We all wear different colored lens for perceiving the world around us.  Each person’s view is unique to themselves, as those with rose-colored lens see much more beauty and joy than those with dark-colored lens who see trouble and strife.  What color lens do you wear and does it serve you well?  Is it time to change lens and try on a new and rosier shade?

Mental fitness is all about wearing the ‘right’ colored lens in life.  It is about adopting the best perspective that benefits your continued wellness.  Be aware of external influences that contribute dark views.  One example of this is the news.  Try tuning out the news for a month and fill your mind with positive, inspirational stories instead.  Life is a gift.  Make it a gift of rose-colored lens.

Processing adversity is an important part of wellness.  Unresolved pain, anger and frustration can be all-consuming and bring added stress to our daily lives.  Put a stop to obsessive thinking and worry by focusing on positive, proactive thoughts that serve your best interests.    

Resolve what you realistically have control over and what you don’t.  Free yourself from any blocked energy that keeps you from living life fully.  If necessary, forgive yourself and others for past hurts and give no power to what does not serve you well.  Strive to move forward openly and freely!

In the last post, I wrote about adversity and resilience.  I stated that resilience is a learned skill that we can all benefit from practicing.  In order to rebound successfully, it is necessary to process emotions and needs in a timely and healthy manner.

Acknowledge your emotions and allow yourself to express them in a healthy way.  Suppressed emotions have a cumulative effect that can be harmful in the long run.  Have compassion for yourself and heed your internal desires, whether it is an urge for solitude or friendly support, extra sleep, good nutrition or exercise.  Prioritize your needs so that you can move forward freely in life.  When you do this, insights often arise giving you a bigger picture perspective and lighter view of life.  Practice resilience to feel that bounce in your step!

Opposites create energy.  Think of batteries with their positive and negative polarities.  Each play a vital role in producing the energy available.  It is the same for life.  Experiences from either end of the spectrum create life force.

Adversity gives meaning to peace, sorrow gives meaning to joy and of the most profound, death gives meaning to life.  Acknowledge the significance of life’s difficulties and when you do this, you will be more readily able to relax into the natural flow of life.

Life is filled with ups and downs.  Coping well with adversity and overcoming it in a timely manner is key to mental fitness.  We can all practice being more resilient in life.  It is a learned skill that can be improved with practice.  Make good choices for yourself so that you can focus on what is really important in life:  living well!

Do you want to know the secret behind enduring motivation?  Make sure there is an element of joy in your commitments and endeavours.  Joy is the super-glue that makes motivation stick for the long-run.

Whether it is work or personal goals that have become chore-like, we can create more joy for ourselves by doing a simple assessment.  Ask yourself what enlivens you and try to incorporate that into your day and activities.  Vary your routines if possible and remember to reward yourself regularly.  If necessary, try something totally new and make personal fulfillment your goal!  Motivation will never be an issue when you feel truly satisfied within.

Moods come and go, moods swing high and low.  Moods are comprised of human emotions, the essence of life experiences.  Without emotions, life would be dull and flat.  Just as emotions bring great joy, they can also bring deep sorrow.  Moods can control our lives in undesirable ways but the good new is, we can influence the degree of our moods just by changing the way we think and our reactions to life. 

Bring awareness to low moods and what triggers brought them on.  If necessary, track prior activities by jotting them down to pinpoint specific causes.  Consciously work to minimize triggers for the future and change routines or habitual responses that do not serve you well.  Practice compassion for yourself and maintain a positive mindset that does serve you well.

I am excited to announce that the introductory workshop: “Stressed Spelled Backwards is Desserts!” is now available in New Westminster!  The next available session will be held at Douglas College, 700 Royal Avenue (corner of Royal Avenue & 8th Street). on Monday evening, July 23, 2012, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. in Room 1809.

This 2-hour workshop is specially priced at $30 and promises to be a fun and rewarding session for all.  Participants from the last workshop found the exercises to be very helpful and they all enjoyed the humourous presentation of highly effective strategies.  The small group format proved to be highly beneficial as well as enriching.  Sign up today and I look forward to meeting you on the evening of July 23!

Note:  The New Westminster campus of Douglas College is both convenient and accessible, with ample street parking and access to Skytrain/public transit.

We are constantly changing.  A key factor in adapting well to change is recognizing this.  Even though we may not feel different or circumstances have not changed, the truth is that we are continually evolving with the world around us.      

Every piece of information that enters our mind impacts our thinking.  The effect may be recognized immediately with dramatic effects or be very subtle and unnoticable for many years.  Every experience we have, positive or negative, influences our future decisions.  Every challenge we face and every person we encounter impacts us in some way.  See yourself as ever fluid and never static.  See yourself as a diamond tumbling to its’ natural brilliance.  Life shapes us in unimaginable ways.  Remain open to changes as they come.  Resilience will be your reward!

The experience of change can be as varied as change itself.  Change can be exciting and invigorating or worrisome and anxiety producing.  We can influence our experience of change and create a more positive one by choosing responses that support our wellness, along with the wellness of others.

Minimize negative experiences by breaking away from reactive responses that do not serve you well.  Develop a repertoire of responses in order to maintain flexibility in life.  Being flexible allows you to cope better with all the changes that occur in life.  One of my preferred ways of responding to change is adopting a calm and open response.  This requires focus and attention with pro-active choices including education, positive self-talk, deep breathing and mindful relaxation into the flow of life.  Adopt a calm and open response.  It can make all the difference between enduring life and enjoying it.

Change is constant in life.  How well do you cope with change?  Do you feel confident?  Are you comfortable in the face of uncertainty?  If you answered no to either of the last two questions, you may be interested in attending the new monthly special workshop for July, titled Mental Fitness Basics.  This two-hour workshop is the foundation to Mental Fitness and includes self-assessments, healthy perspectives to adopt and effective strategies to apply in your everyday life.

In general, there are five different approaches to change that may either help or hinder your experience and desired outcomes.  These include a proactive approach, resistant approach, or no approach at all.  With the latter, avoidance may work for the interim but be harmful in the long run.  It is a complex process with no prescribed answers since personalities and circumstances make each situation unique.  Having a repertoire of approaches is best for ensuring the outcomes you desire.  This workshop can literally change your life!