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One of the biggest issues facing people who are suffering from anxiety and stress is taking that first step towards getting help.
According to Sam Barr of Healthy Mind Coaching and Training too often people delay and procrastinate, yet as soon as they start on their journey, they realise they could have been addressing their issues much earlier.
“In the work of my colleagues and myself we often hear ‘I should have been here a year ago’ or ‘I wish I’d admitted I needed help sooner’,” he explained.
“This isn’t an issue for them when they start to receive help, and the help to modify their thoughts, feelings, behaviours and focus on solutions rather than problems, which comes through our willingness to engage.”
The main issues that are creating problems for people’s mental health and wellbeing comes from anxious thoughts-overthinking, stress-feeling under pressure or overwhelmed and low self-esteem which can lead to procrastination, frustration or even low mood.
“There are so many different situations that cause anxiety and stress when we meet our clients it can have a lot of different situational factors involved,” Sam said. “It could be because of relationships, breakdowns in communication, finances, addictions, worries, or as a result of issues in the workplace and there are the associated fears, guilt and even shame that also come along with anxiety.”
With anxiety comes stress and worry, whether that is because of a range of situations connected with their relationships, age, work, money or addictions, the list is quite frankly endless.
Healthy Mind Coaching and Training offer a range of services for individuals and workplaces, but often the free 20-minute one-to-one introduction consultation is when the issues affecting a person can be identified and assessed to see whether further sessions are required and that we are the right help for that individual or workplace.
“Whether it is someone who is a Director, senior manager or an individual who is facing a life-changing decision often we can help identify issues and suggest changes in thoughts, feelings or behaviours,” Sam said.
However, it is often delaying seeking help that can be a barrier for people – and organisations for their staff.
“Most people know that they have an issue with their mental health and wellbeing,” he explained. “
Too often they come up with excuses, such as they don’t have the time or resources. They have the time to get their car fixed or their boiler repaired when they are broken, and I would encourage them to change their mindset from ‘I can’t’ to ‘I have to’. By asking themselves ‘What if I don’t get help?’ then they would be more likely not to make excuses, procrastinate and get the help they need and we can provide.”
Healthy Mind Coaching and Training is a provider of Mental & emotional wellbeing, Positive Psychology-Mindset coaching & CBT, Professional training workshops and courses in personal, professional development & Workplace mental wellbeing.
“There are so many labels around mental wellbeing but we focus on enabling people to grow, flourish, excel and realise their potentials, empowering themselves and achieving outstanding results in their lives, through a positive change mindset,” said Sam. “But the key thing is to take the first step. No matter what your reasons are, or whatever has prompted you to get help, you can change your situation.”
Amongst the tools and CBT mindset coaching methods used by Healthy Mind Coaching and Training is asking the person what they are going through, or putting up with?
“We want to know what it’s like when you’re being anxious or stressed, what is it you’re thinking about, what are your feelings at that time, what is your normal kind of reaction and behaviour in a situation where you’re under strain, stress or pressure,” he said. Once we get down a lot of the information, we can now bring them through for our four, six week sessions, and at the end of those sessions through a review. We then can move on to ‘okay, so here’s what you need to do from now on moving forward’.
“When we have dealt with issues or closed all the doors to the problems as we went along, it is solution-focused based resilience behaviour we can then talk about.”
Sam is keen to emphasise that different people have different reasons for seeking professional help, and whether it is through self-realisation or a prompt from a family member or friend, the journey can begin with Healthy Mind Coaching.
“We offer and provide a free 20 minute one to one introduction session to discuss your issues and concerns, we then work out a way and a plan to overcome and address the difficulties and get the clients life back on track,” he said. “We have seen that this can be the first step – often a difficult step – towards that much needed change.”
The types and range of people who come along to get help is across a complete spectrum, from senior managers, solicitors, civil servants, directors, self-employed, computer engineers through to people coming to terms with their life changing circumstances, often what they need is a mindset change of how they are looking at things (perspective/perception shift), and learn how to overcome their challenging circumstances.
“People tend to focus on the problems. We tend to look at the solutions,” said Sam. “The trouble is, they can’t see a solution, and that’s where we come in.” Often it is just about helping people understand their perceptions or perspectives through our professional help.
“For example someone might say ‘I always make mistakes’ we ask them ‘so, tell me the last mistake you made?,’ he said. Their answer might be ‘well two weeks ago I went down to such and such and I dropped this and it was terrible’ and we might then ask what was the one before that, and they will say it was last year, we then would say “so it’s not always?”
“They then can understand that while the mistakes stick in their mind the rest of the time they are fine, and that everyone makes mistakes, just like them, from time to time and it is perfectly normal.”
As well as the 1-to-1 work at Healthy Mind Coaching and Training they also undertake support for companies and organisations to improve staff mental wellbeing, through group sessions and workshops, a review of workplace mental health strategies, and providing individual support plans when necessary.
“Mental health support should be standard in any workplace wellbeing strategies or health plans,” he said.
“However, it is important that organisations have the right environment in order that mental wellbeing issues are prevented, before it is needed. Making the right changes can make sure that employee and management stress and anxieties are reduced and managed with reasonable accommodations that match the business objectives, goals and the individual roles.”
Mental health and wellbeing are now being recognised at governmental level as a key issue going forward, which individuals can now address, through Healthy Mind Coaching and Training, including their own needs and move to the solution that suits and works best for them.
Learn more about Healthy Mind Coaching and Training at healthymindcoaching.co.uk