Firstly, I wanted to step back into the blogosphere with the topic of wellness and normalising the importance of putting on your own oxygen mask before helping others. Part of wellness is recognising one's boundaries, limitations, and capacity. Over the summer I took time away from the "extras" of being a counsellor because the capacity wasn't there for blogging, website upkeep and general maintenance. Sometimes life throws curveballs and when it does, it's ok to step back and go back to the basics. Society puts a huge amount of pressure on being strong, powering through and ignoring the signals to slow down and listen to that internal voice that tells you exactly what you need. Sometimes the biggest rebellion is in slowing down, de-prioritising productivity and re-introducing the activities that bring joy.
With everything going on it's important to reflect on personal wellness and what it means to you. Wellness is a broad topic that spans personal environment, finances, emotional health, psychological health, physical health, spirituality, relational/social health, and occupational health. Each person has differing values and perspectives on these dimensions and will as a result fill their cup from varying percentages under each topic. It's worth pausing and sitting with what comes to mind when thinking about the 8 topics, is it specific activities? Do you remember times in which you were more rested or happier? Think back to the last time you were genuinely happy, rested, and relaxed. What did life look like? Are there ways to bring elements of that back into your life now?
Remember your worth is not wrapped up in how productive you are, or what you can do for others. Your worth is in your ability to honour yourself, your boundaries and listen to your needs. Try starting your day with "what do I need today to feel complete and content?"
