I’m going to be really honest, as much as I blamed the full moon for my recent funk the truth is; I’d let my routine slip which had an impact on my actions, my decisions and my energy.
My mood was low, my ‘get up and go’ had ‘got up and gone’ and I was just going through the motions of life with no motivation, very little energy and feeling disconnected.
My sleep was disrupted, my food choices poor and my workout kit was getting dusty and yet I was encouraged the members in my wellbeing Members Club to do all the things I wasn’t. I was on autopilot and feeling fed up and exhausted.
When we get into this auto-pilot state it’s too easy to feel overwhelmed, we give our self even less space and attention, so we miss the signals our body is giving us, we ignore or brush off the symptoms and deprive our body of what it wants and needs, the things its asking for.
And when we continue to ignore or normalise the signals and symptoms we end up feeling totally exhausted, out of balance and detached and for me that means taking even less action and making even poorer food choices which results in my mood and energy dropping even lower and then I do even less and so the cycle continues.
But it’s not just productivity or physical decisions that are affected, there are internal reactions too, the biggest being a stress response which can interfere with hormones and cause inflammation in the body amongst other things, this leads to even more problematic symptoms and you get the picture I’m sure.
Like most people I know what to do but because of the full moon I wasn’t doing what I know and I was driving myself crazy by not, so because I love a checklist I created myself a challenge to get the basics firmly back in place.
I have called it Motivation Month and you can download your own copy below if you want to get your routine back on track, tweak the routine you already have or if you know you need to make changes but don’t know where to start.
And there is nothing on the list that will take up masses of time, for me it is vital to add actions that are simple yet effective and that can fit in to busy schedules easily.
When it comes to changing and improving your wellbeing I’m the biggest fan of adding in and crowding out, rather than dramatically overhauling.
So these are my add in actions to get back on track, to get into a routine or to create new valuable habits. I have explained why I have used these actions in the blog and actual download.
MORNING VISUALISATIONS / MEDITATION / BREATHWORK
Because the stress hormone (cortisol) is naturally elevated when we wake up, taking just 5 or 10 minutes first thing to complete a visualisation, mediation or to connect with your breath is a game changer. It allows the natural elevation to start to lower so restores balance internally and gives you time, which puts you in control of the day and not into autopilot.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT / POSITIVE INSPIRATION
Personal development can help you to live your happiest and healthiest life and not in a fluffy, ‘woo woo’ way – there is now so much scientific evidence to back up just how powerful our thoughts, intentions, feelings and beliefs are. We have the capacity to learn new things and make new brain cells. A 5 – 10 minute inspirational podcast, YouTube video or audiobook chapter can support a growth mindset. The things you hear go into your subconscious mind and feed your thoughts and inner voice – chose to listen to positive inspirational words.
FOCUS / PLAN / SCHEDULE
As with the visualisations / meditation / breathwork action, spending 5 – 10 minutes getting clear about your day ahead puts you in control. Write down the tasks you need to complete for the day (include the other actions on this checklist) prioritise the top tasks and batch the ones that are similar so you become productive rather than busy and are in control rather than overwhelm.
EXERCISE
All movement is wonderful and our body is designed to move every day. Exercise doesn’t need to be a high impact aerobics class, 60 minute gym session or 5k run. A daily 10 minute weights workout, yoga flow or walk around the block are often more effective. So many people unknowingly over exercise which can have a negative impact on inch loss goals, increase stress and disrupt hormones.
DAYLIGHT EXPOSURE
Daylight exposure is so important for regulating sleep patterns, lowering the stress hormone and for the production of vitamin D. Vitamin D is vital for so many functions from supporting strong and healthy bones and muscles to maintaining your immune system. Most of us should be able to get sufficient vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin when outdoors without risking sun damage.
QUIET TIME
Take 5 – 10 minutes of quiet time, ideally in between tasks when you can step away from the one completed and re-set your focus for the next one. Leave your device and just sit, stand or stretch, have a cup of tea or just breath deeply. As with the first action on this list this quiet time will restore balance and put you back in control if overwhelm had (unknowingly) crept in.
TIARA TIME
This is YOU time… Time for the activities and hobbies that feed your soul with joy, that gives your mind and body a break from the grind, being busy, looking after others, working, social media, learning. Again this only needs to be 10 minutes yet the difference it will have on you is immeasurable.
READ
Reading everday supports brain health. This is a much bigger conversation for another day but reading helps keep the brain maintained, preventing and slowing down cognitive decline.
DRINK WATER
To function properly, all the cells and organs in the body need water and yet so many of us don’t drink enough. We should all be aiming for 8 glasses (1.5 – 2 litres) of pure water each day, herbal teas can count towards that, caffeinated drinks do not.
EAT GREENS
Dark green leafy veg is so important for so many areas of our wellbing, including boosting our immune health, restoring balance in the gut, strengthening our bones, improving liver detoxification and supporting our hormones. An extra serving of greens a day has a powerful effect.
As I said you don’t need to spend hours at any of the actions listed, 10 minutes everyday will make a huge difference and so many of these actions can be combined:
Your walk around the block without a device ticks the Exercise, Daylight Exposure and Quiet Time boxes
Reading a chapter of your book in the garden ticks the Read and Daylight Exposure boxes and depending on the type of book may get the Personal Development or Tiara Time box ticked as well.
I hope you’ve found this useful and that by using the Motivation Month Checklist you can get your own routine back on track or just enrich the routine you already have.
We can all do this stuff, it is simple we just have to be disciplined, particularly in the early days, to create new and positive habits but it’s the simple changes applied consistently that have the most positive impact on your complete wellbeing.