Joanne Hughes Coaching

Men's Breakthrough Coach

Johanna Mickle

The silent killer – men’s mental health

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It wasn’t that long ago that the rate of depression and mental health problems were much higher in women. Now, according to “Canadian Mental Health Association” Men are up there along with women.

It seemed back in the day that women were the ones that had postpartum depression and now we see that men as well are also vulnerable to having Postpartum depression. We as women would maybe doubt that because after all, it’s our bodies that go through the stress of pushing out a 7 lb baby! Although, I can understand why there would be more depression there for men nowadays. I mean, men are seen as the breadwinners of a family, and now that family just increased by one. The world is a strange place and jobs are not all that secure or certain. I could see that stress pile up for men.

Men also have a “Male Menopause” once they reach 40! Men will struggle with;

– low energy

– low libido

– difficulty concentrating

– insomnia

– mood swings

Men in general though, have a difficult time handling these symptoms and don’t always seek help with these or with depression. Why is that? A question that I have been asking myself like ALOT lately has been “Have women gone too far on the whole “We are the ones to suffer for everything?” Maybe, just maybe, we have done so much marching for our rights, whining that we have all these problems and we have over-looked men and what they might be going through and experiencing as they go through different stages of life. So what can men do about all the emotions and changes in their bodies that they are experiencing?

Firstly, I believe that the whole toxic “Men are strong enough to handle stress on their own” is just hogwash! Men are people too and it will all depend on how a person was raised, what values his/her parents instilled in them growing up, education and communication. Men typically will not seek out help with depression or with mental health. They feel like they should “buck up” and so most will not talk about it, will suffer, and the worst-case scenario..suicide.

I think it’s time, as a society, to start talking about mental health and depression and how it affects all of us, not just women. I think we need to start to educate people on this in school, talk about mental health and how it affects each of us, and that it is difficult for ANYONE experiencing change and not just limited to women.

So let’s change the story to “Men are brave because they speak up about their feelings and emotions and know that it is not weak to ask for help”. I for one want to see our men succeed in life in every way.

**Joanne Hughes is a Strategist and can be found at www.joannehughescoaching.com. Soon to have a new location and a new look!

What’s in the why?

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Purpose – It is the drive of the decisions we make and the movement that moves us forward every day. Purpose is one of the most important elements to consider when we make a choice for next steps.

Our why gives us a focus point to understand why we are going in a certain direction, what we want to accomplish along the way and what the end result will be. Yet, so many in our world today do not understand what their “Why” is. So let’s look at why it’s so important.

  1. Our Why will determine the partner that we choose.
  2. “Why” determines the type of career we will choose.
  3. “Why” will show up when we start a business, run a business, manage a family.

So determining our Why is important in understanding our path and choices thus far. If you think back to the past. Look at the following to determine your why.

– How were things at home for you?

– Did you look up more to your mom or Dad?

– What did you enjoy most about school?

– Who were your friends?

Once you think of these questions and then think of the why to all of these answers you will begin to make sense of your why because there will always be a thread and a theme through off of this.

Understand your Why then helps you to understand your purpose. When we are in alignment with our purpose we succeed, feel more joy, and have more passion.

My Why is that I believe we are all capable of achieving anything that we want in this life. I want to show others that they can too!

Managing Type 2 diabetes and stress

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Dealing with any kind of health challenges can be hard but it’s even more challenging when you have restrictions, isolation, fear of getting ill, and dealing with the stress of no job or fear of being laid off.

Right now we need to be hypervigilant about our health because for the past two years we have been less active than any other time in history. Many people when they are stressed will engage in over-eating, smoking more, and drinking alcohol more. Gyms have closed down, many more have even closed their doors for good and that means that there are many people that are very sedentary and at risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. So how do we get pro-active about it and make some changes before it becomes a risk to us?

First, what is diabetes? Diabetes is a condition where the level of sugar is too high in the body and the body is not able to produce enough insulin for cells to function. Diabetes can be hereditary and can also be a result of lifestyle. The lack of insulin triggers excess sugar production in the blood. And this is known as glycosuria and hyperglycemia. This means that your body has way too much glucose, and it can obstruct the regular functions of your nervous system, heart, eyes, blood vessels, and kidneys.

The good news is, that Type 2 Diabetes is about lifestyle, and therefore can be changed. Here are some things you need to know:

– Stress will trigger Diabetes more and so it’s important to reduce stress. Let’s look at ways to do that.

