If You're Struggling to Thrive, Maybe the Problem Isn’t You

“When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.” - Alexander Den Heijer

• If you have an unreasonable boss that micromanages you, a one hour workplace mental health awareness training isn’t going to save your mental health...

• If you are in a toxic relationship and get no support from your partner, a meditation app is unlikely to lift your mood...

• If you are isolated and disconnected from others, gratitude journaling will only get you so far in feeling better..

• If you are expected to work really long hours in a stressful job and don’t have enough time to sleep or move your body, a one hour yoga class is unlikely to save your well-being...

Sometimes true improvement in your mental health comes from making difficult changes in your life. Very often when looking to boost your mood, you may look for tools to help you to feel better. And whilst these tools can certainly help, if there is something in your life that is misaligned with who you are or what you want, it can be that no amount of work you do on your mental health will help.

This is sometimes when we at The Food Therapy Clinic see clients either turning to food for comfort or becoming overly controlling over their eating. When it feels difficult to make a big change in your life, it can be simpler sometimes to just bury the emotions and discomfort in some food (or alcohol, or shopping etc.) or to control your food intake because you don't feel empowered to control your circumstances. And this is unsurprising - even making small changes can be REALLY HARD for all of us... so making a big life change can feel impossible.

But if you were to be REALLY HONEST with yourself:

• Are there things in your day-to-day life that don't support your mental health?

• Are there things in your life that you just wish you were able to shift or change?

• Are there people you surround yourself with that drain your energy instead of uplift you?

• How do you feel about the important relationships in your life?

• Does your work provide you with meaning and fulfilment or does it leave you perpetually stressed and drained?

• How do you feel about your boss and colleagues?

• What are the most significant sources of stress for you day-to-day?

In answering these questions maybe you are seeing things in your life that perhaps you would like to shift and change. Because you wouldn't leave a precious fish in a fish tank filled with toxic water and expect it to thrive by keeping it in that same tank... Sometimes you need to change that water, change the tank completely even, shift the environment, in order for things to really improve.

What is one change you would like to make in your life for your mental wellbeing?

“We can’t choose where we come from, but we can choose where we go from there.” – Stephen Chbosky