WELLBEING TIP 1.
Imagine that the wheel below is, in fact, a life raft. The idea is to keep air in all six compartments because if any one were to get spiked and lose its air, the other five would keep you floating.
If, on the other hand, you had all the air in one compartment only – like ‘work’ – and that compartment got punctured, you and your life raft would rapidly deflate and sink.
A great way to check your ‘spread of air’ is to place this symbol of the life raft into your calendar dates for the next two weeks, with the aim each day of ticking the spokes where you did something deliberately to inflate the air.
This means that walking from the front stairs to the car does not count in the physical, but going for a walk at lunchtime does. Even having a lunch break away from your desk is an excellent way of putting air into your physical compartment. It is a physical ‘change of state’ and assists the chemicals of the brain to relax and make the necessary connections using the neo-cortex brain as an ideas incubator.
Some days one activity will cover off on a few areas all at once. At the end of two weeks have a look at the patterns. It there is one spoke that is not getting too many ticks it just means you need to make a conscious effort to get some air into this area.
WELL BEING TIP 2.
Here is your task before reading on. It will take four minutes and is a worthwhile exercise to do …
- A. Make a list of twenty things you like doing
- B. These can be anything at all. Give yourself a four minute time limit to list them
- C. If you get to twenty, that’s great, if not, no worries
This tip is directed at the Spiritual Spoke because that is the one where many people get blocked. Without getting into a discussion on Religion, Spirituality or Faith, can I suggest that in the last two hours your physical body has changed. You have breathed in atoms and breathed out atoms, new cells have been born and old cells have died and sloughed away. If we are just our physical selves, then who are we?? Yesterday’s version of ourselves, or last month’s version or next year’s …
We must have something more permanent about us than just our physical bodies, and if that is the case, then how do we look after that more permanent part of ourselves, which is often referred to as the ‘Spiritual’. Some people do so via church prayer and meditation depending on the various religious/spiritual modalities out there … and as well, those folk, like me, who do something along the lines of sailing. When I go sailing I know it is good for my inner-self. I come back renewed and energised to face the world. Some people do it through gardening, cooking, going to the movies, nature walking. In fact some people apparently even go running …
The twenty things you listed above are some of the ways you look after yourself spiritually. My question to you now is to go back over those twenty things and write down when you last did them. If it has been a while, yet you know you love it and it is good for you, make a decision to go back and do it in the next few weeks. And always be aware of that delicate balance of work versus play.
Care for yourself so you have the energy to care for others.
WELL BEING TIP 3.
Every night, before retiring, write down three things you were pleased with for that day. By the end of twelve months you can look back at 1095 positives for the year! Always look for the positives, don’t dwell on the negatives, as the energy you put out will be the energy you attract back – and Positive Energy equals a Happy You! Every time you have a positive/negative thought, you train your brain to do so again – which outlook you choose to foster as your default demeanour is up to you.
Key Points:
- All work and no play DOES make Jack a dull boy
- Give your brain a break and lower stress by enjoying activities that relax you and bring you inner peace and joy
- Tick one spoke of the Balance Wheel every day for your health – if it is lopsided, then you are out of kilter, time to tip the scales back in your favour
- Flex your Mental Muscle – learn one new thing every day
- Don’t neglect the most important things in your life – family & friends. No-one ever wants their future tombstone to read “I wish I’d spent more time at the office”
