Author: kmheckman

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Self-Care is Essential for Your Mental Health

Self-care involves dedicating time to activities that enhance your overall well-being, benefiting both your physical and mental health. This practice can aid in stress management, reduce the likelihood of illness, and boost your energy levels. Even small acts of self-care in your daily routine can yield significant results.

Self-care is about body, mind, and soul. It’s about finding your purpose and meaning in life so that you have joy and fulfillment. There are numerous studies and research that will tell you that mindfully focusing on our holistic wellness creates more resilience and enables us to better manage the challenges that life throw’s our way.

When we talk about wellness and self-care, there are 6 areas that encompass wellness: Intellectual, Spiritual, Emotional, Occupational, Physical and Social. They are more commonly referred to as The Six Dimensions of Wellness. Dr. Bill Hettler of the National Wellness Institute developed the model you see below. Addressing all 6 dimensions of wellness in our lives builds a holistic sense of wellness and fulfillment.

The 6 Dimensions of Wellness, National Wellness Institute

Let’s look at each dimension more closely:

Spiritual wellness encompasses organized religion and other spiritual practices, acknowledging a quest for meaning, purpose, and adherence to spiritual principles. It includes activities like worship, study, meditation, and conversations.

Emotional wellness involves being aware of one’s thoughts and feelings and having healthy outlets for expressing them. It includes nurturing supportive relationships, gaining self-knowledge, and practicing self-care.

Intellectual wellness is about engaging in stimulating mental activities and interacting with others and the world. It emphasizes continued learning, critical thinking, and processing information to expand knowledge and connect with others through meaningful conversations.

Social wellness promotes healthy relationships with ourselves and others, including friends, family, and social networks. It emphasizes engaging with others to cultivate healthy relationships.

Physical wellness is embracing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise, a balanced diet, sufficient sleep, and other health-related practices.

Vocational wellness emphasizes finding personal satisfaction and value through one’s skills and abilities in work, community, volunteerism, and other contributions to life.

In today’s world where people are expected to work long hours and skip their vacation days, there is an underlying belief that we must always be productive – which can take away from opportunities for self-care. But by taking some time out to engage in self-care, you may relieve the pressures of everyday life and reset yourself to get back to a healthy point where productivity is once again maximized. Considering the costs associated with mental health services, lost wages and more, spending some time on yourself may ultimately benefit everyone.

Pushing yourself to the limit with work and life comes with significant consequences, which may include but are not limited to burnout, depression, anxiety, resentment and a whole host of other negative implications. Engaging in a self-care routine has been clinically proven to reduce or eliminate anxiety and depression, reduce stress, improve concentration, minimize frustration and anger, increase happiness, improve energy, and more. From a physical health perspective, self-care has been clinically proven to reduce heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Spiritually, it may help keep us in tune with our higher power as well as realize our meaning in life.

As we close out the month of May and Mental Health Awareness month, I invite you to think about your own health and wellness.

How would you answer these questions for yourself?

  • Which areas of your wellness are you investing the most energy in for your wellness? (hint, think about the 6 dimensions I shared above)
  • Which areas are you spending the least energy?
  • What would dedicating time for your wellbeing look like for you?
  • What areas of your overall well-being would you like to focus on?
  • What do you need to start doing to make self-care a discipline in your life?

If you’re looking to make self-care a priority in your life but need little help, consider working with a coach. I help many clients who want to focus on their self-care. It all starts with just one step; make today the day you decide to focus on YOU!

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Navigating the Holiday Season with Self Care

The holiday season is often hailed as a time of joy, celebration, and togetherness. However, for many of us, it can also bring about a whirlwind of stress, anxiety, and overwhelming responsibilities. Balancing family gatherings, gift shopping, and end-of-year work commitments can take a toll on our mental and emotional well-being. In the midst of the holiday hustle, prioritizing self-care can ensure a more peaceful and fulfilling season.

Before diving into self-care strategies, it’s essential to acknowledge and understand the sources of holiday stress. Common stressors include financial pressures, social obligations, travel hassles, and the expectation of creating the perfect holiday experience. Identifying these stressors allows us to address them more effectively and proactively.

Self-care isn’t just a trendy buzzword; it’s a fundamental practice that contributes to overall well-being. During the holiday season, self-care becomes even more critical as it helps us manage stress, maintain a positive mindset, and navigate the demands of this busy time.

