Often people make lifestyle changes after a health scare or incident and wish they had made the changes long before. The facts are evident if we practice self-care it has a massive effect on us as well as others.
We all desire more peace and harmony in our lives as well as a reduction in stress , the real key to achieve this is to create more balance ion your life, check out this weeks Vlog to find out how.
This is such a great topic as it can affect our health in many ways when we don’t feel we have balance in our lives.
Perhaps you are working too many hours, not taking proper breaks, going to bed late, spending limited time with family and friends, are you often worn out and find it hard to relax or de-stress?
If you have read this far, I am guessing you would like to know some solutions?
As usual none of my suggestions are rocket science but as the sayings go, ‘people often know what to do but don’t DO what they know’.
You will be delighted to find out that you really can bring more balance in your life but you have to really make it a priority.
The order needs to be….
Self-care first
Family
Work
This is usually not the way round people have the order of priority, if you really want more balance, less stress, less anxiety, and feel happier and healthier you must put this in place.
What people generally do is work harder, longer hours and put themselves last usually saying, when things get calmer, less busy, more organised THEN I will put myself first.
So what happens? well the calmness, less busy, more organised never seems to come!
The problem is when the priority is in the wrong order it creates a dis-ease that only gets worse.
One of the most common areas I coach people in is getting a more balanced life.
This is easier than you might think, first look at the diary and put a few self-care things in BEFORE you schedule in meetings and work stuff.
Just one thing to start with and build up, when you notice the benefits you will feel you can add something else in.
Eventually you will start to really notice you are feeling more content and less stressed.
Start with something simple, maybe a walk-in nature, a hot bath, finishing on time and reading a book, or doing something nice for yourself.
I guarantee you the health benefits are so amazing you will never allow yourself to go back to that way of life.
And finally if you really don’t know where to start I am here ready waiting to help you.
Self Care = Self Repair x
We all can overload ourselves with things we need to do but adding pressure comes at a price, it can dramatically increase our stress levels. Check out my suggested actions to reduce stress.
We all want to be happier I guess? how about finding out how? follow this recipe and you will be amazed at how much happier you can feel!
Everyday we all seem to face a ‘to do list’ with unrealistic expectations which often leave us feeling exhausted, fatigued, anxious , stressed, frustrated and unable to relax.
What we tend to do when we experience the above is go into ‘overdrive’, we work harder ,try harder and go faster.
Perhaps some of us stay up later to try to get things done, maybe we don’t take a lunch break or any breaks. Often people fuel themselves on sugary foods or drinks and not take time for healthier snacks or meals.
Perhaps we just keep pushing on and on to hopefully fulfil our never ending need to ‘get things done’.
Many people take pride in multitasking and doing lots of things at once which in itself can bring on even more stress and anxiety.
As a result we can’t seem to sleep or unwind and find our brains not turning off.
I would imagine it’s not rocket science to say if we stay in these states it can affect not only our physical health, but our mental health too.
So what I am suggesting today is the last thing people have in mind and that is SLOW DOWN!
Really you say! surely that will add to the stress and anxiety as things will be getting accomplished even more slowly?
Well dear audience ,there is a sequence that goes with slowing down and if you adhere to it you really can find much more peace calmness in your life.
It is widely researched that slowing down our breathing automatically decreases our blood pressure and relaxes the nervous system.
These 6 actions I am suggesting are not only simple but ‘do-able’.
1.Start each day with some slow deep breaths ( just 2 or three minutes can make all the difference)
2.When you arise be aware of how quickly you are moving or speaking and be concise to slow down’
3.Check in with how you are feeling regularly during the day and do the above practice, even three large breaths in and out slowly can decrease anxiety.
4.The obvious things are ensure you have breakfast, even if it’s just fruit and also a proper healthy choice lunch break AWAY from the desk/work area.
5.Take a few moments every hour or so to just gaze at nature, or better still get out into it once aday even for 5 minutes.
6.A tough one for many of us but do ONE thing at a time ,if you really want the benefits of calmer nerves and reduced anxiety this one has to be mastered!
Of course you can build on the above but it’s a start, and as my 86 year old coach says …
‘One ounce of action is greater than one ton of theory’!
And remember nothing grows in the comfort zone.
wow we all want to be happier and healthier as we get older but is it really possible, I believe it is as I am living proof of it!
Wow I just LOVE these new trends which are exactly what I have been talking about for over a decade!
WOW what a revelation I had when I noticed this!
