Episode 71: How to Make Space for Wellness, Even When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed and Exhausted
““Space is an important aspect of nature and creativity. If you’re always pushing to be productive, you’re not living in a sustainable way.””
Did you listen to last week’s episode introducing the Intuitive Way to Wellness?
I’ve posted the link in the notes if you didn’t get to listen to it yet- it’s the first of 3 episodes so it would make sense to go back and listen to that one first and then come back to this one.
And just to remind you, on 15th November, I’m starting a 7 day free mini-course of the Intuitive Way to Wellness, inviting you to listen to the wisdom of your body so that you can prioritise what you need to take care of your health right now. All of the tools I suggest are simple, enjoyable and easy to do. So it’s a great thing to join even if you’re feeling exhausted or stressed right now. I’ve shared the link to join in the notes that go with this episode.
In so many aspects of life, we can feel overwhelmed, overloaded and too busy. Even if we know something needs to shift, it can feel too much to even see a possible way to be able to create a change.
That’s why it’s important to make space.
Space is an important aspect of nature and creativity. If you’re always pushing to be productive, you’re not living in a sustainable way.
Just like the way that trees shed their leaves in the autumn, it’s important to lighten and let go of whatever we don’t need. We need the slowness and space in order to create again.
Are you someone that stuffs your bags, shelves and cupboards so that they’re overflowing? Is your diary jam-packed with obligation after obligation?
How often is your attention diverted in too many places at once, maybe in front of a screen whilst trying to eat lunch and chat at the same time?
Do you often find yourself holding your breath or clenching your jaw or buttocks?
If you got into the Marie Kondo phase, you’ll know how much calmer you can feel when you get rid of whatever you don’t need. That can include muscle tension, thoughts, social media scrolling and clutter.
By removing what we don’t need, we become intentional about what’s important.
You don’t have to make radical changes to have benefits to your health and wellbeing. Small, incremental changes can be just as impactful as they accumulate over time.
Let’s talk about making space for your self-care.
Life can feel packed full to the brim. We will always fit in the things that matter to us most- whether that's our friends or Fantasy Football or catching up on the latest Netflix show. And when we all have mindless behaviours that we’ll show when we are tired or numb such as incessant scrolling or snacking.
If we’re faced with an emergency situation, we have no choice but to deal with what’s most urgent and pressing.
Unless wellness is something we value, it won't show up in our daily priorities. That's why it's important to make space. It's essential to free up space before trying to add more to an already busy to-do list.
We can't add more hours to the day, but we can expand the time we have available. And we can free ourselves of the things that get in our way
I’m reminded of the quote by Coco Chanel. "before leaving the house, a lady should look in the mirror and remove one accessory."
We can make space in our head, body and living environment
There are minutes in each day that are taken up by the same tasks. Make these moments count.
In this episode, we talked about:
Are there things that you do that take up extra space? eg scrolling on Instagram or faffing around in the evening and staying up later than you need to?
Make sure you have some space to potter each day. This is a time where you are neither fully packed and attentive nor completely resting. It's a form of active relaxation and it allows more space in the head. If you think of a car operating from 1st gear to 5th gear, pottering is in 2nd gear.
What time do you wake up? I'm an early-bird and more than a little biased that it's the ideal daily pattern. However, I've seen even the most committed late-nighters find that waking earlier allows them to have the best start for themselves. Good habits chain together so starting the day well sets you in the right direction.
To be able to wake early, you need to get to bed early to ensure you're getting a good night's sleep. If you currently get to bed at any time after 10 pm, try to get to bed 30 minutes earlier each week.
If you’d like to make space for a particular goal such as exercise or batch cooking, try to prepare in advance. The future you will thank you if you’ve already laid out your exercise clothes or pre-chopped a load of veg.
Spend a few moments emptying your mind. You can meditate, belly breathe, have a meal where you just focus on your senses (instead of multi-tasking) or do some mindful movement. Doing less in the moment helps to feel more expansive.
Your diary can be a great gauge for seeing whether life is too full or if there's enough space. Look for spaces in your day, week and month. Even better, plan the spaces so you give yourself a regular buffer. If I’m teaching a workshop or lecture, it’s second nature for me to plan in space afterwards so that I can rest.
I’m a fan of keeping space on a weekend so you can get into flow mode. This could be a whole weekend, or a day, or just a few hours. Use whatever is available to you. You can always practice giving yourself space and try to increase the time if that’s what you find your body is calling for.
Get clear on what your main priorities are right now. This will make it easier to have a strong 'no' to anything else that feels too much. I struggle with the lack of light at this time of year, so I prioritise daily exercise and mediation and reading as they all help me to feel better.
Your physical space affects your mental clarity. It's a good time to clear any clutter around you and get into the habit of having order so that energy can flow more easily. This episode is recorded as we’re about to go into the 2nd lockdown in the UK - I know that many people are having to wing it with working from home and physical space might not be ideal but do what you can. A quick daily clear up and a longer weekly one can help to prevent too much chaos building up. Or you might want to use a few simple objects that are lovely to look at such as house plants or glassware.
Daily tasks such as showering, brushing your teeth, making a cuppa can all become rituals for self-care. We will talk about rituals in the mini-course if you’re joining, but for now, look at your daily habits and think about how you can get creative so that they are less perfunctory and more nurturing. Just paying attention to the task in hand can instantly help to make it an act of self-care.
The ethos of The Intuitive Way to Wellness is to make things easy and elegant. Pick a couple of the things I’ve suggested and free up some space for your wellness.
Next week I’ll be sharing thoughts on rest and I’d love you to join me from the 15th of November for 7 days of ‘The Intuitive Way to Wellness’.
Resources:
Link to sign up to the Intuitive Way to Wellness mini-course starting on 15th November:
Last week’s episode where I introduced the Intuitive Way to Wellness
Keep in Touch with Avni:
Sign up for my free course ‘5 Days to Wellness with Ease’