Mindset Advice

IS MINDFULNESS THE ANSWER TO THE U.K’S MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS?

The mental health landscape in the U.K. is worrying right now, and the rest of the world are suffering too.

The COVID pandemic has made things far worse, but it is not as though we were managing our mental health brilliantly before March 2020. I think that the problem can be stated, at a very high level, as a total lack of connection in the world. A lack of connection to each other, but also, and perhaps more worryingly, to ourselves.

Something Isn’t Working

Too many of my clients are desperately stressed, exhausted and anxious. For many of them, the first time they have ever relaxed is in their first session with me – which is not okay at all. They literally never stop just “doing things” or “being busy”. In this world of constant “busy-ness” the art of doing nothing and therefore introspection and self-connection is in grave danger of being lost. Even our children cannot do nothing for a few moments without complaining of “being bored”. Overly busy people can’t be present. They can’t notice what is going on around them properly or more critically, what is going on within them. People may not notice how their children are feeling either, as they’re too busy, and begin to class “Fine” as a suitable debrief to a day’s events at school. When mental health strikes in the form of more serious problems for ourselves, our partners or our children, it is always “a shock” and something we “didn’t see coming”… but we may well have seen it, if we were looking a little closer. Governments, psychiatrists and psychologists globally are tearing their hair out, throwing money at the problem of mental health, but the solutions proposed are not reflective of this massive effort. What if they are overcomplicating the entire situation? What if the problem really is just a lack of connection and the remedy therefore is to re-establish connection in the world?

What if mindfulness can do this?

Mindfulness can be defined as; “a mental state achieved by focusing awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.” This is certainly a state alien to most people… Among many other benefits, mindfulness reduces stress hormones and boosts presence and awareness of ourselves and therefore our empathy and awareness of other people. Being more tuned in to those around us will lead to more kindness and less judgement. So, by looking inside, we become able to see the world outside far more clearly. In a more mindful and present world, people would not simply state that it is “okay not to be okay” whilst rushing to the next meeting, and instead would adopt the far more inclusive and helpful narrative that “no one is okay all the time”. Struggle is normal, we just need to support each other without judgment when it is required. What if some calm time with our children each day would boost our connection to them and we would see them and hear them more clearly, and meet their needs more effectively, ensuring they felt safer and more loved? The very worst thing that could happen if we all focussed on mindfulness a little more, is that we would feel calmer, happier and generally better. There is no downside. I am not suggesting it is a magic bullet to cure all of the world’s problems, but it will certainly help. Meditation is the easiest route to mindfulness, and you can learn how to do it for free on my YouTube channel. The time to re-connect with yourself and the world around you is now.

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