We are juggling a lot. Life can feel hard and overwhelming and sometimes the thought of adding an exercise session into the mix is just a step too far.
I get it. I’ve been there. So on days like this, take the pressure off.
We spend years juggling work, kids, relationships, ageing parents, life admin, trying to look after ourselves, trying to keep everyone else happy… and eventually the brain just says, “I can’t do all this anymore.”
Suddenly even small things feel hard.
The workout.
Cooking dinner.
Replying to messages.
Tidying the house.
Making decisions.
Thinking straight.
You know all the things you should probably be doing for your health, but instead you feel completely frozen and end up doing nothing at all.
Then comes the guilt.
You tell yourself you need to get organised. Get motivated. Pull yourself together.
But overwhelm usually isn’t laziness. It’s exhaustion. It’s being stretched too thin for too long.
And midlife doesn’t exactly help.
Poor sleep, hormones, stress, anxiety, mental load, looking after everybody else while trying to keep going yourself… it all builds up. Eventually your body starts waving a giant flag asking for help.
So when that happens, stop trying to fix your whole life overnight.
Just do one thing.
One small thing for your health right now.
Drink a glass of water.
Go outside for ten minutes.
Eat something nourishing.
Take a nap.
Stretch your body.
Go for a walk.
Sit quietly with a cup of tea.
What does your body actually need today? Right now?
Start there.
Just one small act of looking after yourself. The small things actually add up to the big things.
You’ll often find it has a snowball affect…having a nap might mean you feel like going out for a walk. Drinking a big glass of water might perk you up enough to have a nutritious snack.
Even if it doesn’t, you’ve still done your one thing. And that’s enough for today.