Is your life in balance?

The more presentations I give and the more time I spend doing physical activity the more I realize just how much benefit physical health brings to the rest of your life. I have banged on before about the RED lifestyle (R for relaxation, E for exercise and D for diet) as being the basis for good health, including mental health. There are countless research studies which demonstrate how the mind reacts to the body and vice-versa (see anything, for example by Jon Kabat Zinn on psychosomatic illness) so it makes good sense that treating your body "like a temple" will stimulate the mind into giving its best performance.

It is not just about reaching a neutral status of fitness which allows you to feel good. I find that my best ideas come to me when out running or swimming. A bounty of creativity seems to well up when my body has gone into that automated state of motion, where the mind is literally free to wander in every direction. Other people say that physical activity is the best way to solve problem, as difficult decisions get easier when you are engaged in doing rather than sitting and thinking. Finally, physical activity is brilliant for alleviating stress, anxiety and depression. It is a question of finding the right activity for you. Some people love running, others prefer dancing or even skipping, It is worth thinking back to yourself as a child and remembering what you loved to do then, as it will often be the same type of activity. Letting yourself go into spontaneous child-like movement is not bad thing either. Next time you hear some music you like on the radio, dance round the house (reminiscent of Hugh Grant in Love actually!) - you will be amazed by how good it feels! Just let yourself go and see where it takes you.

I don't need therapy.......do I?

The world of therapy - call it counselling or coaching or one of many other names - is growing all the time. You only have to flick through a newspaper or cast your eye over the magazine rack in a newsagent's to see its popularity in wider and more varying ways. Why? Are we all more conscious of our worries these days? Becoming too introspective? Is the world getting harder to live in?

I would argue that our interest in psychology and therapy is knowledge-driven. Mobiles and the internet mean that knowledge is significantly more accessible to us all. We are all interested in ourselves (sorry, it's true!) and so self-awareness comes high on the agenda, along with striving for a better life.

Finding out that a favourite celebrity is suffering from severe anxiety or depression means that the taboo against talking about mental health is slowly diminishing. I say slowly because mental health in the workplace is still far from being taboo. Reporting in sick with a mental illness is often not an option, as people fear being labelled by their bosses and colleagues with tags like "crazy", "mad" and lately, "having a melt-down". A tag that can never be removed.

No wonder people don't like to admit they are seeking counselling. It is preferable by some to seek "coaching" as this points to a business-like approach to improving their work skills. Different approaches work for different people and it is more often about finding the right person to help (be they a coach, a counsellor or a mentor) than the methodology itself.

I think we all need help at times in this busy whirlwind work life we have created for ourselves. When taking a break from work for lunch becomes "impossible", or having a holiday now and again sounds like a forgotten dream, it's time to stop and think: What happened? When did things change? Why do I feel like a hamster on a wheel? Maybe it's time to find a good therapist.......