Al Talks Men's Mental Health
Lifestyle
This last month I completed Movember and it’s got me thinking about mental health and the way it affects everyone young and old. It’s something I am continuously working on and am aware of in my own life and those around me. Life has so many ups and downs and we all go through different challenges and hard times and on the flip side we all have some really great times as well. For me I try to acknowledge the good times when I’m in them and to be present.
For me I try to acknowledge the good times when I’m in them and to be present.
So many people are suffering with mental issues and don’t know how to manage. Imo and I have already lost too many friends to suicide which is devastating that each of them couldn’t find a way out of their issues and see a light at the end of the tunnel. As a teenager I was very depressed for a little while, I was using drugs (mainly weed) as a way of numbing the feelings I was having and it turned into the main problem itself. I decided one day that I wanted my life back and didn’t want to be this person I’d become and so I stopped smoking weed after a couple of years of heavy smoking. Within a few months I was feeling happy again and my family and home life had improved a lot. It took a lot of effort but it made me realise that being happy isn’t always easy, it takes work and determination and discipline. I was far from living the perfect lifestyle but I had made a tremendous leap in the right direction.
As the years have gone on there have been many more life lessons that I have had to learn and many times of having to be self aware and figure out what’s best for my mental health and how to manage. So here’s a list of a few of the things that I practice to help out with living the life that I want to live and maintaining a healthy mind.
5 things that help me keep a healthy & happy mind.
1. Acknowledging feelings & being open
First would be acknowledging your feelings when they arise. This is massive! Being aware of how your emotions are affecting you is so important. It’s cliche to say but if you don’t control your emotions your emotions control you. Whenever I feel myself getting frustrated or aggravated I try to understand why, if it’s a disagreement with someone, I’ll try to see their perspective and if it’s just something that I’ve done and am annoyed at myself I just try to see how I can rectify the problem before it goes on too long. On the flip side if everything’s great, it’s really worth stopping and smelling the roses! Acknowledging the good things can turn your whole life around and realising what you do have rather than focusing on the negatives.
2. Physical Exercise
Secondly I love to do physical exercise. As a kid I was on my skateboard from morning until night. Now I love to surf and lift weights. The mental clarity I get from being physically active is 100% essential in my life and something I never compromise on no matter what.
3. Meditation
Another thing I do is meditation. This one is big for me as well. Before we had Goldie and our dog Weenie it was so easy to fit a 10minute meditation into my day and I did it around 5 times a week. Now I fit them in when I can, and it’s probably more important now more than ever to carve out that window of time to have to myself so that I can be present and be the best dad and partner I can be in this new family lifestyle we’re in now. This really helps with the first point about acknowledging and being aware of my feelings and presence around others.
4. Socialising
Next would be socialising. After the last couple of years we’ve all had with lockdowns I think this one is more apparent now more than ever. During the lockdowns I took on a lot of work and exercised a lot to stay sane but the whole time something was missing and that was being around friends and family and the ones I love. It’s so important to have people to talk to and share life with. After all we tend to remember all the big occasions like parties and weddings and being with other people as some of the best times in our lives!
5. Purpose
And finally the last one would be having a purpose. For me now I have a lot of purpose in my life, I have a beautiful wife, a daughter and a dog that all need me every day. I have a business that takes a lot of hard work and determination to make sure it keeps growing and stays exciting.
All of these things take a lot of discipline and hard work to figure out but they are the main things that keep me pushing on in life. And I am always grateful that I have the choice to decide how I want to live my life and being happy is the choice I try to make every day. Anyways if you’ve read this far thanks! Hope it’s been interesting.
Cheers, Al
Lifestyle
Hey! We’re Al + Imo
We’re a husband and wife duo, building our dream life one DIY project at a time. We are proudly self-taught, furniture-makers, business owners, designers and stylists.
DIY RUNS IN OUR DNA
We firmly believe what you learn should be shared which is why we created our Journal. A place where you can learn new skills and be inspired by other creatives.
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Imogen Gilchrist is a creative director, Squarespace website designer and social media strategist who loves good design & good people.