Someone once told me 'There's no such thing as bead weather, just poor clothing choices.'
And for a time I took this to heart - whatever the weather just dress appropriately and you'll be fine. The problem was that even when I was in full wet weather gear the lashing of the storm still stung, my bones still ached with cold and the wind still whipped me hard.
It got me to thinking about our Emotional Weather systems. Our emotional and mental health fluctuate much like the weather, one day it can be bright sunshine and a soft breeze and another can be torrential rain and thunder. We can wake up feeling good and at some point in the day be feeling much worse. There are times we start the day feeling depressed or anxious with seemingly no trigger. On these days we reach into our tips, techniques and practices backpack to find what may work to lift us out of this negative state, I usually check I am well nourished, well hydrated, well moved and well rested and of course it can take a day to achieve all of those adequately. 9/10 times this works wonderfully and I move towards a more settled state and sometimes even a really happy one :) What though of the days where we try all the things and STILL we feel depleted, stressed, down and low?? Are we to believe that it is down to our poor choices? Well I am here to tell you the answer is NO!
There is such thing as bad weather (and I mean that both emotionally and meteorologically!!) If you are experiencing struggles with you mental and emotional wellbeing and you try as many things as you can to move things forward and you still feel awful - you have not failed. There are times when our body's and brains get stuck in a downward spiral and while that is not nice it your fault. So what do we do? Strange though it may sound we apply acceptance and compassion. We accept the situation and are kind to ourself while we recover from it in our own time. The good thing is that a little like the weather outside, our internal emotional weather will pass, the clouds will eventually leave and the way ahead will clear. I
If you find that things are not improving after several days/weeks it is advisable to see your GP as there may be a deeper rooted mental health condition that needs specialist care.
I'd love to share with you what I call my emotional bad weather gear options - So here's some of the things I have done on the more wet weather days for my emotional wellbeing:
Go for a short walk, dance to music in my kitchen, clean one room of the house. All of these involve small amounts of movement so as not to overwhelm you AND at the end you have accomplished something.
Nourish well - I keep things super simple on bad mental wellness days but simple doesn't have to mean bland. Make sure you have some protein (chicken, ham, cheese, beans, fish, tofu) plus some carbohydrates (pitta, rice, pasta, potato) and lots of veg, fruit or salad at each meal and eat three times a day. I also like to chuck in delicious easy snacks like apple slices dipped in peanut butter, yoghurt with banana etc.
Hydration is Queen and even a minor level of dehydration severely impacts our physical and cognitive function. I am pretty good at drinking tea but wasn't getting enough water as i found it a chore to drink - so i switched to sparkling water with squash to flavour it and I am now seeing better skin, increased energy and a more positive outlook as the result.
Rest - we live in a society that falsely convinces us that our worth is decided by our productivity. This is utter rubbish and I challenge you to use rest as an act of rebellion against this foolish Capitalist notion. Take a 10 minute lie on the sofa, sit in a quiet space and shut your eyes, read a magazine - so something for YOU several times a day.
Create - humans are hard wired for creativity, and that doesn't mean we are all artists! It is good for us to make something though - that could be anything from doodling or mindful colouring to making a meal, whatever makes you feel better. Make time in the day for a little creativity and your emotional wellbeing will thank you for it.
Connect - where you can try to see or speak to someone else in your day and do it intentionally. Saying his to people at work isn't really what we are going for here - but if you have a natter over lunch about something - that's intentional. In the evening ring a family member or friend, go for a coffee at weekends, buddy up on a walk with someone. Balance you need for alone time with your need for connection and you will soon reap the rewards.
These are your emotional weather gear options and I implore you to try whichever you feel moved to, the more the better. However if none of them work - accept the situation and simply be with yourself, without any negative self talk or judgement and afford yourself the same compassion you would a dear friend. Those clouds will soon pass and you will once again be singing in the sunshine - or even in the rain!
X Love and Empowerment Fliss X
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