The Productivity Commission 2020 findings cited in the report estimated that around five percent or 800,000 people have a severe mental illness, of which 500,000 have episodic mental illness and 300,000 are persistent cases.
It is due to these shocking revelations that former schoolteacher now a mental fitness coach and psychologist Marcus Whelan is on a mission to help people across Western Sydney’s diverse community minimise the impacts of preventable mental health illnesses they are experiencing.
In over a decade of clinical practice, Mr Whelan said he has seen the unfortunate effects of spiralling stress and burnouts on families, relationships, businesses, and the wider community. Marcus will deliver a special FREE workshop at WEXPO Hills - October 11 at Castle Grand. titled: Succeed: Barriers to Authentic Success
WEXPO sat down with Marcus to gain insights into current issues around mental health and success.
What key issue you mostly help business owners resolve and how?
I help business owners reduce stress due to poorly balanced lifestyle and lack of goals clarity. These are mostly due to their goals being externalised and not enough consideration of their implicit meaning of their life’s goals to ascertain what’s truly important. As we age, we are supposed to evolve, and often business owners do grow their business but personally managing themselves becomes a challenge because they have not given enough attention to their own personal growth and evolution. My coaching is focused on helping them create goals that are deeply important and mentoring them with skills to work around blind spots such as mid-life crisis for example that keep them stuck.
What trends do business owners and mangers need to be aware of and how can they prepare?
Stress and burnout among workers are on the rise post Covid. The workplace environment has changed, and we are in a process of normalising the new. People value belongingness and engagement along with meaning and purpose in their lives. Leadership is key, it must come from a place of self-awareness and insight but also engagement and collaboration with your team. People work better when inspired by authentic leaders who not only demonstrate authority but compassion. People want to be inspired so it isn’t about how much money they make. Companies are now being evaluated on their well-being programs and new studies showed those who value and incorporate well-being do better in terms of ROI.
What quote inspires you and why?
Wayne Dyer said, ‘When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change’. This reminds me that mindset and perception is our reality. We can truly see ourselves and the world in an almost infinite number of ways. It allows me to remain open to experience and not attached to how things should be.
What is one habit people can adopt and why?
Put your health first. Mentors I have worked with say “always pay yourself first”. So, why not put yourself and your health first too? After all, if you’re not healthy and happy, whatever that means to you, then what’s the point of having a successful business? Call it healthcare, self-care, and personal development. We cannot buy time, but we can make it. I have 3 staples I practise every day – meditation, exercise and journaling. A total of 30-60 minutes a day. These are my own lived experiences because I care about stress prevention, staying focused so I feel good to go about my day with a better mindset, attitude and resolve.
Register for Marcus’s workshop which is at 2.30PM at Castle Grand Event Centre on October 11, 2023. Book FREE tickts HERE
Email him at marcus@marcuswhelan.com.au
