The Mind Manual: Mental Fitness Tools for Everyone (Dr Alex George)

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Read "The Mind Manual Mindapples 5 a Day for a Happy, Healthy Mind" by Andy Gibson available from Rakuten Kobo. From the people who brought you the Watch the video of the PM and Dr Alex George listening to four young people talk about their mental health Heartbreakingly, George had been due to go home to Carmarthen, Wales, to see his family for the first time since the pandemic. "The week before my brother passed away, my best friend’s dad was terminally unwell and I stayed in London. In that time that I stayed, my brother passed away, so I could have seen him.

For George, that means walking ("a lifeline for me"), a few close friends and hiit classes at the gym. Health and happiness come from the cumulative effects of many small and positive daily changes to our lifestyle. It's about building sustainable and healthy habits - taking small and purposeful steps to a healthy future. By the end of the book I hope my readers have developed their own "bespoke health toolkit" to be used across every aspect of their lives, and to make long-lasting and meaningful change.' Read Mind Control Manual: Vital Concepts About Mind Control, Cults and Psychopaths by Dr. David Mc Dermott with a free trial. Read millions of eBooks and George passionately believes that “we must change the idea of what it is to be masculine. You can follow female leadership, you can learn from women, you can show your sensitivities, you don't have to be strong all the time and act like bullets bounce off you.” From the people who brought you the Mindapples "5-a-day for your mind" campaign, The Mind Manual is an accessible guide to what's going onWe discuss antidepressants, their efficacy and over-prescription. George is not against them. He says his #postyourpill campaign, which asks people to take a selfie with their medication, is anti-stigma and not pro-medication. I hear it all the time, in literature, in healthcare, in politics: ‘committed suicide’. And it’s wrong. You commit arson, you commit murder, you commit a crime. Suicide is not a crime.” Dystopian Fiction Books Everyone Should Read: Explore The Darker Side of Possible Worlds and Alternative Futures

His family thinks his brother was about to start taking medication before he died but patient confidentiality has meant they can’t be certain. His own life, he says, was saved by them given how depressed he was following Llŷr’s death. “I don't know for sure that I’d be here if it wasn't for my medication that I took. I wouldn't have done it because of my brother and my family, but I was in a very, very dark place.” As explicitly mentioned in this interview, in July 2020, Alex’s younger brother, Llŷr, died by suicide. Alex, a former GP, has since used his platform and large social media following to raise awareness about mental health. In January 2021, Alex launched a campaign directed at the UK Government to prioritise mental health amongst young people. On 3 February that same year, Alex was appointed as the UK Ambassador for Mental Health by then Prime Minister Boris Johnson. In the last few years, there have been some significant highs and lows, but I do think what I’m grateful for is that in adversity, you learn a huge amount. I endured." By 2021 he had signed up for the King’s College Master’s course in Public Health with its focus on mental health. He lobbied the Government on child mental health capacity during the pandemic. He started to write books, first, Live Well, Every Day, then, A Better Day (a mental health primer for kids) and the one being discussed today, The Mind Manual. Dr Alex is on a mission to empower us to make our own health choices, take positive control and feel equipped and inspired to make those small changes today that energise and future-proof for life.Now though, George says he’s received "thousands – if not tens of thousands – of messages" and comments in person from strangers struggling in a similar way to Llŷr, but saying they’ve now got help.

The book discusses the ‘mental health toolkit’ George developed while he was grieving and growing – "Not just as a tribute to Llŷr but as a tribute to the mental anguish I have faced in life, both before and since his death". It includes written exercises to help readers audit their feelings as well as ‘universal truths’ to cling to in dark times, like "sleep is a saviour" and "connection is your superpower". It affected my desire for the gym, it affected the way I ate, it affected the relationship I had with myself – so I had a really honest conversation with myself." I haven't worked in a hospital for two years,” he says, “I was at the verge of burnout. The pandemic was very hard. After Llŷr died I was resolved to try and do something about the mental health crisis we're in. Plus I'm trying to work in hospital [at the same time],” and, as he says, by 2021, barely a year after his brother has gone, “I was in an incredibly dark place.”

The Mind Manual. Alex George, Alex George

It was really great to speak with both the Prime Minister and Dr Alex George this morning. I am pleased that they are committed to fighting such an important issue and hope that the insights of young people can help them bring about the most effective change.” Mind has a confidential information and support line, Mind Infoline, available on 0300 123 3393 (lines open 9am - 6pm, Monday – Friday); mind.org.uk Me being an ardent Liverpool fan, we laughed off the Liverpool-Man United rivalry here. “It’s all fun and banter”, joked Alex.

Aster, part of the Octopus Publishing Group, has signed The Mind Manual: Mental Fitness Tools for Everyone by Dr Alex George. During some self-reflection when he was still working in A&E, George says he realised he wasn’t practising what he preached. "I thought, ‘I’m here talking about finding balance and looking after your own mental health, and I’m actually damaging my own mental health by doing too much." I started #postyourpill as a reflection of when I first started taking antidepressants. I had the pill in my hand and looked down and thought: ‘Gosh, is this where I’m at?’ There was a degree of shame around it, and I thought, hang on, that’s not right.” What you do consistently has a direct impact on your day-to-day health, your immune system, your mental health, your metabolism, your bone density, your heart health, your blood pressure, your energy levels and how you fight disease genreally. Your lifestyle is often your body's biggest support system and the more robust you can make that, the more you can rely on it to get you through. Think of it like your life insurance policy. About This Edition ISBN:It’s made a really huge difference," George says. "I get to bed at 9pm every night, I wake up at 6am, I listen to music, I play music, I go to the gym, I spend quality time with a small number of people – I’ve developed really, really strong boundaries about how I spend my time and who I spend it with." (Andrew Burton/PA) Alex said that he finds it “inspiring” to see mental health being brought up in sports like boxing, rugby, and football. He’d “absolutely encourage” more people to use sport as a platform for raising awareness, adding: “It makes you feel that it’s not just you. It shows you can be successful and have things that you struggle with.” On top of this there is the problem of, as he says, “How we build our boys.” In his book he reflects on how we are all born the same, but men are chiselled by ideas of what masculinity is. Amidst The Boar’s coverage of the 2023 Cheltenham Literature Festival, I sat down with Alex to discuss mental health, student life, and the release of his latest book, The Mind Manual.