COPE Scotland have put together a self-help workbook aimed at mental wellbeing promotion, their CEO and QNIS Honorory Fellow Hilda Campbell provides her tips on how best to use this.
Download a copy: Getting Back Your ‘Oomph!’ Editable Workbook
At COPE Scotland we understand that life can knock the stuffing out of us sometimes. We understand that the added challenges of COVID-19 can make this feel like we have been flattened by a steamroller! This wee booklet was put together as a Self-Management Tool for promoting mental wellbeing and can be used personally or shared with others.
The workbook can also be used in Guided Self-Help; where you work through it with the support of a therapist or as part of a mental ill-health intervention. Some of the exercises in this booklet will invite you to reflect, if you are still working through any issues then it may not be in your best interest to complete those sections on your own. Please seek support for any issues you may have, knowing that the workbook will still be here once you feel safe to use it.
Our lives are complex and sometimes complicated! Rarely is it just one thing which leaves us feeling flat, it is usually a combination.
There is a lot of content within the booklet and this does not have to be completed in a single session. Please take the time you need and use this at a pace which feels comfortable for you. If you have never used a workbook for self-management before, here are some tips you may find helpful:
- Do it because it matters to you and you think it will offer some value to your life.
- Decide where and when you can have time to work through the materials so you can give it your full attention.
- Decide if you need a self-management buddy or sounding board you can run ideas by. This does not need to be a therapist unless you are also struggling with wider mental ill-health issues. A trusted and supportive family member, friend or peer can be a buddy.
- If you are doing this as an electronic version, save it so you can record and save your thoughts as you work through the workbook, and edit where you need to.
- If you are doing this as a hard copy, think about using a pencil so you can rub out and edit where you need to.
- Before you start each session using the workbook, perhaps visit the 3-minute relaxation video on www.cope-scotland.org or use some other techniques which help bring you into the moment, to give the workbook your attention.
- Don’t force it. If you find some sections are a struggle, leave them or come back another day.
- The workbook itself offers some ideas to consider, some space to reflect, some tips to consider and invitations for you to decide what action you plan to take and when.
The sections in the workbook cover the following areas:
- Introduction
- Examples of the changes life can throw at us
- Internal and external changes
- Coping with change
- Reflecting on who sets the goals and decides the journeys in your life
- Self-care and wellbeing maintenance
- The next steps when we have decided to make a change
- Locus of control
- Confidence and self-esteem
- The internal voice
- Positive affirmation
- Relationships
- Enjoyment and achievement, finding balance
- Hobbies and interests
- Making time to be grateful
- Tips on mindfulness
Our lives are complex and sometimes complicated! Rarely is it just one thing which leaves us feeling flat, it is usually a combination. This workbook seeks to take a holistic approach to help you bounce back when you do feel flat and some sections may have more relevance for you than others. The key thing to remember is that if you feel flat or if you have lost some of your ‘oomph’ then this workbook may be a good place to help you get it back.
Remember, you are worth it. Just 15 mins a day could let you complete a section of the workbook or apply a new idea in practice. These short sessions build up over time and before you know it will help put a spring back in your step.
You matter. People care, I care.
Hilda