Practical Self-Care Strategies:

  1. Set Realistic Expectations: Instead of aiming for perfection, set realistic expectations for yourself. Understand that not everything will go according to plan, and that’s ok.
  2. Prioritize Your Well-Being: Make time for activities that bring you joy and relaxation. Whether it’s reading a book, taking a walk in nature, listening to music, or practicing meditation, prioritize activities that nourish both your mind and body.
  3. Establish Boundaries: It’s okay to say no. Assess your commitments and set boundaries to protect your time and energy. Communicate openly with friends and family about your limits and be realistic about what you can handle. Ask yourself, “If I’m saying yes to this, what do I need to say no to?” to keep balance.
  4. Ask for Help: Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Where can you delegate some of your tasks, both at home and work? Who could help you? Start small and try asking for help with some of your more mundane tasks and then build from there.
  5. Stay Active: Physical activity is a powerful stress reliever. Whether it’s a quick workout, a yoga session, or a leisurely stroll, incorporating movement into your routine can help alleviate tension and boost your mood.
  6. Mindful Breathing: Practice deep, mindful breathing to calm your nervous system. Take a few moments each day to focus on your breath, inhaling slowly through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.
  7. Connect with Friends and Loved Ones: While the holiday season can be hectic, make time to get together and celebrate those relationships that mean the most to you.
  8. Unplug: Take breaks from social media and technology to disconnect from the digital world. This can help reduce feelings of comparison and create a more present and mindful holiday experience.

In the midst of the holiday chaos, practicing self-care is not a luxury but a necessity.  For many this doesn’t come easy, so start slowly and build up from there. By intentionally incorporating self-care strategies into your routine, you can navigate the holiday season with greater ease and truly savor the joy and warmth the season has to offer. Remember, taking care of yourself is the best gift you can give to both you and those around you during this festive time.

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Your Strengths are Your Superpowers!

What’s YOUR Superpower? What’s that you say, you don’t have any superpowers? Pardon me but I disagree.  You absolutely have superpowers, but you may not know what they are or how to use them! I’m here to tell you that your Strengths are your Superpowers.

We all have innate strengths in us, things that we are good at, things that just come naturally to us. A Strength by definition is the ability to provide consistent, near perfect performance in a specific activity or task. Your strengths are a combination of the skills (what you do), talents (who you are), and knowledge (what you know) that are unique to you.  We all have multiple strengths and while some may be obvious, many of our strengths may go unnoticed, or worse, underutilized, and underappreciated by ourselves and others. As a Learning & Development Professional, I’ve spent many years working with individuals and teams to discover and understand their strengths and what I know is that many of us spend way more time focusing on the things we are not good at (our weaknesses) rather than appreciating and developing the things we ARE good at, our strengths. While you don’t want to ignore your weaknesses, especially if they impact your performance at work, you need to find ways to manage your weaknesses, using the strengths you already have. And stay focused on your strengths.

Identifying and understanding your strengths can benefit you in so many ways, from increasing your self-confidence, to being more engaged, more productive, more fulfilled, and happier because you have the clarity around what makes you unique, what you bring to the table, and how you add value to those around you at home and at work. You also have a greater awareness and appreciation for other people’s strengths. This awareness allows you to partner with others whose strengths compliment yours. This can be extremely beneficial at work.

So how do you identify what your strengths are? There are several ways to identify your strengths. First you can consider the things you enjoy doing most. What activities bring you joy? What are the things that you can spend time doing over and over? Those are your passions. Spend time practicing those activities and pay attention to the broad skills that you utilize during that activity. When you understand your passions and where your natural talents lie, you can focus your efforts into developing those areas. Another way to identify your strengths is to take a look at your day-to-day tasks, both at home and work, pay attention to when you feel the most focused, what characteristics motivate you during those activities? Those characteristics are likely to be related to your bigger strengths. Another way is to ask for feedback on your performance at work from colleagues and managers. People who work with you regularly are a reliable source for what you do best so seek out their opinions. I want to call out here that a good leader will always share with you, your strengths, the areas they see you excelling in, so hopefully your manager provides that vital feedback to you. If they don’t, ask them.

At home, ask family and friends for their opinions on what you do best. Having these different points of view from people who deal with you in different capacities (home vs work) will give you greater insight into things you may not recognize or notice. Lastly, you can take a personality test. There are several options available from Gallup’s StrengthsFinder®, Meyers Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI), or DiSC® to name some of the more popular ones. Personality, preference, and associated behavior tools are helpful because they can identify the areas where you excel as well as identify your propensity for skills and activities you may not have considered or have experiences in.

Whichever way you identify your Strengths, what’s important to know, is that what really matters is what you do next, what you do with the information you receive.

To learn more about identifying and understanding your innate strengths and how to use them as superpowers, reach out and let’s talk!

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The Practice of Mindfulness

Mindfulness. We hear that word everywhere lately. There’s a lot of media attention about being Mindful and the benefits that go with it. Many colleges and businesses are now offering programs on Mindfulness. But for many of us, the idea or practice of mindfulness may seem uncomfortable, frustrating, and even unrealistic. Before I started learning and practicing mindfulness and meditation, I had those same thoughts.

