12 May Drink your own champagne people!

This is an observation about my current mental health, and that of others, as I/we continue to focus on the mental health of UK Plc…..

So I refer to my efforts to promote the exceptional benefits and outcomes mental difference can bring, and the support I give to employers to start, evolve and sustain their mental wellbeing programmes, as my calling.

My calling because I genuinely don’t want others to go through what I did growing up and throughout my career if they don’t have to. So I’m doing my small bit, along with the small bits hundreds of others are doing, to hopefully equal a big bit!

But in a conversation with one of my amazing peers and industry chums, over a milkshake at Ed’s in Victoria where I try to meet everyone these days, she helped me come to the conclusion my efforts have actually been taking their toll on me.

I shared a few weeks ago that I was having a bit of a wobble, as I like to call it, and needed to sure up my defences. I didn’t quite know why I was wobbling slightly but we worked it out over a strawberry milkshake each.

APeopleBusiness is still in its first year and growing well, and I am spending a lot of time blogging, networking, meeting, pitching, proposing, negotiating, delivering and presenting, which is bloody hard work, as you know. And it is all of this that is putting pressure on me, impacting on my diet and sleep, and affecting my ability to exercise.

So isn’t it ironic that I have embarked on a new chapter of my career focussing on the mental wellbeing of others, and by doing so it is affecting mine. This isn’t for a sympathy vote, I’m just fascinated by this. And don’t get me wrong it would be the absolute same if I was setting up a dairy farm, or a gig economy borrow a shed tool business (now there’s an idea).

See the underlying message is it’s nothing really to do with the sector you are operating in, because starting up any business, and the first two years or so is always going to have an impact, but the irony is not lost on me that I just happen to be driving a mental wellbeing business forward.

But you know me, I always look on the bright side and my chum did too, and we collectively came to the conclusion that by running wellbeing businesses, and immersing ourselves in educating others about the signs and signals etc., we both can recognise our internal signs and signals quicker now and act fast.

I haven’t rained the activity in because activity is actually a good distraction coping strategy for me, but I have been kinder to myself from the wobble in terms of start times, stepped up the distance running and even decided to invest in a holiday with the family at half-term, when originally I was not going to.

I spotted the signs, took the action I needed to take, and got myself back on track in a matter of days. I also smacked my OCD about when it popped its head up because I was aware it was going to have a bit of a go at me.

So, I drank my own champagne and executed on the things I advise others to do, which is something I want to highlight to anyone who is kind enough to still be reading this. Keep an eye on yourself, whatever you do, and when you notice something isn’t quite right, take immediate action.

And if you are in wellbeing, this means drinking your own champagne, and lots of it!

Colin.

@apeoplebusiness @colinminto #mentaldifference #mentalhealthawarenessweek #mhaw17