When Things In Life Are Down

Last year, I was feeling pretty average. Let’s call it personal life issues, which I know is really annoying when people say that without giving details, but that’s truly what it was.

At the time, my standard was simply “I just need to make it through the day okay.” And I was aware of it.

This self awareness is KEY to life.

I didn’t try and overhaul my life.

I didn’t get up before it was dark.

I didn’t implement any biohacking or any particular way of eating outside of “eating well”. This requires deeply ingrained habits, particularly in times of stress, which are much easier said than done (I’m currently working on a guide for this so stay tuned).

What To Commit To

I reduced my needs to the bare minimum, and was realistic about what I had the mental energy to achieve.

What did it look like

• Eating well
• No mindless eating
• Moving my body in some way daily – anything from a 10 minute walk to a 30 minute pilates session at home using Alomoves (set the bar low).
• Maintaining my strict screen/ scrolling time limits

That was it. Nothing more nothing less. For an entire year.

I had no mental energy to push myself, but I was happy and content in that place. I was confident that I was doing the right thing for myself at that moment.

What Goes Down Must Come Up 😉

This year, I have a completely different energy. I feel stronger, more supported, and mentally energised to experiment with my lifestyle, try new things (which surprisingly takes a lot of effort), and fully commit to them.

I’m getting up at 5:30am to fit in a morning walk before my bonus kids wake up and I help get them ready for school, lunches packed, uniforms on and out the door (a daily marathon in itself).

Additionally, I have been feeling drawn to different foods lately and have been putting more effort into nourishing myself. Instead of just nibbling on whatever is leftover and easy after cooking for my partner and bonus kids, which is a trait I picked up from watching my own mum do the same thing, I now have the mental energy to ensure I have a nourishing meal too. And so on… (let me know, by replying to this email, if you’d like a more detailed personal update on my current health routines).

How To Stay Healthy When Things Are Down

So what can we learn?

• It is completely normal and should be expected that your life goes through seasons, and sometimes, your mental energy and capacity are running low. This is okay! Wellness ebbs and flows, and there is no one place to get to; instead, it’s a journey of imperfection.
• Don’t stress if you just don’t have the ability or motivation at the moment. This doesn’t mean you’ll never be able to regain that state.
• Sit where you are at the moment, accept the present, and find peace. Trust that you are doing the right thing.
• Find your bare minimum and commit to it. Once you have decided on a list of 2-3 things, take even more out. Truly, do less. When you look at this list, you should think “I know I can do that,” not “let me try to stretch and push myself” – this is not the time for that.
• Stay in your own lane and focus on what you need in the moment. Don’t be swayed by someone else’s social media content and think that you should be doing more. They may not be in the same season as you, and their journey will have ups and downs, just like yours. If needed, delete social media all together.
• It is a natural human tendency to overextend and make promises to ourselves, which sets us up for failure and only makes things worse. Don’t fall into this trap.

What Will This Do? 

We are all too familiar with the common experience of everything else crashing and burning when things go wrong in life, including your health.

By approaching these times consciously, as I’ve guided you here, you can avoid having to start from scratch when you begin to elevate out of this place. You should avoid the yo-yo effect by maintaining a bare minimum to support you during tough times.