Mind matters

Do you need to spring clean your head space? Anna Veale explains how visualisation can be a helpful wellbeing tool.

PHOTOS Salina Galvan

As we find ourselves coming out of hibernation from what seems like a very long winter, a sense of new beginnings may be upon you – and for good reason. The mornings are getting lighter and the evenings are drawing out, bringing a new cycle which represents planting new seeds, growth and expansion. 

Spring, “the king of all seasons”, is a fantastic time to check in with yourself and see what sneaky habits have crept in over winter that don’t have your best interests at heart. Perhaps you’ve been hitting the snooze button one too many times, or drinking one too many cups of coffee to warm yourself up.

If you want to build on the energy that can come from our change in seasons, here are some tools to accelerate your journey. 

The power of visualisation

In the sports world, visualisation or “mental rehearsal” is used to help athletes prepare for and enhance their physical game. This technique draws
in direct focus to task, using the senses to dial down on the process of the goal rather than the outcome itself. 

As we move into the new season, we have an opportunity to get clear on what we want for the coming months, and we can use visualisation to bring a goal to life and generate the all-important ingredient for success: Action. 

When we mentally rehearse our goals and the process of reaching them, we are sending a strong message to our unconscious mind that we are ready and will be more likely to take the action required to make change. Science tells us that if we commit our goals to writing we are 40 percent more likely to achieve them. It also tells us that if we tell someone else about our goals we are 60 percent more likely to achieve them and if we have a coach, we are 95 percent more likely to achieve success. 

Your goal-setting toolbox

Adding visualisation to your goal-setting toolbox will help bring your dreams to life. If you are new to visualisation, here are some ideas to get you started:

Create a vision board

This can be fun and simple to do and serves as a daily reminder of your intentions. Use magazines and printouts to create your very own piece of goal-setting art. Be brave and think big. You are only limited by your imagination, so banish limited thinking and get creative. 

Visualisation meditations

There are plenty of good visualisation meditations out there for guided goal-setting visualisation, leaving time at the end to brain dump, set goals and put timelines on them. So now we have our head space covered, how can we give our body a shake-up out of its winter slump and get it bouncing into spring?

Rehydrate

Often water gets replaced for hot drinks over winter, so look to replace caffeinated drinks with water or herbal tea. 

Eat well 

Nourish your body with whole foods like split peas, lentils, chickpeas, quinoa, buckwheat and rye. Increase the fibre in your diet with fruits and vegetables such as apples, pears, apricots, berries, broccoli, carrots, okra and spinach.

Catch the morning sun

Reset your circadian rhythm by getting up at the same time each day, taking yourself out for a walk around the block and getting some fresh air. 

Be consistent 

Showing up daily for yourself sends the message that your wants and needs are important. Cultivate a routine that's easy, fun and aligns with your values. 

Check out Anna's free resources page, where you will find your very own “spring reset”

freshcoaching.me

Men at work

Understanding the link between mental and physical health can be life changing.

Words Nicky Adams / Photos Salina Galvan

While there’s an increased understanding around male mental health, it’s still daunting for many men to admit they may be struggling, or to be introspective enough to untangle the knots they may have found themselves in.  Anna Veale from Fresh Coaching feels passionate about men’s mental health “because it’s not being talked about enough.”

With a background in sports therapy, massage and performance coaching, Anna is able to look at the complete mental and physical wellness of her clients. Part of her skill set is her training as an Ayurveda coach. One of the world’s oldest alternative medical systems with roots in ancient India, it’s described as a knowledge of life, as it looks at the body and mind as one. 

“In the Western world we tend to think that the body and mind are separate. Ayurveda takes the whole body into consideration. Your physical, psychological and spiritual self – it looks at sleep, nutrition and natural rhythms. Over the last two years of specialising in coaching men, I’ve honed in on amalgamating what makes an awesome human being, and what makes men thrive. And that’s getting both body and mind on the same page so that the client can reach his true potential.”

If you want to improve physical fitness, you would seek out a personal trainer, says Anna. To improve your mental health, it is just as important to train with a professional. “Coaching is for the person who recognises a negative pattern. For example, they press snooze every morning, grab a pie on the way to work and then go through the motions in their job. This person tends not to be present with their family, then goes to bed feeling unfulfilled. He’s living an average life. Coaching takes you from saying you want a connected relationship with your wife, saying you want to be the CEO of your business, to taking action to make it happen. It helps you find the missing link and get in touch with what’s important.”

Ultimately what Anna finds in her clients is that if they can’t see the best in themselves, they can’t then get the best from themselves. Underlying stress can tip the balance of both mental and physical wellbeing. “This can be on any spectrum, but stress management is key to overall wellness. You can’t thrive if you’re under the pump and stressed all the time.” This is where Anna and Fresh Coaching come into play. Anna has recently developed the four step Spartan Habit Changer Online Coaching Program, which has been ‘designed specifically for busy men who need to be reminded to dial down and look after themselves in order to perform at their best.’ An all-encompassing kick-starter course, this five-week remote commitment could be a gamechanger. Anna also offers 1:1 coaching for men who are stuck and ready to make positive change.

freshcoaching.me