A blog of lessons for life

Are you ignoring your body’s signals to take a break for your mental health? When we’re physically hurt, we seek help fast. With the mind, signs are quieter and easy to miss. Below are four signs that suggest it’s time to pause, reset, and protect your well-being. Prefer guided support? Explore Online Coaching or learn about Mental Fitness Coaching. 1) You struggle to focus When your mind is overworked, attention slips. Extended stress raises real health risks. Start small: set limits, reduce distractions, and prioritise one task at a time. Boundaries protect energy and clarity (see the APA’s take on boundaries – external). 2) Self-care keeps slipping Skipping meals, movement, or sleep sets you up for burnout. Build a simple routine: a 10-minute walk, a short breathing break, or a coffee in fresh air. For more tools, try our Self-Care Quiz or read NIMH’s guidance on caring for your mental health. 3) Relationships start to suffer Work stress often spills into home life. You pull away, cancel plans, and feel less patient. Separate work and home with small rituals: a short walk before entering the house, device-free dinners, or a weekly check-in with a loved one. If anxiety is part of the picture, see Anxiety Management. 4) You feel on edge most days Constant pressure can leave you irritable and exhausted. The WHO describes burnout as the result of chronic workplace stress that isn’t well-managed (external). A brief break helps you reset before problems grow. What to do next Pause

A Brief Look at How Self-Labelling can be Harmful to Mental Health To properly understand the full scope of self-labelling, we must first ask the question, what are labels? Labels are a way of describing a person, usually using a trait that is considered most significant. For instance, you may think of one person as “the depressed person” and another as “the bad one”. Labelling a person can seem harmless at first, but later on, it takes on a form that is more like pigeon-holing a person. In simpler words, the person can become known for that one label or trait. The harm lies in how the other traits the individual has are completely side-lined and are not taken into consideration. For those suffering from major mental health issues, there is a tendency to see the world from a negative point of view. This is where self-labelling comes in. Self-labels can be created by the beliefs you hold about yourself and your value. It is important to understand where these statements are coming from and to take a stand against having a negative view of yourself. More often than not, these labels prove to be untrue and if they are not stopped, they cause emotional pain and suffering, affecting not just the way you see yourself, but also the way you live your life in the long run. Allowing negative self-labels to persist, builds an environment in which you are denied opportunities for success, growth, and happiness. How Do We

During any stage of life, you may be required to take up the role of a leader. Being a good leader requires you to have certain qualities that come into play during most, if not all situations involved with the position. While we can go on listing the traits a leader should have, it is much more helpful to understand how to be better at it. Truly impactful leaders are empowering, positive, and inspiring. So to hone these abilities, here are a few tips to help focus them. 1. Effective Communication Communicating effectively with others not only requires you to do the ‘giving’ part of the conversation but also includes the ‘take’. This means that you need to be able to listen to the views of others and come to a shared understanding. For the sake of clear communication and your own personal wellbeing, it’s important to manage your emotions and express them appropriately in context. Allowing strong emotions to unnecessarily creep into a professional setting can lead to poor communication and conflict. When you communicate your vision to others, it must be carried out in a manner well enough to inspire those who follow you. 2. Motivation and Encouragement Channeling your passionate energy into others by motivating and encouraging them is important. No matter what the setting you may be leading people in, fostering creativity in others can only bring about positive outcomes. Offering motivation and encouragement creates a good environment for everyone participating. 3. Rewarding After someone has