There are many things out there to help you live the life you want and to look after your own wellbeing. Over the next year or two, once a month, I’ll go through the A-Z of wellbeing. Today we’ll begin with A, depending on the letter will depend on how much we can cover in a post. There will be many, many more words that I could cover, however, maybe create your own list covering what helps you to stay mentally fit. This could be your own toolkit for the days you need help and inspiration to get up and get on with your day.
A
Ask – you could be asking for help or asking a question. Reach out to your nearest and dearest for help or ask an expert if you need to clarify something you are unsure of. When you can’t do something on your own, ask. We all need to ask for something now and then. Don’t let your pride get in the way. Asking for help can be tough, perhaps we don’t know how, or what words to use. In these cases, just say ‘please help me’ to get the conversation started. There is no such thing as a stupid question and I believe it. We should never be afraid to ask and the chances are if you are in a group, other people are really wanting to ask the question too.
Achievement – be proud of all your achievements. Sometimes we spend a long time training, learning or doing something. We are happy to have finished but forget to recognise the journey we have been on and to feel great about it. Whatever it is you have attained whether something small like changing a light bulb to a massive feat like climbing Mount Everest. Only you know the journey you have been on to get there making them equally important in their own right. So feel good about them.
Action – Taking action feels good. It’s great you have all these dreams and plans of a future you, but until you start to take action, your vision will stay firmly in your head. Start small and do something today to move forward to where you want to be. If you do, you won’t regret it. So take action now. Write that first chapter, plan your exit strategy at work, speak to your manager about promotion, ask the bank for a loan for a new car. Go on, taking action will move things along to the life you want.
Adventure – We all need a little adventure now and then. What is it you enjoy doing? Do you like to jump in your car on a friday night and drive to a random place, find a room in a hotel and then explore the area the next day? Or just trying something new in a local restaurant. Adventures don’t have to be huge and/or expensive, anything can be a journey of discovery. Carve our sometime in your week to have an adventure, or plan for a big one, why not get your friends and family involved. We find it very easy to get comfortable and stay in our safe zone. But there are so many things out there to be discovered and enjoyed. Who knows where it might lead you! Remember a change is as good as a rest.
Alone – feeling alone, or being alone is tough. This last year has shown us how much we need our family and friends. Being apart was difficult, but how thankful are we that technology could bring us back together. Many of us like to have people around us all the time and aren’t comfortable being on our own. But spending time with ourselves and discovering what makes us tick. What is it we love to do. If you had a whole day to be on your own what would you do? If your life evolves around taking care of many people, you will likely not get many opportunities to be on your own and the thought of it can be daunting. Have a think in advance of what you could do on your own, or what do you want to try? Then if you find yourself with no-one to look after and a day for you, then you already have some ideas on how to spend it. But maybe you just don’t like being alone, so you want to surround yourself with others and have a great time planning your next day out.
Appreciate – we took so much for granted pre-covid and now we have learnt to appreciate so many things in our lives. Such as spending time with our loved ones, going to the shops, out to restaurants. I think we have all enjoyed having a bit more freedom with restrictions being lifted so take a moment to give your friends or family an extra hug and tell them how much you appreciate them.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this first post in the A-Z of Wellbeing series. There are many things in our everyday life which help us through our day to day. We often forget about the simple things and think we should be doing something massive to help with our self care. There are many things you can do to look after you, spend a little time with yourself and discover what you like and what makes you feel good.
Have a great week.
Love Emma xx
Wellbeing with Relaxing Lavender 