Self improvement | Lifestyle

The first thing you should know about me is that I love my career and the industry I have chosen, it has taken me all over the world, I have spoken on a panel at an event, I have lived in another country, I love it! Recently work changed  and I wrote a post highlighting that I was looking for something new because things got pretty bad. The thing is I didn't quite realise just what sort of impact this was having mentally and I realised things really needed to change, I needed to switch my brain back on again! I met up with a friend who I used to work with and she made me think about my own wellbeing and that I should start thinking of self improvement and invest more in myself, this was a little eye opening I must admit.

The hardest part for me was deciding where to start, there were so many areas of myself I was utterly miserable with so which one should I begin with? After a while I thought the thing that made most sense was starting my blog back up, I mean I pretty much had a year out and no wonder I felt like my brain was decaying, it was because I lost my hobby/interest! Instead of thinking about something new to write, I just locked it away and just said "I'm uninspired, I can't write" which is true but the only way to get inspired is to bloody do something, to write words down, to go out on a walk to do small little things and just get the brain working again! I think I didn't really like my blog for a while but now I feel like I am at a bit of a turning point and I hope to keep this blog as more of a personal space to write my thoughts down and not just a review site (nothing wrong with a review blog though).

Another thing I started doing is any form of exercise whether it's going for a walk or a 10 minute workout videos on days where I was feeling very sloth like I found doing something made me feel a lot better. I didn't really wanna join a gym because I worried about how to fit it into my life. I get up early enough as it is and get home pretty late, did I really want to limit my time even more with Chris and the pooch during the week? Definitely not! I started to change my thought process and understand that I can and should be doing some form of activity (before anyone starts, I'm speaking from an "abled" perspective, I understand that not everyone can be active for 10 minutes and that "active" is different for different people) I know for a fact I could easily fit 10 minutes in my day to start with. I'm also fortunate because we have a dog and he will always be up for going on a walk even if it's just around the streets! 

You may have seen my post about Short Stories and it's really changed my reading habits, I find myself picking my kindle up far more these days, than what I did before so much so I have actually stopped listening to music on my commute. I have no problem with people walking around in headphones but the issue is some become so isolated that they completely forget what's going on around them, in fact I could write a whole other post on that so let's stop there! I find if I am reading on my commute it makes me feel more relaxed and just a little more focused in general because the genre I choose to read always leaves me guessing which I think is a good think to keep the brain ticking over.

I think quality time with myself is another thing I have completely given up, it's a easy as having a bath with a bit of music and a glass of wine, it's having a train journey to somewhere else, I actually really like spending time on my own and it's something that I should do more often! Even if it's just grabbing a coffee after I get my nails done instead of rushing straight back home, just a bit of time to faff! 

One really small but actually quite important thing I have recently started to do is take a damn vitamin! I know for a fact that I do not eat enough veggies, I eat more now since going meat free but I know it's not quite enough so to try and change that a little I have started to have a Berocca in the morning or if I miss that I will have a vitamin b complex tablet to just try and keep my energy levels up!

These are the absolute basics but the problem was I wasn't even doing the basic things so it comes as no surprise that I was feeling so crap! I know it sounds so simple but in all honesty it is very small changes that make a difference or could lead onto bigger changes. The thing I have to remind myself of is that self improvement is a constant thing, it's something that needs to evolve with me as I grow and change.