Wellbeing, your way!!
Photo by Jared Rice
There are so many different ways to help support your own wellbeing. Perhaps you meditate, do yoga, drink juices, use crystals, read wellbeing books and social media posts, say affirmations, listen to podcasts, journal, the list goes on.
The wellbeing industry is in our faces everyday when we turn on social media, watch TV, listen to the radio or read a magazine. How can we forget to look after ourselves? Despite there being such great support and advice to help us on on life journey we can feel the pressure to ensure it is something that we have to do everyday. Choosing to do something that makes you feel good can get lost and what you choose to do to ensure your wellbeing becomes a chore and something to tick off your list at the end of the day.
This list ticking exercise is stress inducing and what started as something to help inspire and support you, becomes a spiral of increasing pressure to keep it up. The other side of this is not being able to do the wellbeing rituals you love and the guilt you may feel when you don’t do it.
Photo by Petra Blacklock
I love to meditate; it is one way that definitely helps me unwind and de-stress. I did develop a daily practise, which I loved, and then life got a bit busy with Covid-19 and what I discovered was that I felt guilty. I could not do my meditation practise how I was use to doing it, and if I skipped a day the reminder from my meditation app that showed when I last practised just ignited my stress even more.
Wellness needs to be defined by you. You need to work out what you like to do and not because your best friend loves it or because it looks popular from an “influencer” on social media. What do you enjoy and what makes you feel good?
So many of us have fallen in the trap of thinking that wellbeing must be done a certain way and time is usually the main factor people struggle with. Everyday is a new day and no two days are the same. You do not need an hour of uninterrupted time to = wellbeing. Life can be messy and so far from perfect, and this is what is so awesome about the abundance of tools to choose from your kit. Whatever you choose, let it be because it feels good and be ok that it may be only five minutes and hell if you get an hour well that’s amazing, embrace it and enjoy yourself.
Let go of your expectations that you “must” or “should”. These words are toxic and will only set you up for stress and unnecessary pressure. Empower yourself by filling your cup before anyone else, this is fundamental to your wellbeing.
Now, meditation is still my go to for stress relief and it is now untimed and is done in a way that suits my mood and what I am capable of doing and believing this is ok and enough.
Wellbeing your way:
Keep a list of all the wellbeing tools you love to do. Prompts are always helpful.
No task needs to be quantified with time.
Be kind to yourself - don’t waste your energy trying to live up to unrealistic standards.
Yes watching Netflix, baking a cake or talking to a friend all count as activities to nurture you.
Love
Sarah xx