Mindset Vs Mental Health
Being a business owner I read, watch and learn a lot about mindset.
My work has always been in mental health, so it’s fair to say I’m a bit of an expert in that field.
I’m a 90% really positive and happy person… The phrase “children’s TV presenter” has been used to describe me more than once. I’m a happy person, I'm a person who has worked hard on not only LIKING who I am, but really loving who I am. That other 10% is very real, it’s a place where emotional pain can take over and I need to take some time to rest and revive myself. That 10% led me to think a lot about mindset and mental health.
Can your mental health be affected by your mindset? And vice versa? Here’s we’re going to explore this.
Mental health is the health of your mind, it’s the health of your emotional, psychological and social wellbeing.
Mindset is the perspective on how you look at things - usually defined as positive or negative, good or bad, growth or fixed.
Upon reading those two explanations, it’s clear that mindset can affect mental health and mental health can affect mindset.
BUT - and yes, this is a big but (insert joke about liking big butts and not lying) mental health doesn’t always respond to logic. When I am in the 10% - mindset work isn’t enough.
That’s why people who are in the middle of a hard time with their mental health can’t just focus on the positive, this is why encouraging someone to move from a fixed mindset to a growth one isn’t helpful.
Mental health issues cannot always respond to logic.
You can have a growth mindset, you can be a positive thinker - this does not mean that you will be able to focus on these things when you have poor mental health.
You can do all of the things on the tick list sheet that make you feel good.
You can take some time away and rest.
You can invest in a therapist.
But this doesn’t mean you will be able to always see things positively.
What do the studies say? Working on mindset may reduce depression and anxiety. A US clinical trial showed that mindset work increased perceived control and reduced depression and anxiety in adolescents.
If your mental health issues stem from stress, stress isn’t always easy to manage. We know others and see others who are more resilient to stress - this maybe where we see mindset playing a role. If you are someone who believes that you CAN’T do something - as an absolute, then you may have a stage already set for poor stress coping over time.
“Living by fixed rules” is a common thinking distortion, and when we think in can’t se are living by a fixed rule. For example, “I can’t take time to myself or I’ll never get anything done” and this mindset creates more stress.
Whereas if you were to be able to work on your mindset away from CAN’T, and see a small possibility of a glimmer of change then this can relieve stress. But - this isn’t always easy, and practically impossible if you don’t have someone to help you. Which is why I would always suggest investing in help.
In conclusion (because', let’s face it I could write for days on this topic) - mental health issues vary in degree - much like physical health issues, and mindset can play a part in helping you when your mental health starts to get unhealthy. But when you are having bad periods of mental health, mindset strategies may not be helpful. Sometimes, you need professional help (much like if you have a physical injury you may need a physiotherapist) and sometimes you need to let the feelings pass without feeling like you’ve failed at mastering a positive mindset.
If you want a FREE boost with your mental health around taking rest then pop along to my mini course - details here.
Take care,
Laura :)
