More and more people are struggling with dissatisfaction, have mental health problems or don't know what to do with their lives. At the same time, therapists are rare. More and more people are therefore seeking help in Coaching. Even people without a pre-existing mental illness can benefit from a mental Health Coaching and put them on the right path for them.
In this blog entry, you will find various tools to help you deal better with everyday situations or mental health problems. We explain the difference to medical-psychological treatment and provide you with knowledge that will help you to recognize, accept and change your behaviour.
Imagine ...
Let's take a classic toolbox. In it we will certainly find a hammer with nails, screwdrivers with screws and perhaps even larger tools. Each of these tools has a specific function.
It is the same with the various mental tools that we can learn and understand. If you hammer in a screw with a hammer, it probably won't last long. You need a cordless screwdriver. And when we're stressed, we shouldn't skip our break and get straight back to work. That's much healthier. Namely by using the break to recharge our batteries and then carry on fresh.
Therapy or coaching?
First of all, it should be noted that mental illness cannot be cured by coaching alone. Rather, coaching helps to recognize the symptoms and use the right tools. So if you suffer from a mental illness, you should urgently (!) consider psychological treatment.
However, this does not mean that coaching is not for you. In general, we can say that coaching helps us to the extent that we can apply what we have learned independently in everyday life. This is why it is so important to lay the foundations for a self-determined life through therapy in the event of illness.
What is the difference?
In short: a psychological Therapy is used for illnesses such as depression, sleep disorders or obsessive-compulsive disorders. This usually involves the patient's past and the therapist is able to make a medical diagnosis and prescribe medication for initial relief.
Coaching, on the other hand, focuses more on the current situation and draws conclusions from it in order to achieve positive changes for the future and emotional well-being. A coach supports the desire for professional growth or other changes in a person's life. This can involve professional reorientation, goal setting or dealing with stressful situations.
As a supplement to therapy, coaching can therefore help people to cope better with an illness and lay the foundations for a better future. happy life to lay.
Specifically: How does coaching help with mental health?
First of all, we need a toolbox in which we can keep the tools. This is the ability to look at our situation objectively and the belief that we have it in our own hands to change this situation for the better.
This means for step 1: Take full responsibility for your life now! And to be able to look at your life objectively: Try meditation. This is the first tool in your collection. There are many articles, apps and resources on the internet that can help you with this. (Add article here)
Step 2: Accept your situation! You cannot change the past, but you can determine what you do now for your future.
These two steps have laid the foundation for positive change. Now it is up to you to see every situation as an opportunity to develop these skills.
That and much more: the added value of coaching
Let's look at sport. The soccer trainer is often referred to as a coach. His tasks are similar.
He makes the players aware of their mistakes, just like a psychological Coaching helps to uncover the aspects that prevent us from leading a happier life.
He gives the players the knowledge of how to execute a technique, such as a shot, just as the coach gives us tools for all kinds of situations.
Last but not least, the Trainer his team. After a defeat, he focuses on what went well and what they learned from it. The coach does the same. He motivates us when we don't know what to do next.
In a nutshell: coaching helps. You are supported in a process and can make changes in your life as a result. And even better: you will never forget the tools you receive, I promise you that. Because even the first success is an experience that you will remember in the future. And by practising regularly, you will get better and better. You will strengthen your muscles.
Can mental health coaching also be used for larger groups?
It also works with groups. Like the coach in the soccer example, mental health coaching can also support larger teams. Companies in particular are already benefiting from this. Employees get to know tools for coping with stress and can apply them at work. However, it is more difficult to respond to individual situations here.
Tools to try out:
These are probably the most well-known ones you may have heard of.
I. Meditation: As already mentioned, there are many resources on this topic on the Internet. Meditation used to be considered a spiritual practice, but today most people can no longer imagine their everyday lives without it. No matter what you think about meditation. It works.
II. write down your thoughts: After a long day, answer the following questions in writing: How do I feel? Why do I feel this way? As soon as we write down our thoughts, we get a different perspective on them. It's like seeing another person's thoughts on paper.
III Breathing: the only internal process that we can control ourselves. Or simply stop digesting for a few minutes? Nature has actually given us a direct way to calm our brain and therefore our body. Take a minute and breathe in and out deeply. Breathing in for longer makes you more concentrated, breathing out for longer calms you down.
IV. Gratitude: Set yourself an alarm clock. Name it: What am I grateful for? In future, you will be reminded once a day to be grateful. This will also have an effect on other areas of your life, because gratitude can be the start of many positive changes.
Conclusion
Mental health coaching helps people to make positive changes in their lives through concrete tools. Hand in hand with therapy, it can also support the healing of mental illness. During a coaching session, or even afterwards, you can deal better with everyday problems and, over time, tackle bigger issues. The foundations for this are: Personal responsibility, objectivity, solution orientation and, last but not least, the motivation to change something.
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