– Meditation is a good way to reduce stress, increase focus, enhances self-awareness, lengthens life span, increases and improves age-related memory loss, can generate kindness, and may help fight addictions.

– Yoga helps you to relax, helps improve sleep, can mean more energy and brighter moods, gives heart health, and connects you to a community of supportive people.

– Daily routine helps you to move through your day easily with more flow which then, in turn, helps you to know what to expect and be able to have certainty, which to some will help to alleviate anxiety.

– Get outside and walk – going for a daily walk can get you out in the sunshine and get fresh air. Walking and being outside reduces stress and has many other benefits.

Diet is important so eating good whole foods, good grains, legumes, and green foods. If you want to go even further with this then look into Ayurveda and your Dosha. You can find many dosha quizzes on the internet and Ayurveda is the oldest healing system on the planet, that makes so much sense once you understand it and deals with the person as a whole in terms of body, mind, and spirit. ( You can also do a “Dosha Quiz” on a discovery call when you book with me if that is something you would like to know more about.)

I have a program called “7 Days to A Healthy Mind and Body” that will be taking place in March of this year. I teach you foods that are beneficial to you specifically and also aids in weight loss, So head over to my website and check it out. joannehughescoaching.com Make sure to subscribe and enjoy the free ebook “Attracting Love into Your Life” while you are there! We all need love but we are Number one! So it starts with YOU!

5 ways to improve sleep through mindfulness.

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Getting a good night’s sleep is important for our physical and mental wellbeing and yet so many people don’t sleep peacefully through the night, have a hard time waking up and so many of us wake up and feel worse than when we went to sleep. Most of us these days are not sleeping because our minds are riddled with worry, stress, and a constant stream of off obsessing over what is going to happen tomorrow or next month! Here are 5 ways that you can get a goodnight’s sleep and feel rested when you wake up.

  1. Journal- If you are one of these people that find it hard to shut off your thoughts writing them down will help to not only get them out of your head but also, give you a “bigger picture” so to speak. Writing down on paper and being able to read it in it’s entirety will help you gain an understanding of what the problem is that you are obsessing over and start to generate some ideas and strategies about how to resolve the problems. Also, it allows you to get the thoughts out of your head so that you can stop thinking about it.
  2. Start an evening routine/ritual and stick to it! – Having a consistent bedtime routine will help your body and your mind begin to learn that it is time to sleep. For example, shutting down the t.v. and the computer at 8:00 pm and making a chamomile tea and sitting in your favorite chair, lighting a candle, and reading a book for an hour. Signals your brain to know that it’s time to rest, relax and prepare for sleep. Having a hot bath with Epsom salts and lavender oil will relax the body and the mind. It will be something that will signal your mind and body to go from the daytime “busy” to nighttime “relaxed” mindset and sleep will become easier. Starting a nightly Gratitude journal as well will be great for your mind, when you have gratitude you feel better also it becomes an “evening” thing to do which again will signal the mind and body that it is preparing for sleep.
  3. Meditation – Learning to meditate is a wonderful way to disengage your mind that has been busy all day with thousands of thoughts and then to be able to sit in a place of peacefulness, acceptance, and love. To be able to disengage the mind before trying to sleep is very beneficial. It will also help with other areas of your life and has many health benefits as well.
  4. Distract the mind – Another way to prepare for sleep is to distract the mind from obsessive thoughts by doing a crossword puzzle or word search. This will distract the mind from thinking and focus it on something else. It might also be a soothing and peaceful activity while you are sitting in your bath?
  5. Oiling your scalp, ears, and feet – Yes, you heard me right! This is an ancient practice for hundreds of years. It is said that when you massage the scalp at night and the ears and feet with coconut oil or sesame oil that it helps the body to be able to sleep. You might also try Spiced milk before bed which is milk that is heated up, not boiled, and add spices such as saffron, cardamom, and cinnamon. These will help you to feel tired and want to sleep.

Keep in mind that it takes repetition for something to become a habit, so continue to do this every day for a month and see how your nights go. Please send me a message and let me know how it worked for you! Sleep is so important to well-being. Also, keep in mind that success in anything requires 80 percent mindset and 20 percent action! When you make a decision to act then nothing else matters! I will talk to you next week!

Joanne Hughes is a Lifestyle Strategist that helps people to position themselves in a space to be able to move forward fearlessly and realize their true potential!

Joanne can be found at www.joannehughescoaching.com