This week we’re chatting with Alison Smith, a life coach and the author of the new book Your Prescription For Wellbeing Journal. 

Hi, Alison! If you could recommend One Good Thing everyone can do to improve their mental health, what would it be?

Write a prescription for wellbeing. More specifically, write a prescription of things to do (and not do) that are the antidote to your current unresourceful state of mind.

We’re used to our doctor writing a prescription for medical or medicinal interventions. This prescription goes a little further and adds actions for mind, body, heart and soul. Actions that may involve contacting a health practitioner but can also include calling our best friend or going for a walk. 

Interesting. Why is this your One Good Thing?

When I’m out of sorts, overwhelmed or stressed (or all three for that matter), I find that my ability to remember what works for me goes out the window. I’m so wrapped up in my stress or overwhelm that I can’t think straight. This results in the very thing that will make a difference being hidden from view or out of reach.

Yet once I’m feeling more like my usual self, I remember what I could have done to feel better sooner. This is very frustrating, and if I’m not careful, it can lead me down a spiral of beating myself up for not remembering what I could be doing to help myself. Writing myself a wellbeing prescription is a simple means of having a reference manual for myself that I can refer to in times of need.

Sounds great. How do we start writing our own prescription?

I have created a journal that includes a number of blank prescriptions for wellbeing templates. Each prescription asks a few simple questions:

• What outcome do you want a prescription for? To feel less anxious, more focused, more confident in exams, calmer, better sleep and so on (and yes, you can have a separate prescription for each of these).
• What are your symptoms? This is a short summary of how I’m feeling and the signs suggesting I need to take action.  I often find that writing the symptoms helps me to redefine my outcome. For example, instead of calm the outcome I really need might be focus.
• What things do you know usually work? What can I do that would help reduce the symptoms or achieve the outcome stated? What’s worked for me in the past? What do other people find helpful? What do experts suggest I could do?
• What things do you know that don’t work or hinder progress being made? What do I do that might be hindering my progress? What’s hindered my progress in the past? What do other people stop doing to support the outcome?
• Who can you talk to who would be able to support or help you? I don’t have to do this alone, so I could ask for help from family, friends, health practitioners, doctors, counsellors, therapists, coaches, colleagues, neighbours or the cat. Please note: I have noticed that I have different people for different prescriptions. For some prescriptions, there’s a threshold at which point I know I need to pick up the phone and say: “I’m not OK. Can we talk?”

The aim then is to do more of bullet point three and less of bullet point four, remembering over time to update the prescription so it’s continually improving as I discover new things that work.

What are the benefits of doing this?

In addition to providing a shortcut to feeling better, the prescriptions have also helped me to identify some common themes – things that support my wellbeing across many different outcomes.

For example, planking helps with overwhelm, stress, focus and motivation, and therefore also helps with my sleep. A no-brainer when I’m feeling out of sorts.

On the other hand, avoiding death and destruction-based thrillers or end-of-the-world movies has an even bigger positive outcome for me across the whole of my life, and I’m no longer tempted to watch them however persuasive the trailer sounds.

Are there any ways we can get this wrong? Any common pitfalls?

From a practical point of view, there are a couple of common mistakes people make. But there are ways to solve them. 

The first is remembering to write and update the prescriptions rather than just thinking you’ve done it in your head and will remember what will work. The key is having a list we can refer to when we can’t remember. The second is about having a range of prescriptions because, for example, the prescription for focus will be very different from the one for feeling lonely.

In addition, the biggest Aha! moment I had was I seemed to be focusing on what I needed to start doing rather than what I had to stop doing. For example, getting a good night’s sleep is more about what I need to stop doing (watching box sets or late-night scrolling on my phone) than what I need to start doing.

How do you personally do your One Good Thing?

Over time, I’ve written a range of prescriptions in my journal, and they’re the first place I go to when I’m noticing signs that I’m out of sorts.

If I notice, for example, that I’m getting very irritable – eg I’ve just lost it with the kettle – I will pick up my prescription journal and review the prescription, looking for one with symptoms that most align with how I’m feeling.

My journal is also the first port of call if anyone says: “I’ve noticed you’re not yourself. Are you OK?” Often, other people notice I’m out of sorts before I do. So, for example, my personal trainer, sports massage therapist, friends and neighbours know to mention symptoms when they notice them, and they will also remind me to look at my journal.

How has doing this changed your life?

I’m more self-aware of the things that I do that support my wellbeing and the things that hinder it. It’s as if some behaviours used to run on autopilot and I turned a blind eye to have had a magnifying glass focused on them. Now, I can be more proactive about doing or not doing them.

This has resulted in me taking more personal responsibility for the outcomes I get in life rather than blaming others – or worse, waiting for others to change their ways. I can cut short and get out of downward spirals more quickly because I now know what works best for me.

Frame Of Mind is Stylist’s home for all things mental health and the mind. From expert advice on the small changes you can make to improve your wellbeing to first-person essays and features on topics ranging from autism to antidepressants, we’ll be exploring mental health in all its forms. You can check out the series home page to get started.

Images: Adobe