Prince Harry was recently interviewed about mental health. The podcast is honest, insightful and refreshing. Prince Harry discusses the issues he’s dealt with and how ignoring his grief and emotions for 20 years affected him greatly.
Listen to the podcast here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/16/day-prince-harry-showed-world-talk-problems/
What I found interesting is where Prince Harry discusses Psychiatrists needing 1/2 hour to debrief after 3 hours of working with clients.
Do you take the time to debrief after a busy day? I never did.
I should have taken to time to wind down. I should have discussed my worries about cases, my skills, dealing with clients.
For me it was learning to ask for help. I am very independent and in my early years, I was worried that if I asked for help, it was a sign of failure and meant I didn’t know what I was doing in practice.
After having time away from practice while I was doing my coach training and having our family, I always asked for help. I had developed a different mindset. I never saw it as failure. Instead I saw it as feedback. It was the same if I made a mistake or was unsure. I knew I was learning and growing. I didn’t go home and beat myself up about how I wasn’t good enough anymore. I recognised I would be a life long learner and that dramatically reduced the frustration, unhappiness and worry I experienced previously in practice. I would call colleagues on my drive home to discuss a case I was concerned about. It was my form of debriefing.
Even now, with 17 years experience, I still ask my colleagues how they do things. I am looking for different perspectives and to keep learning. I may pick up one thing that makes practice easier! I will never know if I don’t ask. So have a growth mindset. Never be afraid to ask questions, even the basic ones.
I recognise now that I need to prioritise my mental fitness by getting enough good quality sleep, exercising, eating well (that didn’t go so well over Easter) and continually work towards a confident, optimistic, resilient mindset.
Heads Together is a great organisation in the UK that aims to end stigma around mental health.
In Australia, Beyond Blue has great resources as well as HeadSpace, LifeLine and HeadsUp.
Take the time to listen to the podcast.
Natasha
