October is Mental Health Month, and we'd like to keep the focus squarely on the "health" part of "mental health."

From Monday 30 September through to Friday 1 November, we're offering fun, practical daily experiments in flourishing. They'll help you bring down stress, improve recovery, tune in to what your nervous system is telling you, and put the pieces of the puzzle together in a way that works for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome to week 4 of the Festival of Flourishing! Over the past three weeks, we’ve explored ways to reduce stress, amplify recovery, and tune in to the balance between the two. None of that is easy, so this week is all about building systems to help.

‍Willpower is overrated

You might have noticed that some or all of your experiments so far have felt like you’re pushing against some invisible force. Limiting stress, making time for recovery, and paying attention to the state of your nervous system are all a bit counter-cultural. The signals we get from the outside world, and often from our own beliefs and habits, can get in the way of doing things that on the surface can seem pretty simple.

That’s why this week is all about removing barriers and putting good enablers in place, so that you can rely more on a system that pushes you towards flourishing, and less on the willpower you need to push through everything that's holding you back.

‍

‍

Experiment 1: find an accountability buddy

Think of something you'd like to do more regularly, but you're finding it a struggle. Maybe it's difficult to maintain good boundaries by leaving work at a reasonable hour, or to get to a regular gym class.

Now think of a friend or colleague who you suspect might have a similar challenge, or who at least will get where you're coming from. Catch them for 10 minutes, share your own challenge, and suggest a collaboration: agree one thing you'd each like to do, share what's currently making that hard, and agree how you'll support each other to make it a bit easier.

Accountability works best when it's specific: jot down the one thing you're going to do, when and where you'll do it, and how you'll hold each other to account - in the nicest way, of course.

‍

Experiment 2: swim with the current

When was the last time you did a check-in with your personal values? This is a 5-minute exercise that can help you spot where there’s unnecessary friction in your day-to-day, and where you can get a boost for free.

Jot down your top five values - the few principles or ideals that are most important to you in judging great from not so great. Now think of one opportunity to adjust your day so that it's a little more aligned with those values.

Spending a lot of time doing work (paid or unpaid) that’s counter to your values is a very common, and often invisible, source of stress. If you can adjust so that you’re more aligned, it’s like swimming with the current instead of against. It’s so much easier.

‍

Experiment 3: visualise flourishing

Our brains aren’t always helpful when we’re trying to get into new habits or routines. Once we’ve worn the grooves of old habits into our neural circuitry, it can be hard to shift them.

But not impossible!

One neat way of shaking things loose is visualisation: you can start to re-wire those pathways just by imagining doing things differently. Athletes use this technique to prepare for big games and complex manœuvres, and you can too.

Take a few minutes today to imagine what your average Tuesday would be like if you were really flourishing. What would you be doing? What would it feel like? The more vividly you can conjure this in your mind, the more helpful it will be as you encounter speed bumps along the way - and we all do. When the goal is clear and meaningful, it's easier to keep moving towards it.

‍

Experiment 4: shush that critic

Dan Harris, meditation advocate and host of the podcast 10% happier, says that when he talks to people about why they don’t meditate, one of the most common reasons he hears is that it feels self-indulgent.

We hear the same story in our workshops, and yes, sometimes in our own heads as well. And it applies to much more than meditation. Taking time to do something that’s not immediately productive in some way has been steadily trained out of many of us.

Today, practise just noticing when this internalised voice pops up. If you can challenge it with the kind of question a friend might ask, like, “would it be such a big deal if you took a half hour for yourself?”, even better.

‍

Experiment 5: target an external barrier

That internal voice didn’t spring from nowhere. There are probably some things going on in your social or physical environment that make balance hard to achieve.

It could be a teammate who makes ‘humorous’ comments if you arrive at work after they do. Or it could be that a change in schedule just made it harder to get to that class you used to love.

Whatever it is, take a minute to jot down one or two ways you could remove, reduce or insulate yourself from that source of friction. It's making things harder than they need to be.

‍

Experiment 6: close the loop

Check in with your accountability buddy. If you tried experiment 1 (we really hope you did!), now’s the time to check in with your buddy. Will you do it again next week? If so, what will you adjust?

‍

Experiment 7: reflect

It's always good to round out the week with a little reflection. If you tried an accountability buddy experiment, this week would be a great opportunity to reflect together on what worked for you, and what could make life even easier. Hearing someone else's reflection will often prompt insights you wouldn't have found on your own.

If not, try leaving yourself a voice memo. Thinking out loud might surprise you.

‍

Have fun, share your stories, and we'll see you next week!