In the blog post "It's all about your levels" I introduced the concept of 'levels' and how they help us maintain the background resilience, health and wellbeing you need to thrive. Resilience is your ability to withstand, deal with and recover from setbacks and challenges more quickly when they arise.

The 'levels' are sleep, nutrition, movement, energy, space, mood. The challenge for each of us is to be mindful of and aware of where we are on each of those levels as we move through our lives. Based of this awareness we are then able to recognise the knock on effects of these levels not being where they should be and become depleted.

When our quantity and quality of sleep is poor, our ability to think is negatively impacted, which in turn interferes with our ability to cope, and if sustained how we engage in our lives.

Not eating properly or getting the right quantity of adequate nutrition negatively affects our energy, which impacts how we feel - our mood - and our thoughts about ourselves and world around us.

Poor hydration affects everything. We can survive for between 8 to 21 days without food and only 3 without water.

As human beings we are designed to move - regularly. Not only does that keep us fit but the body is incredible that just by articulating or muscles from anything as basic as a walk, there are far reaching positive consequences for all the systems of the body. The uplift in our endocrine system and the release of hormones into the body have a profound and positive effect in our mental health.

Space and or connection can be as simple as creating time for yourself. Self care and self attention are critical to good mental and emotional health and often sacrificed for the perceived benefit of others. It never is in the short or long run as the better care we take of ourselves the more able we are to love and support others.

Space and connection also about creating time for meaningful, positive and nourishing connections with others. Isolation, overwork and loneliness all fuel poor mental and emotional health which in turn reduces our resilience.

The final two levels of energy and mood and fuelled and drive by each of the above.

Before we can even begin the journey of creating the careers and lives we want we need to be resourced to do so and that is why we begin by attending to our levels.

If you are ready to begin creating the career and life you want, begin by working on getting your base levels for success in place by doing my free Resilience and Wellbeing course here.

Energy , Mood speaks for itself. Without it we can't even begin.

These are your 5 strategies to better mental health and so much more, as each will impact energy and with the above towards the physical elements of resilience and wellbeing.

You can also find more free resources to support you in your career journey here