Getting your oomph back week 5

Hello and I hope these wee reflections are helpful. While there still may be snow and frost around, it is getting lighter in the mornings and that in itself can give us a boost of energy and renewed sense of wellbeing as we come out of winter and see the first snowdrops appear.

We have used the analogy of cars, passengers and drivers and how we can be drivers/navigators or passengers in the car of our life. If we continue this analogy and think about being the driver. Being the driver does mean you have a little more responsibility i.e. filling the car with fuel/making sure it’s charged, putting air in your tyres, choosing a route for the journey, keeping the windscreen clear and also learning to be flexible. What started out as a great idea may turn out to be a bad (or at least more challenging) one. There may be major roadworks you didn’t know about, or long detours that were not announced or a destination that ends up being very disappointing because it is not at all what you expected/wanted.

This reflects the journey of life. Ultimately, you have a say in whether to be the driver, navigator, or passenger. Maybe because of health challenges, or, for other reasons beyond your control, you may need to give up driving solo and have to seek assistance (temporary or long-term) in getting where you want to go. Adjusting to a new reality can be hard. But needing help sometimes doesn’t mean you are no longer you. It just means you must make some adjustments in your thinking about planning some actions.

These tips are aimed at people who can, and want to be, either drivers or navigators. These ideas offered are around supporting you to make some changes, a process you need to feel ready to engage in and please remember, this is not a replacement for professional advice.

If we think of our bodies, are our cars; that is, they are how we move through the physical world. Both cars and bodies must have good and regular maintenance to keep going and perform well. And, of course, our minds and our emotions are as much a part of ourselves as our limbs and organs. Maintenance is usually achieved by what we do ourselves and what others do to aid us. Even professional racers depend upon mechanics and a team of helpers!

If keeping your body and your mind well maintained seems too hard right now, then please seek the support available to you right now. These ideas might be much more useful once you are ‘back on the road – and that is fine. It will still be here whenever you’re ready. If you are keen to be the best driver or navigator you can be right now, then these tips may help. I share these weekly but go through them at a pace that works for you and if you feel doing this offers meaning to you.

If you are looking after yourself well then good for you! You are ready to go on any journey you choose. If you are not looking after yourself that well, these ideas may be worth thinking about. There are 8 points that are worth considering for helping look after ourselves. Think about the car analogy again, a car needs regular care and servicing for it to run well, so do we. However, we aren’t just a physical being; we are also emotional and psychological. The following tips, if practiced on a regular basis, can help us be more balanced on all levels. This balance will help us manage change. Think of it like suspension, sometimes the road is rocky but, in a car, with good suspension the bumps don’t feel so bad.

  1. Stay hydrated
  2. Eat a balanced diet
  3. Keep stimulants to a minimum
  4. Make time to relax
  5. Build regular movements into your day, walking, housework, gardening, find something that helps you stay active on a regular basis
  6. If someone is bothering you, do something about it, asking for help if you need it.
  7. Have fun on a regular basis, do something which makes you smile
  8. Become aware of your stress triggers and learn to manage them, getting help if needs be, or learning more about what causes you stress and techniques which can help you.

Points for reflection

Thinking about the above 8 points how often do you do these currently and are there areas where you need to be curious about doing more. It may be you are already doing many of these things e.g. staying hydrated, making time to relax, these prompts also are a reminder of the work we are already doing to look after ourselves, to help us consider where else we may need to invest some effort, or increase time on areas we know work for us. These prompts may be helpful for reflection, as say, it may be many do not apply to you, but if you have lost your Oomph/zest for life, this may be helpful to see some changes which may help.

  • How will I reduce the amount of stimulating drinks I have such as tea, coffee, cola? Should I also think about reducing the amount of alcohol I drink?
  • How will I increase the amount of water-based drinks I have?
  • How will I ensure a healthy balanced diet?
  • Am I using unhelpful coping strategies, like gambling, self-medicating with alcohol etc? Is this having a negative impact on me and/or my family and what am I going to do about it and who can I speak to if I need help?
  • What will I do to relax?
  • What will I do to be more active on a regular basis?
  • What will I do that will bring joy and fun?
  • Who will I talk to if I have something on my mind?
  • What’s the stress/worry/anger triggers I have? What will I do to calm them down or better deal with them?

I attach a link to the selfcare score card which is a helpful reminder of the selfcare actions we take on a daily basis https://www.copescotland.com/resources/self-care-scorecard

Sleep is also really important to get back your ‘’oomph’ so until next week, here are some other simple ideas to bring selfcare into your day https://www.copescotland.com/resources/volunteers-selfcare-workshop. Remember, you do matter

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