Simple tips for dealing with Brexit uncertainty

With so much uncertainty surrounding us, perhaps you might think that it’s a natural reaction to feel a bit depressed. Perhaps it feels if you’ve lost your ‘mojo’. If so, you’re not alone, in the last 10 years the prescribing of antidepressants has nearly doubled and recent research conducted at King’s College London found that the there was a significant spike in prescriptions after the referendum vote in 2016. The UK mental health charity Mind released a statement this week citing Brexit and the policies of austerity as contributing factors in the increasing rates of depression in the UK.

While this uncertainty reigns it can be difficult to find the motivation or inspiration to do anything, but doing nothing results in nothing changing and this low and uninspired state continues. While there is so much chaos politically, whatever your views, it can be all too easy to externalise the cause and 'blame' life events for our mood, but we are responsible for, and in control of our emotional state. Yes, really.

Often a run of bad luck, a disappointment or a bout of poor health leaves us feeling that we’ve lost our ‘mojo’ – our passion, energy and motivation.  We feel flat, discouraged or low; perhaps you’ve experienced this? However, if we can change our perspective, our mood can change too.

So how can we recover our 'joie de vivre' if we find ourselves in a slump?  The first step is to resist blaming life events on other people for how you feel and avoid re-living or telling tales of your disappointments or worries about the future as this only serves to reinforce a negative mood. 

Secondly, we look to do something that will give us pleasure. By finding something creative and absorbing, perhaps cooking or painting or making something can distract us from unhelpful thoughts. By choosing positive activities that get endorphins going like exercise we can lift our mood and start to shift our perspective. This could be going for a walk in the park and feeding the ducks, by taking a leisurely bath or by putting your feet up and reading a good book.

A very simple yet effective technique I teach my clients to recapture some of those good feelings is to remember a time when they had some of that passion and zest for life or felt that they were at the top of their game. Try it now and you’ll see how easy it is... Close your eyes for a moment and take yourself back to a time when you were feeling really great. See what you saw, hear what you heard and feel what you felt at that time. Experience it as if you're there now and looking through your own eyes. Stay in that moment and enjoy those feelings. Notice how your whole mood and sense of wellbeing can change in just a few moments.

Why not decide now to take charge of your state, think yourself into the mood that you want and recover your mojo! If you’d like some help finding your passion in life contact me now to see how I can help. Book now for my spring promotion - 5 x sessions for the price of 4! Save £125!