HOW TO BOOST YOUR MENTAL HEALTH #5 with Physiotherapist, Siân Midwinter

Boosting your mental health - Sian Midwinter, physiotherapist

In this episode I talk to Siân Midwinter, who is a Chartered Physiotherapist and runs Midwinter Physiotherapy in Worcestershire.

Siân and I chatted about her work with respiratory and mobility patients and her interest in long Covid; managing fatigue, breathlessness and breathing disorders. We also chatted about her passion for promoting wellbeing and in particular the link between physical wellness and mental wellbeing - and her desire to empower her patients to live their best life, a philosophy that all health professionals and complementary therapists aim for too!

Siân making physio fun for this young man to give him more mobility and freedom.

I asked Siân for her top tips to help boost mental health - and the first was to do with sleep, and exercise. Sian emphasised that all we can do is try our best with these areas. We know they are crucial to our wellbeing - there is evidence that good quality sleep and exercise can reduce anxiety and depression - but if we try to what we can, that will be 'good enough' - don't create yourself more stress aiming for perfection!

The second tip was to do with rest - doing absolutely nothing - just for 5 minutes. No scrolling social media, no tv, just pure rest with zero guilt! Our brains need that down time to recharge and help us feel refreshed and positive.

Siân's third tip was to seek out help if you feel you need support. Once you've reached out for help, you can get on the road to feeling better far easier than if you try to struggle on alone. We also discussed the benefit of 'asking twice' - when you casually ask someone of they are ok, we often get a standard 'yeah I'm fine' response. But if we ask again 'are you really ok?' you may get a different response ..... a friend, colleague or family member may feel they can open up to you ..... and you may just save a life.

If you or someone you know is struggling with negative thoughts, and would like to learn how to become more positive, hypnotherapy may be worth a try. It can help dial down the stress response, help encourage a positive focus, and help you cope better by being more relaxed and having better quality sleep. Contact me if you'd like to find out more.

Click here to watch the interview with Siân: https://fb.watch/5qP6OVjEbA/

Siân's website is here: https://midwinterphysiotherapy.co.uk/