Mental Wellbeing w/c 15 June 2020

Introduction

Many of you may know Dan Vandenburg as the club's Mental Health Champion, which is a scheme sponsored by England Athletics. He does various talks and things related to looking after your mental health.

As such, Dan wanted to do something for the club during what is probably a testing time mentally for many of us. Towards this, he will be aiming to post on facebook every weekday with a tip on how to look after your mental health during lockdown.

Tips for week 1 are also set out in this article Mental Wellbeing during Covid 19 Week1

Tips for week 2 are also set out in this article Mental Wellbeing during Covid 19 Week2

Tips for week 3 are also set out in this article Mental Wellbeing during Covid 19 Week 3

Tips for week 4 are also set out in this article Mental Wellbeing during Covid 19 Week 4

Tips for week 5 are also set out in this article Mental Wellbeing during Covid 19 Week 5

Tips for week 6 are also set out in this article Mental Wellbeing during Covid 19 Week 6

Welcome to Dan’s tips from facebook for w/c 15 June 2020on how to look after your mental health during lockdown. The text of these posts is repeated below in his words.

1: Monday - useful services / apps for free

2: Tuesday - be active

3: Wednesday - sleep

4. Thursday - kindness

4: Friday

If you ever want to talk to Dan in private, he is a trained Mental health First Aider and you can reach him on wellbeing@ealingeagles.com.

In the immortal words of Jerry Springer "Look after eachother and yourselves".

Monday - useful services / apps for free

Hello Eagles! I'm back refreshed from my week off so hope you are ready for some more tips.

Many services and apps have been made free during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can find a good run down here:

https://covid19.shanehastings.eu/giveback/#health

Thre's plenty there from meditation apps through to online learning and also business resources so do take a look.

I'm not sure when these offers will end but I think they are still open!

Do email me if you would like to talk to someone about your own wellbeing. You can reach me on wellbeing@ealingeagles.com

See you tomorrow!

Tuesday - be active

Hello all. Sorry today’s tip is very late work is crazy busy. As a result I actually can't commit to publishing regularly at 3pm at the moment even with the scheduling feature but will do a tip every day at some time!

I had a difficult run today, I really had to force my legs through the last 2 miles of 6 (coaches will tell you good arms action helps here). That experience got me thinking about why we all do this at all, especially at the moment.

That bought me to reflect on some things I said before but wanted to put altogether:

  • Right now is (IMO) not the time to be pushing yourself for a new PB or cranking up the schedule. If you want to do this and are able to then do so but dont pressure yourself to

  • Run right now to enjoy it. Each run I do, I enjoy. They are all different and I have different experiences each time.

  • Allow yourself to have bad runs and bad days, not every day needs to be a 100% day.

  • Get fitter each time slowly, have fun, feel relaxed and happy you did a run and were able to run (many cant right now for various reasons)

  • If you can't run, know that one day you can and will

  • Be kind to yourself and others in general and also in your apporach to running/exercise/race plans right now

Also, Eagles have been great at organising virtual races and non-competitive things like the round the world and rainbow runs which are great at motivating Eagles who can run/walk/exercise right now and want to.

That’s it for today see you tomorrow at some time!

Wednesday - sleep

Hello Eagles.

Hope you are well and enjoying the slightly cooler weather. Hope it stays dry though, clouds are looking a bit threatening.

I wanted to point out all my tips are collated by the imcomparible Wei Hei Kipling and published on my page on the Eagles Nest website thanks to Sam Royle’s talents. If you want to review or catch up on any tips they are arranged there each week

https://www.ealingeagles.com/mental-health-champion

Today's tip is about sleep, are you getting enough?

Sleep is essential to our physical and psychological wellbeing and at times of stress can be affected. With lockdown, the aftermath of George Floyd's death and other worries we all have, now is an important time to help yourself sleep.

Sleep was also a theme of Mental Health Awareness Week which was last month. Sadly lockdown and work got in the way of me doing an event then.

Here's some tips on how to improve your sleep quality and time:

  1. Prioritise sleep, anxiety or lack of motivation from lockdown and other effects can leave you more tired than usual

  2. Build structure into your day, try to stick to a routine as to bed times and when you get up. Sleep and tiredness are due to biological cycles in our body and keeping regular timings helps regulate these.

  3. Stay active as best you can.

  4. Keep your sleep space tidy and free of clutter and distractions

  5. Avoid bright light/screens/TV 30 minutes before bedtime. These things all excite your brain and senses making it harder to sleep.

  6. Try to slowly calm your mind as bedtime approaches

I sleep a lot myself compared to average and as I have got older sleep is more and more attractive and important! 😆

How are you sleeping at the moment? Do you have a routine or any tips to share?

Keep well

Daniel

Thursday - kindness

Hello lovely Eagles

Yesterday I mentioned that sleep was the theme of Mental Health Awareness Week but guess what? I lied!

Kind of, it was a joint theme, the other being kindness! This is highly unusual but the story goes that sleep was the planned theme for 2020 then COVID-19 took off and the organisers wanted to join the global discussion on kindness so worked it in! Wild!

I've mentioned kindness quite a lot the past 7 week but here's some further thoughts on the positive effects kindness can have on both giver and reciever:

  • what may be percieved by the giver to be a small act can make a huge difference to the reciever

  • Kindness makes both sides feel happy and produce feel good hormones

  • That hormone is oxytocin, also responsibe for love and bonding between couples and parent/child.

  • Being kind can reduce stress and have a positive impact on your wellbeing. Oxytocin helps reduce blood pressure and helps improve overall heart health

  • Altruism can increase feelings of optimism, happiness confidence and feeling in control.

  • But remember kindness is done to selflessly help another in need not your the givers feelings or needs :)

I wonder once the pandemic is behind us whether we will come out into a kinder society for it? I hope so (trying not to be cynical!).

Thats it for today, a reminder you can always contact me on wellbeing@ealingeagles.com

Friday

Friday’s tip will be published here after it has been published in facebook