National Mental Health Awareness Month 2021

October is National Mental Health Awareness Month, and this year the focus is on resilience. National Mental Health Month is an initiative of the Mental Health Foundation Australia (MHFA) to advocate for and raise awareness of Australian mental health. It is an important time where the Australian community comes together to raise awareness and promote better mental health for all.

Psychologists’ define resilience as the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress, such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems, or workplace and financial stressors. Resilience is our ability to face any challenges that may arise in our lives. 

It is important to remember that having resilience does not eliminate stress or erase difficulties we may face. Resilience provides us with the strength to tackle the problem and come up with strategies and solutions to be able to overcome it.  These problems may include:

·         Job loss

·         Relationship issues

·         Financial stress

·         Loss of a loved one

·         Medical issues

Listed below are ways to help improve your resilience:

Learn from Your Life Experiences

It is important to reflect on the time you have been able to overcome adversity in the past. Take time to think about the strategies you used and see if they will work with your current problem.

Make Every Day Meaningful

Try to do something each day which gives you a sense of accomplishment.

Make Some Life Changes

This may include practicing being assertive, implementing relaxation techniques and finding balance in your life particularly when it comes to family and work.

Be Proactive

Do not ignore the problem as this will increase your stress and anxiety. Try to figure out what is wrong and take the steps to make the necessary changes to make it better for yourself.

Focus on What You Can Control

When faced with a problem it is easy for us to become overwhelmed with things that are beyond our control. Try focusing on what you have the ability to change and making a plan on how to move forward from it.

Having lived through this pandemic we are more resilient than ever before. Remember that. Resilience allows us to adapt to challenges. If you feel you are having difficulty in your daily life adapting to change, we are here to support you.