The A-Z of Wellbeing – G

Hello, how are you all doing? Welcome to the February edition of the A-Z of Wellbeing. Today we are looking at the letter G. There are quite a number of things I can choose so as I normally say, this list is by no means complete. Enjoy.

Giving – It may be you give your time to an elderly neighbour or relative, or perhaps you are generous and give money to a charity that means a lot to you. Maybe you give support to others, listening and giving them the space they need to open up or help them with their day to day life. Giving gifts to people and watching their joy as they open them makes us feel good. We love to see people enjoying what we bought them. Giving is great for our health as it helps to decrease blood pressure and makes us feel happy. Why not do a random act of kindness one day and buy a coffee for the person behind you in the queue.

Gut instinct – Follow your gut. That is great advice. Your gut can talk to you and warn you when you are in danger, or jump for joy when it knows you are on the right path doing something you love. When you have a decision to make what does your gut tell you. It rarely lies. When you go against it you may find that you are not happy, or feel like it is an uphill battle. So listen carefully.

Good – Ok, I know. What has that got to do with anything I hear you say! Well we spend so long striving for perfection when good would do. Often we think if we tweak this or move that or just spend another 10 minutes on it, it will be perfect. But good, is often enough. Think of yoga, the aim isn’t to be perfect, but to practice and get yourself to a place which matches your abilities. It’s a lifelong practice, so perfection doesn’t really exist. You can spend your life not achieving perfection but being quite capable of getting to good. Do good today and let go of unrealistic expectations. You will thank yourself for it.

Goals – Whether you set them at the start of the year or throughout, goals help you to achieve what you want in your life. They take you on a journey, whether you are looking to improve your health, learn a language or even become a vet. Always make sure you make your goals achievable and realistic. Follow the SMART rules (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely). There is no point striving towards something that you know you will never reach. This just leads to disappointment. If your ultimate goal is out of reach for the time being then break it down so you can aim towards something smaller, this will help with your motivation levels too. For example if you are looking to lose 10kg, don’t start with that, break it into 2kg increments and you will find it much easier to focus on. If you find yourself in a bit of a rut, and are not sure where to go next, think about what you enjoy doing and set a goal along these lines. Remember to celebrate your successes no matter how small, throughout your journey.

Gratitude – As you go about your day, how many things do you do or come across that you are truly grateful for. Is it your friends and family, your job, the forest or river close to your house, your health, where you live, the stars, the sun, the planets. The list is endless. But how often do you say thank you for all these things, not to anyone in particular, but just putting it out in the universe and saying a silent thank you or maybe you are comfortable and want to greet that tree out loud and say thanks to it for its beauty and for being part of your life.

There are many words I could have chosen but these are ones that resonate with me. Hopefully they have been helpful for you. Think about it as the week goes by, what elements can you put into your day to day life, for example, what goals do you have in both your personal life and work? What are you working on that you keep extending? Perhaps you have already achieved good and your work is complete, you just need to put it out there.

Have a great week, don’t work too hard, take care and look after you.

Love Emma xx