Those of you who have met me know that I am an optimistic person. I always look at the bright side of things and pick myself up quickly when I experience setbacks or when things don't work out ideally.
Unfortunately, there are difficult times and situations in our lives when we lose our energy, our motivation, and our optimism no matter how resilient and positive we are. The last few months proved to me that just like anybody else, I am not immune to stress. I am no superwoman!
Having my son hospitalized in one of Europe's coronavirus hotspots and worrying about the health of my 89-year-old Dad and my sisters (who also belong to the high-risk seniors category) took a heavy toll on me. I became anxious, started to have serious sleep issues, felt constantly fatigued and had no driving "juice" in me. None! What made this situation even worse was that I did not admit to myself that something was wrong with me.
How could anything be wrong with me? I am a holistic nutritionist, who eats healthy 80% of the time, who lives a healthy lifestyle, who is always calm and handles stress very well... Of course there is nothing wrong with me! I'm just a bit more tired than usual.
It took me until a few weeks after my son recovered and the situation in Europe started to calm down a bit to be honest with myself and to admit that I was not feeling well. I felt burnt out, exhausted, had continuous cravings for carbs, started putting on weight and was not able to focus on work. I suffered from sleep disturbances and found it very hard to get out of bed every morning.
I desperately needed to slow down, to take some time off from work and to focus on self-healing. I had to take back control over my feelings, over my reactions and over my physical and mental well-being.
Lots of rest, vitamins and other supplements, mild physical activity, re-evaluating my priorities and changing my lifestyle helped me to start feeling better. In fact, six weeks later, I can proudly say that my energy is back, my mood stabilized, my weight is... well, I'm working on it, and I am making plans and setting goals for my business. The driving force is back!!!
These trying past few months made me realize how important self-care is and why it is absolutely critical to implement a few lifestyle habits that address our physical as well as our mental well-being. Self-care needs to be a part of our everyday lives!
Let me know in the comments if you have had a similar experience. Is there a self-care routine that is part of your lifestyle? Can you recommend simple practices that work for you?
I desperately needed to slow down, to take some time off from work and to focus on self-healing. I had to take back control over my feelings, over my reactions and over my physical and mental well-being.
Lots of rest, vitamins and other supplements, mild physical activity, re-evaluating my priorities and changing my lifestyle helped me to start feeling better. In fact, six weeks later, I can proudly say that my energy is back, my mood stabilized, my weight is... well, I'm working on it, and I am making plans and setting goals for my business. The driving force is back!!!
These trying past few months made me realize how important self-care is and why it is absolutely critical to implement a few lifestyle habits that address our physical as well as our mental well-being. Self-care needs to be a part of our everyday lives!
Let me know in the comments if you have had a similar experience. Is there a self-care routine that is part of your lifestyle? Can you recommend simple practices that work for you?
