This time of year, many of us are usually full of excitement, plans, ideas, goals and resolutions, however this year feels a bit different. You may be thinking to yourself; I am usually full of enthusiasm for the new year, the new year new me thing… however this year that spark, that excitement is nowhere to be seen.
I am writing this to say THAT IS OK!
Don’t pressure yourself to be super positive, super excited, super motivated…
Instead, I invite you to: Be kind to yourself – Be mindful of where you are – Notice how you are
We are still finding our way through a global pandemic, which is challenging, stressful, tiring, scary and the cause of anxiety for many of us. Getting through each day, healthy, well, as relaxed as you can be, as mentally and emotionally well as you can be, is a huge achievement.
I talk about #LIFEworkbalance and Selfcare the whole time, these things are really important and after being greeted with many years of eye rolling from people, I am pleased to say people are now realising just how true this is and that this is how we build resilience so we can cope with things which happen and be able to keep going.
I talk about this, for a number of reasons, partly because my life has repeatedly given me opportunities to build up my resilience muscles, but also being a professional certified coach, I have several hundred hours of training and well over 1000 hours coaching experience, which means I have a huge toolbox to draw upon. There is not much I haven’t heard, seen or experienced either personally or coached someone through.
When things become challenging for me, I can quickly notice and catch myself when I am not feeling strong and resilient and I can do things to help me to feel better. Clients who work with me are also able to do the same.
I am now going to share a few things with you which you can try too:
- Awareness is key – when we have awareness we can identify things quicker and take action
- Perspective – noticing your perspective and being able to view things from an alternative perspective can help us to change our mindset quickly helping us to feel different
- Action – taking positive action each day no matter how small. Even if making the bed is an achievement today, or making a nutritious meal, equally it could be getting some of your to do list done, or reaching out for help and support when you need it, to a trusted friend, loved one or trained professional like myself. Taking positive action gives us the sense of achievement we often need to help kick start us into further action
- Self-care – looking after ourselves is so important, keeping our bodies fit and healthy really helps, I take a daily walk and aim to do Yoga/Pilates/Meditation each day, but you have to find what works for you, many of my clients love to cycle or run too. And sometimes I have whole days when I do nothing, watching TV, eating chocolate and drinking tea and that is ok too, sometimes that is just the recharge/reset we need.
- #LIFEworkbalance – finding balance is important in all areas of our lives and when we work to achieve this, things become much easier, allowing ourselves time out is just as important as getting our to do list done.
- Daily gratitude – I have been doing this for years, especially before I go to sleep at night, I find at least 5 things I am grateful for that day, even if it is as simple as a nice cup of tea, sometimes we need to search harder than others and other days we have many things to choose from.
When we take better care of ourselves, our mindset and our approach to the things we can control, we can be happier and as you know that is what I am all about, helping you to be happier! If you would like some help with that, do get in touch or book yourself an introduction session.
Until next time,
Emma
