Seven Years On, Reflections on Your Oxygen Mask First: Manage Your Mental Health
“It’s not the heavy load that breaks you down. It’s the way you carry it.”
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- Lena Horne, Jazz icon & civil rights activist
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More than ever, you’ve got to have a plan and a back-up plan for managing your mind. (Chapter 7, Your Oxygen Mask First).
Mental health is serious business because our brains can mess with us and trick us into making bad decisions when we’re mentally worn down.
Secret, No Secret
In the process of researching, writing and speaking about Your Oxygen Mask First, I became a quasi-expert on mental health. So, I know that almost everyone has spent time in the yellow and orange zone.
And no wonder. Leaders constantly face the harsh realities of business and the curveballs of life. It puts us at higher risk for a mental health crisis and makes managing mental wellness a must-have skill.
And I can relate because, during the stress of COVID, I ended up in the red zone of the Mental Health Continuum.
The Mental Health Continuum model, an easy, non-judgmental colour-coded tool to help people to assess their mental health and spot warning signs quickly.
Watch the video: Manage Your Mental Health
During that time, working the hardest I’ve ever worked in my life to help many clients to pivot and adapt to, hopefully, a once-in-a-lifetime situation, I entered the red zone. I didn’t see it coming – even though I know this stuff well and teach it to others – but an incident when my behavior was completely unacceptable, brought a moment of harsh reflection, and I knew I something had to change.
And I know I’m not alone. After speaking to thousands of people and one-on-one to hundreds of executives, I’ve heard stories, publicly and privately, from a huge percentage of high performers about their experience in the red zone.
Two of those generously allowed us to share their stories with you:
I know you’ll all find something to which you can relate.
The Challenge
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- If you’re not aware of the mental health continuum, you should read it to understand more.
- What are your strategies to get yourself back to green zone when the stresses of life and work push you into the orange or the red zone?
Your Oxygen Mask First Resources
- Page 98 – Six Steps to Mental Health Mastery
Free help, for you or someone else, is available, around the world, 24/7, 365 days a year. Trained crisis responders will listen to you and provide support with compassion, and a safe space to talk.
In Canada and the US: Call the 9-8-8 hotline for mental health and suicide prevention support.
Other Blogs
- Is Mental and Emotional Health a Priority in Your Boardroom?
- Odds are, Your Team is Struggling and Not Telling You
- Get Moving: The First Option to Treat Depression & Anxiety
Older Podcasts
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