Well-being is a journey

By Debbie Wyer on 28 July 2021

For everyone, well-being is a journey. The secret is committing to that journey and taking those first steps with hope and belief in yourself – Deepak Chopra

I realised some time ago that I can be my worst enemy - especially when it comes to my own well-being. If we can’t look after ourselves, how can we look after everyone around us.

I think it has a lot to do with thinking we need to be super women all of the time. We want to be better, do more, tick things off an ever-growing list. It’s no longer good enough to be OK at things. We compare ourselves to other people.

I’m a prime example (although I’m working on it)

I’m a business owner, I run Pilates classes, I have Personal Training & Biomechanics clients, I’m always launching new bits of my business…. and let’s not forget I’m also a Mum, wife, daughter, and friend.

I do put a lot of pressure on myself. Some of which is good - after all, a bit of pressure helps us grow. But the trouble starts when we start telling ourselves “I should do….” or “I’m not doing enough of….”

As I continue to grow my business, I often feel I’m not spending enough time with my family. Or if I do take time off to be totally with my family, a part of my brain is thinking about my business.

We end up feeling like there isn’t enough time to do it all, and as much as we tackle the to-do list, there are still big things to achieve.

Aaaand breathe ;)

Here’s what helped me get out of this cycle of self-criticism, feel better about what I was achieving, and actually (ironically) get MORE done - whilst worrying about it less ;)

#1 Flip your thinking
Before you change anything you have to view it differently. I simply decided to be gentler on myself, and you can too. Not berate myself if I don’t manage to do it all. To ditch the perfectionism, and be more realistic.

#2 To Do Lists
I’ve always loved a list, but these days my to-do lists are shorter and simper. I aim to do 3 main tasks a day. No more, no less. Give it a try yourself.

#3 Time Management
It’s so easy to procrastinate, get distracted with scrolling Facebook, watching Netflix, and then feel flustered trying to catch up. I now block out my time clearly with admin, class planning, me time, family time. And I don’t let myself get dragged down the rabbit hole of social media, well most of the time anyway.

#4 Say no more often
Learning to say ‘no’ more often is a real challenge to me, and to a lot of women! But I know that if I really want to be useful and valuable to my clients, classes, and family, I need to be healthy! And this means getting enough rest and recovery time. I can’t spread myself thin and expect to function 100%

#5 Block out me time
Recently I’ve blocked out more time just for me. Tuesday, Friday and Sunday now include a workout. Thursday’s evenings are now reserved for catching up with friends or relaxing with my family.

Does any of this help you? It took me a long time to get to this stage and I would love to help you get there faster.