This pic is a couple of years old, but seemed appropriate...
I had one of those ah ha moments this morning. I woke up with a sore throat and a sore back. After going hell for leather for the last month, and letting stress creep upon me like a dark shadow, I'd gone too far. And to make it worse I have been winging about it. I used to pride myself on being the girl that just got on with it, even in the hard times.
'Getting s**t done!'
But this week I have been having a little pitty party about how hard and busy life was getting. When in reality, life is pretty damn amazing. I have so many fabulous friends, that my social calender is constantly booked solid, to the point where a Saturday night at home with my book seems like a luxury. I'm coming near to the end of my PhD, which will send me sailing off on all kinds of fabulous endeavours next year. I have a man in my life now who cares about me greatly and makes me feel special and unique every day. My family is happy and healthy...I have it made.
But this happens to us doesn't it. All too often, we get caught in the daily stresses life throws at us and we lose sight of the important things around us. We forget to live well and slow down and take care of ourselves, mentally and physically.
The biggest thing I have learnt in the last year, and I have learnt a lot, is that life is about choice. We choose to be happy, we choose to be grateful, we choose to make health an option. When really, it would be easier to just sit on our arse and check facebook all night while eating a 2-day-old slice of takeaway pizza. Guilty.
I went through a short stage after I got back from America, where I ate cleanly, exercised, took care of my mental health and put the time into the things and people that made me happy. Believe it or not, I felt amazing and my energy levels were through the roof.
After waking up today, feeling terrible and unable to climb out of bed. I have realised that somthing's gotta change, or I will burnout. Too many times in my life, I have looked back at gaps of time and cursed myself because I wasn't living well. I wasn't making the most of each fabulous day I have here.
So here I am on a mission. To find out what the keys to living well and content are, and share them with you. Exercise. sleep, eating, finances, home environment, creativity and art. I'm a researcher, this is what I do. But maybe all along, I should have been putting some of the time and effort I put into others' health, into my own.
Be the change we want to see in others, right?
Sometimes I worry about the world we live in today, it is just getting faster and smaller and now our work can follow us home, or anywhere. We are getting more and more efficient, but we aren't robots! We still have weaknesses and personal struggles and all manner of other things to deal with. Well hopefully! Because that is real life! Our generation lives in a different world to our parents, and some of the old beliefs aren't going to cut it anymore.
I'm going to be a little more proactive on my social media (just found a message someone sent me on twitter a year ago...oops). So feel free to follow along using one of the icons below.
For all my current readers, there will still be plenty of the creative stuff like writing and photos to keep you interested. As that stuff is part of living well for me.
Looking forward to the journey ahead. I'm going to kick off tomorrow with a healthy, delicious Italian recipe. And it literally only takes about 30 mins from start to finish. Ideal for us busy people.
Much love from a determined, star-jumping Sweet Apple XXX
