24/11/2022
Traveling to Nelson to celebrate Mum's 90th birthday. Aging has not been easy for her with multiple conditions that keep her in a great deal of pain. I can't stress how important the 5 pillars of wellbeing are as we mature into our twilight years. Diet, Exercise, Lifestyle, Stress and Sleep and how you deal with them are so important and can make a huge difference to our wellbeing as we age. If you could do just one thing to assist this process, what would it be? The 5 pillars are so interrelated and intertwined it's really difficult to choose where to start and that makes it all confusing and, in the end, just too hard! Lol, it's a bit like eating the elephant.
The answer is of course, take one bite at a time or as Dr Jordan Peterson puts it, simplify the task and it will become much less overwhelming and achievable. If you can't decide where to start, write each word out on a separate bit of paper, pop it in a bowl and draw one out. For Diet, you could include full fat products, if you do dairy. Low fat options are not better for you as the fat taken out is replaced by sugar! For Exercise, get a yoga app on your device, there are free ones available, and do 5 or 10 minutes stretching every morning or just go for a walk (start small and build up as you get more used to it). Lifestyle is one of the easiest or the hardest depending on how you look at it. We are happiest when we are being of service or making connections - for those of you who can, start having a family meal where you can talk to each other. If you can, leave your device away from the table. Constantly checking your phone or texting someone who's not there shows those who are that they aren't deserving of your attention. Pretty much the opposite of connecting really! Stress, people think they can't do anything about this but we have a choice how we react to situations. If there are things going on in your life that cause or create stressful situations, try and remember this. A good tool is to imagine you are at the foot of a ladder. The ladder leads to a room above a creek, or a flow of water. Visualise the flow of water as the stressor and all you have to do is climb that ladder and sit in the safe space at the top. This gives you the ability to raise yourself out of the situation and see your problem from a different perspective. Lastly we have sleep. Much as we have a routine for getting up and getting ourselves or the kids ready to go, so we should have one for going to bed however one of the most important things to ensure we get a good night's sleep is to make sure your room is just for sleeping (oh and maybe that other thing). You can do this by not watching TV or using your devices in that room, make sure the room is dark and the temperature not to hot or cold (optimal is around 18 degrees Celcius). If you don't have double glazing and get a lot if noise in the house, earplugs are also recommended.
Little things can make a huge difference so hopefully as you make a decision to improve your wellbeing, these things will help.
Wellbeing is our way back to happiness.
Ciao and Happy Birthday Mum. 🎂
Delanie
