potential. You might just be pleasantly surprised. And your mental state will thank you.

“We must be willing to give up the life we’ve planned, so we can live the life that’s waiting for us” ~ Joseph Campbell.