Finding some perspective and balance in 2022

Happy New Year!  I fully intend to grab life by the balls in 2022!  I am not quite sure how or what that will entail but I have had enough of misery and uncertainty!  Waking up today to the news that our Health Secretary agrees that we do need to learn to live with covid gives me optimism!   Let's all reclaim our lives!  We have a lot of healing to do first though.

Yesterday, I felt tired and depressed.  I'd had a bad sleep and was overthinking and overwhelmed.  I have too much on and one too many worries that are taking up a lot of emotional space for me right now.  But I went out for a walk in the woods, enjoyed the solitude, and allowed myself to think and plan.  The mental health fallout from the last two years really concerns me, so if you are suffering and don't know how to feel better, please seek help.  Talk to someone who loves and cares or if you really can't then my inbox is always open.

As I walked through the woods, I told myself it is time to find some perspective and a better balance.  So my word for 2022 will be PERSPECTIVE.  I arrived at a three way split on the path in front of me and it made me think, which path will I take in 2022?  Continue on with feeling depressed and overwhelmed, or embrace positivity and take action and be grateful for what I do have?

I believe it is time to take back control of our lives, to find the freedom to love, travel, be happy and focus on our mental wellbeing.  It is time to enjoy our later years and embrace all it has to offer.

We only have one life, it is short, live it, love it! 

The last year has felt very quiet and non-eventful  but it did have its highlights!  We had a week in Cornwall during the one heatwave that hit the UK in 2021!  I tried paddle-boarding and got to laze on the beach for a week!  My daughter started her third and final year at university and turned 21 and we still managed to go ahead with her party!  My sons career is thriving.  It was a year for simple pleasures, I felt like I muddled through it a bit but my achievements weren't too terrible, I survived!  I met some lovely people through my blog and had the opportunity to work with some fabulous small businesses and brands.  And I started on a little home upgrade project, new carpets get laid mid January and we have emptied my study to start decorating!

I am a serial over thinker, and I need to understand that as bad as life may feel some days I need 'to get it into perspective', I am actually really fortunate, I have family and friends who love and support me, I have a beautiful home, I am healthy and independent, I am financially secure.

To put something into perspective means - “To clarify, appraise, or assess the true value, importance, or significance of something.”

Some examples ...

If we are depressed we usually see things out of perspective. If you can change your thinking and put things into perspective you will see that things are not as bad as you really think they are.

Sometimes, we might say "I can't do this" but when you put things into perspective, and think about it again you realise you can actually do it!

We need to also learn to see things from someone else's perspective, to put ourselves in their shoes and use empathy to understand how they might be feeling.

And finally, to help put things into perspective, we need to stop overthinking and start doing, Practice taking action rather than just thinking about it!

Here are a few ways you an look after yourself and learn to see things from a different perspective ...

Get away ... alone if possible, slow down, reflect, and switch off.  
Self-care ... book a massage, have a facial, go for a walk in nature, meet a friend.
Look forward ... imagine your life in 2, 5 or even 10 years, how would you like to be living, how would you feel if nothing changed and you were still on the same path as today?
Be your own best friend ... and surround yourself with people you love and that make you smile, find who and what makes you happy and do more of it!
Do something fun ... and different, like ice skating or paddle-boarding, meet a friend for lunch, laugh!  Visit a museum or an exhibition or see a show!
Listen ... to your gut instinct, and trust what feels right, follow your heart.
Be healthy ... eat well, move a little more and seek help if you need it, being healthy isn't just about our physical health it is taking time to look after our mental health too.
Enjoy some solitude ... I love time alone, I love my escape days, make sure you prioritise time out for you!  We cannot support our loved ones or do our best for others if we are constantly feeling overwhelmed and have no space.

Get life into perspective and enjoy the little things - me and my sisters in the photo-booth for my daughter's 21st!

Thank you for the memories 2020 and 2021, but can we start again now please!? 

​I'm loving this book, it was a birthday gift from a friend, Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King.  Lots of good advice "In this book, Vex will show you that when you change the way you think, feel, speak and act, you begin to change the world." 

Happy New Year to all my readers, friends and family.  I sincerely wish you a happy, successful and better year ahead.

Love from
Michelle xx