I have recently been challenged with some health issues that lasted some months, it not only affected my physical health but my mental health too.
As you know my vlogs/blogs are all generally solution focus and I try to motivate people in a loving and respectful way.
But recently I just lost my ‘Mo Jo’ and found myself in a pretty dark place.
I am now through this and felt I could offer some golden nuggets in my reflections.
One thing I know is having a simple action plan was my ‘life saver’
I want to share it with you as it really is a wonderful way to live life.
1.My routine of getting up, washing and dressing early and practising a quiet time meditation was how I started my day. Even though I sometimes had to go back to bed to rest I felt I had at least started my day positively.
2.I ensured I had three healthy meals a day and drank plenty of water.
3.Getting into nature daily helped me refocus, connect with my spiritual side and be more loving and kind to myself.
4.Talking about how I was feeling and spending time with people who love, care and respect me was also SO important.
5.Having my work also helped me have a purpose and allowed me to help others and not just think about myself.
6.Pracitising an attitude of gratitude daily helped me realise it could be worse, allowed me to notice the good things I do have in my life.
7.Getting at least 7 or eight hours sleep at night and resting when I needed too is a wonderful way to rejuvenate and replenish our bodies.
8.Even though it was hard I stuck to my exercise routine and did at least 3 classes of yoga a week and getting out on my bike for gentle rides.
A friend came for lunch last weekend and bought me a gift, it was a framed picture that said. ‘This too will pass’ which gave me great comfort.
Often when life becomes a little hard, I can feel I will be stuck in it forever. Generally that is not true, something always seems to change.
As I started to think about this month’s Blog I realised the above ‘Formula’ is actually the perfect action formula for life regardless of what is going on!
I now feel so much more comfort having a formula that can carry me through the good times, as well as the bad and ensure I love and respect myself whatever is going on.
Are you truly transparent, open, honest and authentic, can you say how you are really feeling and are not just a people pleaser? if not you need to check this out…
We all often feel better in our own comfort zones but if we really want to see changes we have to break out of our comfortable place, check out this fun Vlog and allow yourself to be brave, remember nothing grows in the comfort zone!
This is a subject very close to my heart, with 25 years of recovery I feel I have a lot of experience in this area. I thought it might be useful to include a definition and this is what I found…
The fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance or activity.
Many people are not even aware that they may be addicted to something and the list I am sharing is only the tip of the iceberg.
Food (under eating/overeating/anorexia/bulimia/controlled eating)
Work
Sex
Drugs
Sport/exercise
Negativity
Self-harm
Self-neglect
Relationship or co-dependency
Constant activity
Tv/computers or games
Shopping
I guess the first thing is to Acknowledge you have an issue, when I was an exercise addict I often felt compelled to exercise even when I was tired or unwell. Also my food addiction felt like a true compulsion, I just had to have it and used food as a ‘self soother’,it was my comfort.
I somehow felt more in control when I was using a substance or activity and often said, ‘what will you give me to help me relax without one of the above?’
The solution really comes with the three A’s(Acknowledgement, Acceptance and Action) after the acknowledgement and then some sort of acceptance, the real work begins with the action part.
Getting help is truly in my experience the way forward, that may be with a visit to your GP, Counselling, Coaching, group therapy etc but the top of the list for me was entering a 12 step program.
In this ever changing, and at present, fearful time we all often turn to something to help ease the stress, or somehow get away from reality and addiction certainly helps us be less present to the worries of the world and life around us.
It’s not easy to admit you are addicted to something but once I took that step the rest of the journey became easier, today I still have challenges but instead of using food, alcohol, or over exercise I am able to talk about my feelings.
I have learned I can sit with them rather than use something to numb them, I am more able to articulate what’s going on for me and less likely to use anything that may eventually cause my body to become unwell. I also am more aware the only person I can change is myself so I am mindful not to take on the world’s problems. I try to ensure I take care of myself well and this has a massive knock on effect to all around me.
So finally If this does apply to you or someone you know, help is always available you just have to be ready to ask.
URGENT NOTICE! We must listen to our bodies if we want to obtain the best health, it will communicate to us with various signs from gut instinct to pain, make sure you have your headphones on loud and clear.
We all can be impatient sometimes ,did you know it can lead to health issues? anxiety, and trying to control situations can lead to negative emotions and often long term stress.
We all want to work on self improvement at some stage of our lives, but the feelings of becoming a better person are truly amazing and the health benefits are not what we often expect.