Hello everyone! Welcome to our first ever blog!
I am a health care provider with over 40 years of experience, 20 of those within the wellbeing arena supporting individuals to thrive both in their home life and at work. I’d like to share some of the things I have learnt over the years from both my personal and professional experience. I wanted to create a space that felt easy to engage with, not one that felt overwhelming.
Read at your own pace, come back to it later, I don’t mind!
Today’s blog is a brief outline of wellbeing and self-care, in our future sessions I will take a closer look at different aspects of wellbeing strategies, both positive and negative.
My aim is to offer choices that are actually achievable. Yes, going to a spa weekend with friends and having treatments would be wonderful for many but how many of us could afford it, have time, or can justify the spend? Very few of us, I’m guessing. These blogs hope to help you support yourself, develop positive strategies, and improve your day with simple changes.
First of all, let's clarify, self-care should not be seen as selfish.
Everyone needs to address their own self-care needs to be able to thrive, especially in this fast-paced way of living. The demands of life from partners, family, friends, work, and social media influences can put huge pressure on all of us. Navigating this can, and does, take its toll. We may be conscious of the image we wish to portray, such as doing the ‘right’ activities, following the ‘right’ trends, buying the ‘right’ clothes. This takes money, energy, and time which we may not have. This can result in us being hard on ourselves as we see ourselves not achieving or even failing. The truth is, there is no ‘right’ other than that which we want for ourselves, not for any other reason. We need to be our own cheerleaders, nobody else's.
Positive wellbeing and self-care strategies take time to develop and should not be seen as an extra burden. We have all put off doing something only to eventually do it and wonder why we put it off for so long. The drive to the gym is always longer than the drive home! There is absolutely no point in doing something you feel forced into; it will not work.
Changes need to be organic, positive, and self-directed. If they are not working, stop and do something else, be your own driver.
If we look at health, it can be split into two parts, physical health and mental health. Both can and will affect each other. Physical health may be supported by eating well, exercising, and getting good sleep. We are generally conscious of addressing our physical health needs and will actively do activities to support this. However, do we consciously address our mental health needs? Do you ever make a decision to go for a walk, call a friend, or read a book to support your mental health? You know doing these activities will make you feel good but sometimes we avoid, put off or even simply forget about them and how good they make us feel. It is often easier to prioritise our physical health because we feel hunger, or thirst; we feel physical pain. These signs alert us to address our physical needs. With our mental health, it can be harder to identify the symptoms and the solutions. This is what mindfulness is for.
What is mindfulness? Well, it's being here, in the present, feeling our own thoughts and feelings as they are happening. Mindfulness is simple in its purest form and can be carried out by anyone.
There are many mindfulness techniques, some great ones are listed here on Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/drugs-and-treatments/mindfulness/mindfulness-exercises-and-tips/ for me, I find gratitude really helpful. Identifying what has been positive in my day which might have been a kind word, a light hearted conversation, a brief moment, but each moment counts.
The use of mindfulness journaling is a great technique to support positive mindfulness. Our team here have developed a mindful insert which includes a page each day (but do not feel pressure to compete this daily, this is your journey not anyone else’s)
On each page, there are sections for you to record different things. Some sections may be harder than others to complete. Some sections may be impossible for you to complete at first, and that’s okay. Seeing positivity in the world may seem very negative and feel too difficult but start simple. It could be that you got a great parking spot at work, or that you heard a funny joke, even that you got out of bed today. Any win is a win; anything positive is positive.
The first section in the journal asks how you’re feeling. This could be filled with one word, or many; it’s entirely up to you how much you can or want to share on that day.
Another section is a space for affirmations, affirmations are positive statements that can be used to say to yourself (or in this case, write!) to help promote a positive mindset.
An example of this is ‘I am kind’. The statements can be about anything, but sometimes it helps to take something negative you feel about yourself and write the opposite down. For example, if you constantly feel weak, and regularly beat yourself up for it, write ‘I am strong’. It can feel like a lie, but it's not. You are strong for trying to better yourself. You can choose different ones each day or continue with the same ones if you feel they help. The more you write them and say them, the more you’ll begin to feel them.
The gratitude list can be a difficult entry to write in, if you feel hopeless it can be hard to find value in things. Again, start small. You could be grateful for cups of tea, the sound of birds, or a pretty painting. Don’t feel guilty for not writing everything you’re grateful for (there isn’t that much room!), or for not writing anything in at all. It’s okay. It’s the thinking patterns that matter, and just reading the title and having a small wonder will have your subconscious working more positively.
Lastly, there is a section- ‘How full is your cup?’, this is a great tool to look back on and notice patterns, maybe you have less energy at certain parts of the month or on certain days. Being able to identify trends can inform you of areas you can improve or change to better your mental wellbeing. Pro tip- fill this in with different colours for added fun!
Of course, we love our mindful insert and our notebooks, but you can do this on a piece of paper, on your phone or laptop. You don’t need to purchase anything to begin your mindfulness journey.
You just need to begin, and if you have read this far, you already have.
Well done!
Until next time, take care of yourselves.
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