It is that time again when I am thinking what shall I blog about. I really have not been out much later since the post festive season and a busy time generally. The weather has not been great too and therefore I am looking forward to Spring! The inspiration for this blog came from my journey on the train to work when I spotted an advert for HelloFresh for restore the balance. This resonated with me as I was preparing some work about burnout and finding a balance the weeks before. I think the whole world feels a bit too war torn and bruised and you really have to seek out humanity. There has been a lot more discussed on making choices that improve and maintain our wellbeing, as well as kindness at the core of what we do.
I will explore five tips to pledge to myself – I can’t promise I will stick to it but it is a note-to-self. Here goes…
- Wellbeing and Healthy Living – It will be five years since the pandemic and on a professional aside, there are still significant changes that have not made life easy or straightforward. I have learnt to look after myself and my wellbeing for over 18 years of constant change that may not have always made me feel settled. One of the positives of this is that I have gained resilience but I still have to remind myself to stop, take some hours for myself or do something that I enjoy. I would like to spend more time going to a spa or for a massage like some of my female friends, but again it is the time required to do this. I hope I can put this on my to-do list every day.
- Exercise – should be at the centre of all our lives and I admire people who set aside time to go for a run, get on their bike, hot the gym or any physical activity that would maintain and improve their quality of life. I stopped my gym membership over a decade ago but since then I have tried to keep busy by doing Pilates, walking, swimming and cycling. I can still all of these but I need to ensure that I add time in the week, and especially at the weekend to do this. I am looking forward to Spring when I know it will be easier for me to step out and trying some more physical activities. Hopefully I can fit some of this fresh air and exercise as soon as tomorrow with my first weekend with little planned.
- Good Nutrition – requires some proactivity and planning. I don’t eat junk food (perhaps only once a week I get a take away) but I have been eating things on the go in the office or getting home later to leftovers which may not be suitable for me to eat. I do like salads and fresher foods but being in the heart of winter, I gravitate to warm and comfort foods I am married to an Italian – so I have to keep my pasta intake in check as it could be 3-4 a week if we eat the same meals all week. I need to get back to preparing meals at night or as someone pointed out recently, I can get a salad at a discount rate in the staff canteen. At home, I need to ensure that I put my items on the shopping list so that I plan my meals ahead. Wish me luck!
- Socialising – and spending time with friends is definitely what I do when I have time. However, I had a busy autumn and cold winter so I have not socialised much lately. I am pleased to get texts from my friends in the last couple of days for us to meet up. I have also arrange a meet up with my close friend in the next couple of weeks. My school friends from the Caribbean are also visiting me in Spring and with a couple of trips planned. So I have no excuse but to organise some fun, entertaining and even sightseeing. Spending quality time with family and friends so boost our moods (I know not all the time). There is only limited time on this earth and I am counting my blessings all the time.
- Celebrate the small stuff – as I mentioned above, there is a whole lot of craziness going on in the world. I literally have to zone-out from terrible things that we see in the news and it has changed for the worst in recent years. It is not that I am a realist. Instead I am reminding myself of beauty, joy, kindness and love. I reminds me when there were other tube posters with ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ which I loved. I am not very so active in community events at present but the best part of kindness helps me think of the role models I have and the way they may have done something because it needed to be done, given or shared. Kindness is also natural and ingrained where you may not have even had time to think of a reaction. So it really to build in this inner compass to help you when times are tough. I am especially pleased to see that this is talked about a lot more in leadership styles and it is safe to show compassion, manners and good old fashion principles.
So these are notes to myself and they seem sensible and not too difficult to follow. Hopefully I am setting up myself to succeed and hopefully my life would be a little but richer because of this list. Wish me luck!
Connecting the Dots 