Our brains were made to...... - Dandelion Training & Development

When it comes to managing our own mental health (see here), I will often speak about the importance of:

Routines
Exercise
Fresh air
Good nutrition
Having interests and hobbies (non electronic ones)
A sense of achievement (internal validation)

which all contribute to our mental health and well-being. Putting in place daily practices, which help us to take control and focussed action are important to our own accountability.

Recently, I have been fortunate enough to work with Paul Mort, 2020 Master Coach of the Year. I wanted to share this snippet with you, as I have no doubt it will resonate with many…

“Your brain was created to solve problems,

if you do not give it problems to solve,

it will create them” (Paul Mort)

Since the first lockdown 2020, I have consistently spoken about the importance of having purpose and routine in the day. Managing the line between hypostress (boredom) and hyperstress is really important to manage our own mindsets (read here). When working with young people, we often review their life wheels (try it here) and then look at steps we can take to ensure that our brains have outlets and purpose.

When our brains are bored, they become destructive, we look for problems, overanalyse and get stuck in our own heads. Whilst unintentional, we can become our own worst enemies. We can see why the lockdowns were such a struggle. For many, hobbies and activities rely on events/outlets and so this hampered the ability to utilise our brains as effectively as when we are at school/college/work. This subsequently impacted sleep, eating, habits and anxiety (we can different issues, but a similar impact with chronic stress).

When our brains have a good balance of activity, exercise and rest they function in a more effective way, they have a greater ability to solve problems, look for solutions and feel in control.

So, a thought for the day is a reflection on the children we work with (or are raising) and consider how well their brains are being used to solve problems. Do they have a sense of purpose? achievement? focus? Are they being supported to move their bodies? eat well? have consistent sleep routines? Is there a balance between school work and social time or interests?

Maybe, we even need to do a life wheel review on ourselves, or for our families to start those conversations about whether our brains have enough problems to solve. They become the fundamentals to then working through further mental health worries, with a strong foundation we then have the space to be able to take those next steps.

Want to learn more?

Are you looking for a deeper understanding of child mental health? Our Level 4 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Coaching Diploma takes you into an in depth dive of child mental health and how you can support. You can join our Level 4 training (here).

Further help

For more articles about mental health visit – ARTICLES

To learn more about child and adolescent mental health visit – COURSES

For resources to support child and adolescent mental health visit –RESOURCES