As we complete 10% of 2020 here's a short story of success and positivity….
I had a recent conversation with a person suffering from a repeating physical illness which, when it struck, was debilitating, a little embarrassing and might require time off. After understanding a little about the physical affliction here’s the dialogue:
Me: This may seem a little out the you but have you considered the effect of mind over matter? There’s an intrinsic link where ones physical health is affected by ones mental health.
Respondent: Yeah – read books on that years ago. Would be interesting to see how brain-waves can stop it [the medical condition]. I think the suggestion effect only works if the subject is open to suggestion… you know, the placebo effect. As I’m aware of the placebo effect and know lots of cures do nothing, they won’t work sadly!
Me: Before suggesting this, I thought you’d approach it this way. Say something won’t work and it won’t work. The power of the mind….?
Respondent: Indeed. Complex stuff!
Me: Surely the majority of the world is aware of the placebo effect? Not that I am suggesting a placebo anyway – as it’s swapping one thing for another. I said mental health. Not ‘take this pill with bugger all in it and it will work.
Respondent: Yeah – complex stuff. Not that I am giving you the brush off by the way. To be honest I’m a bit baffled by it: it presumes I have a mental health issue which is ‘causing’ the problem. But I ain’t got a mental health problem issue. As I say, very complex to talk about over chat where things will be misunderstood.
Me: Of course you haven’t – and neither have I. Or have I? Many people couple up mental health with depression. My emotional state ebbs and flows. Example – I can be down a bit sometimes. Doesn’t make me depressed.
Respondent: Yeah, complex issues.
The conversation ended there. The following afternoon I got another message….
Respondent: I’d love to talk to you about the above – pick your brains. Totally understand if not, but if you are free….
We swiftly arranged a call for that same evening. As we discussed the physical complaint I asked what had happened the immediate few days prior. It turned out the respondent had been having a very stressful time at work where they had become overwhelmed. It had even affected their sleep where, over several days, they were getting 3-4 hours kip each night. Then the physical complaint appeared.
While we could not directly correlate the physical to the mental my advice was to look for triggers – at what point does stress occur? If this can be roughly pin-pointed to talk in confidence with a line manager or with close colleagues. After all, there is no point having a person who performs excellently in ‘normal’ conditions only to be off sick or at a low ebb which affects their output if the triggers of stress can be avoided.
A main component here is to talk things out. At times of stress and anxiety talking things through with a third party – someone who is slightly away from the immediate scenario, a friend, coach or mentor, partner or family member – can bring out different perspectives, solutions and (most importantly) positive outcomes.
If you regularly suffer anxiety or stress and would like to find your positive outcome please
drop me a message at https://www.withoutlimit.co.uk/contact or IM via www.facebook.com/Life-WithOut-Limit-100258348202349.
Have an excellent weekend.
WithOutLimit is a Career and Life Coaching Service. Created in Royal Berkshire, UK. Digitally delivered to the world.
PS. It may not have been anything to do with me but a few days later I had a message saying that things [the complaint] had been much better and ‘they’d broken the back of something and a load of things flowed out from that at work....and that was good’.
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