Do you truly care about others? Yes? I thought so. Can you say that you apply that same measure of care to yourself? Ah-huh, this is where it gets interesting! I’m a psychologist by trade, but also a mum, a wife, a business owner, a leader, a manager and an adventurer (according to me). I try to practice what I preach. The question I have for you is - do you?
I encourage people to ‘do something rather than nothing’ in tough times, and I’m a big believer in stretching yourself to develop perseverance and resilience, because this will be needed at multiple points throughout your life. I see people make the mistake of not incorporating resilience building exercises into their ordinary days. For example, running 5kms, doing an Ashtanga yoga session, taking the stairs instead of the lift, or learning a new language aren’t a walk in the park so to speak. For the first 5 minutes of my regular yoga session, I think “are we finished yet?!”, but I know that what I do in that 90 minutes prepares me for life. It teaches my brain that “I’ve got this”.
Often, we are our own worst enemies, and this prevents us from living our ideal lives. It’s not impossible, but it is difficult to perform at our best, and take good care of those around us if we’re not looking after ourselves – be that mentally, physically or emotionally. I challenge you to put some regular time in your calendar right now, to schedule activities that will help you be great, which will by default better those around you.
Remember there’s always a reason not to do something if you’re looking for it! It’s time to make a choice, one that will set you up for life.