In turbulent times when facing a global pandemic, jobs are at risk, there’s talk of a depression and you’re stuck at home wondering when life as we knew it might return, it’s easy to overlook how finding the positives and asking “what’s possible?” can keep you well and mentally strong. This is where gratitude can play a vital role.

Gratitude. It’s defined as the quality of being thankful; a readiness to show appreciation and to return kindness.

And gratitude is a powerful weapon. It not only raises spirits, it works to keep you physically healthy and boosts mental wellbeing. Its magic being its ability to change your brain.

With depression now the leading cause of disability globally (according to the WHO), affecting over 350 million people worldwide, and with anxiety as its frequent partner, affecting 260 million people worldwide, something has to change.

I’ve lost count of how many times after a presentation or workshop I’ve been approached by a worried parent who shares their concerns about their child or young adult. The stories share a common thread, anxiety is a growing problem for our younger generations.
We have statistics by the bucketload but rather than spending too much time navel gazing at what is a complex issue with multiple contributing factors, the question is what can we do about this quickly and effectively and turn the tide?

With mental health costs spiralling to beyond $10.9 billion a year that’s a heck of a price to be paying for poor mental health and unhappiness. PwC estimate the ROI in investing in mental wellbeing is an average of $2.30 for every dollar spent.
Discover three simple tips to boost happiness at work and elevate your health and mental wellbeing

From a medical perspective my observations are that we have underestimated and ignored the impact of chronic levels of high stress at work on our mental-wellbeing due to

1. Heavier workloads
2. The expectation of continuous top performance irrespective of stress levels, time poverty and reduced resources.
3. Multiple interruptions leading to a loss of focus and time available to complete tasks
4. Massive change disrupting many aspects of our lives and work
5. Insufficient down time for rest and recovery

October is Mental Health Month and October 10th is World Mental Health Day so it’s a good time to be reminding ourselves of the importance of staying mentally well. Perusing through WHO’s mental health action plan 2013-20 recently I noticed their current focus is on...