A story of disconnection

Let me tell you a story…

About 5 years ago I started practising mindfulness, in a small way every day because I needed something to focus my mind on and help cultivate more positive thoughts. My internal chatter had become pretty challenging and it was hard to silence the negative self-talk especially in the night, I was unhappy but didn’t think I had any justification for feeling the way I did.

I was at a point in my career where I felt established in my role and had really harnessed my strengths. I was a confident communicator, I loved presenting to leadership and management teams, I was creative and thought-led in my approach to my role however there were a few things that weren’t as rosy.

My relationship with my line manager was a little ‘iffy’ and it would take me a while to earn the trust of my team and I’d often feel like an outsider at events out of the office.

The relationship I had with my suppliers weren’t as good as I would have liked them to be.

The lack of connection I felt with my leaders, team and suppliers was affecting my confidence and my performance. I started to question if I was any good at my job after all.

There was something that was playing a huge role in how I was feeling about work and I hadn’t told anyone about it; I was struggling with my mental health. I’d wake up for hours in the night anxious and in a panic, every day I would wake up feeling worse and I knew it would make connecting with my team even harder. My worries were about everything or so it felt. The worse I slept, the worse I felt; my IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) became uncontrollable and I began to experience migraines. Now I realise the mental and emotional was impacting the physical and round and round we went.

I don’t remember when exactly but it was in the middle of the night when I had the realisation that something had to change and I couldn’t ignore the signs my body was giving me any longer.

That morning I grabbed my journal and wrote down how I was feeling. I realised I needed to implement some practices into my daily routine to help improve my mood, shift my mindset and improve my relationship with myself. Slowly the yoga became almost daily and mindfulness evolved to include meditation, breath-work and journaling first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

Gradually I was feeling a sense of re-connection like I’d changed a fuse and I was feeling brighter, more alive and there was a new sense of calm.

I relaxed a lot more and shared more openly with friends and colleagues things which allowed me to be myself more easily, more authentically. I started to build stronger relationships with my team, we were collaborating and supporting each other better, I felt more comfortable talking to my managers and was able to connect to my suppliers in a way I hadn’t thought possible previously, I had even begun to feel calmer in situations that had previously challenged and overwhelmed me.

There was one thing that had changed; the connection I had to myself and that had impacted the view I had on the world around me and how I interacted within it.

By recognising I had disconnected from my own wellbeing and been ignoring the signs my body was telling me I was experiencing negative mental health I was able to change the connection I had with myself and the connections I made with others, for the better!

I guess I am telling you this because I want you to know mindfulness gets to be powerful no matter how small it may seem. I also want to invite the idea that connection starts with you and when you give yourself permission to be compassionate, to reconnect to yourself and become more self-aware, you start to notice the people around you benefit too.

I feel it’s important as I write this to say I am an advocate for seeking professional support when experiencing emotions and challenges that feel overwhelming. Whether you find that support in the form of a counsellor, therapist or holistic practitioner is your choice, find the support which resonates.

Looking back with the knowledge I have now I can see how my mental health, or rather the challenges

I was experiencing with my health were holding me back in my career, in my relationships and in being the best version of myself. Knowledge is power and getting to know yourself better is empowering!

The time is now

This is why I am building this community; Big Love Movement, it’s why I run the Mindful Membership; to educate, inspire and empower, and it’s why I created the Empowered Employee Program (EEP); a team wellbeing program for people in business who want to thrive in their role rather than struggle and risk burning out.

The truth of the matter is this is a desperate situation.

Workplace burnout has been defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as an occupational phenomenon and was added to the ICD-11 (International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision) in 2019. Shockingly while there are no reported numbers on overall burnout in the UK, stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 44% of all work-related ill health cases in 2018/19 and 54% of all working days lost were due to ill health, according to the Health and Safety Executive.

The time is NOW to create the change in how we approach mental health in our homes, schools and workplaces, if you are a conscious leader or work for a company that would greatly benefit from educational and inspirational workshops and transformational tools which will not only improve employee wellbeing but create a sustainable environment for positive mental health in your workplace, get in touch, be the change.

Big Love,
Becki

P.S; I’ve planned in some NEW online and in-person events for you and the community, the first one is this on Wednesday 21st and its FREE, the next is Saturday 14th August and another date TBC in the Autumn, have a look and register your space today!