What I learned was that with practice, anyone can choose to be more Mindful and achieve a greater sense of clarity, focus and presence. In fact, now that I am practicing Mindfulness and have experienced some of the benefits firsthand, I often recommend (and encourage) it to many of my coaching clients who are looking to improve their overall wellbeing and mental health.

So, let’s talk about mindfulness and what it really means.

Mindfulness, as quoted by Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of “Wherever You Go, There You Are,” is being aware of or bringing attention to this moment in time, deliberately and without judging the experience.” Mindfulness is a way of being, purposely or intentionally focusing your attention on the present moment. Being aware of your thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment without any judgement. Whenever you are aware of what you’re experiencing, either through your senses, through your state of mind, or through your thoughts and emotions, you’re practicing mindfulness.

While Mindfulness has been around for over 2000 years and originated from ancient Eastern and Buddhist philosophies, you don’t have to be a Buddhist Monk or a spiritual person to practice being mindful. And you can learn to be Mindful anywhere you are, at home at the office, even while doing your workout. Research has shown that spending just 10 minutes a day focusing on the present moment can help:

*Reduce anxiety and stress (including feeling less anxious, worrisome, and overwhelmed)

*Feel less irritable, annoyed, or argumentative

*Improve attention and memory

*Decrease symptoms of depression

*Increase Emotional Intelligence

*Lower blood pressure

*Improve sleep

*Improve physical health

*Strengthen relationships

*Better engagement and productivity (at home and work!)

I don’t know about you, but in today’s world with our 24/7 connectivity, the uncertainties due to pandemics and war, and the constant pull from work and family obligations, mindfulness is something for me that is an easy add to my self-care routine.

So, how do you begin? First, I want to share that the word mindfulness is often interchanged with meditation, but they are different. While there are many ways to define and describe them, mindfulness is the simple act of paying attention in the present moment. Meditation refers to a more formal, seated practice, for a focused amount of time, that normally begins with deep breathing and anchoring on a single point of focus. There are different types of meditation, and it is seen as a tool to develop mindfulness.

There are numerous ways to practice mindfulness and as shared, it can be done anywhere and with anyone. You can practice mindful eating, mindful walking, mindful conversations, or any activity you are doing; you just need to stay present and, in the moment, that’s it.

To start practicing mindfulness, here’s a simple breathing technique called Box Breathing that you can do at any time, anywhere:

Box Breathing Technique

  1. Close your eyes. Breathe in through your nose, slowly counting to 4.
  2. Hold your breath for a count of 4.
  3. Slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of 4 and then hold for a count of 4.
  4. Repeat the process 3-5 times, focusing your attention on the present moment and on your breath throughout the process.

Most people who begin practicing mindfulness say that it can be frustrating. Learning something new can always be frustrating but it’s important to remember that:

  • The mind is wired to be thinking all the time, so and it will happen…trust me; when you do notice your mind has wandered simply return to focusing on your breath and the present moment, over and over again.
  • Don’t worry that you’re not doing it right, there is no right or wrong for Mindfulness, just focusing on the present moment.
  • If you feel sleepy, know that is normal; your brain is accustomed to constantly be working, so take it as a signal that you might need more down time and sleep.

Because staying in the present moment can be easier said than done (studies show humans spend almost 47% of their day lost in thought), you can adopt a more formal approach to mindfulness.

Practicing a Basic Mindful Meditation:

  1. Find a quiet and comfortable place to sit, with a posture that’s relaxed but alert.
  2. Gently close your eyes to help you become more focused.
  3. Take a few deep breaths, in through your nose, letting your belly expand, and then releasing slowly through your mouth.
  4. Check in with your body, start with your feet and work your way up. If you notice any places of tension and discomfort, breath deeply as you focus on that area to try to release some of the tension.
  5. Notice any thoughts, allow them to come and pass by (try imagining them as a leaf floating down a stream or a cloud passing in the sky),without any attachment or judgement.
  6. As soon as your mind begins to wander (and it will, that’s ok!), bring your attention back to your breath, again and again. Come back to the present moment and focus on your breath.
  7. When you’re ready — preferably after about 5-10 minutes, open your eyes.

Remember, although mindfulness and meditation appear simple, like anything, it takes practice until you get the hang of something new. There are also several meditation apps available to help you strengthen your practice, such as Calm®, Headspace®, and Balance®.

So, are you still wondering if Mindfulness is something for you?  I invite you to watch a helpful video from Andy Puddicombe, Mindfulness Expert and founder of Headspace®, on why Mindfulness is so beneficial. The next time you feel like you need a little calm, clarity and focus in your life, I encourage you to take a few deep breaths and practice Mindfulness.