Be kind to yourself

5th February 2021

The weeks continue to pass. Each day, of each week, seems to fly by, yet this third lockdown period seems to be going on forever. It’s that strange disconnect between time, reality and perceptions.

Some weeks ago, I wrote about new year’s resolutions. Many of us will have now completed our resolution period – I’m thinking of dry January, Veganuary and the like.

I know we collectively will have set ourselves resolutions which will have had a fitness slant. In that period post the Christmas break, some of us feel the need to insert a significant degree of discipline into our daily routines – I’m certainly wired up in that way. For many of us that might mean doing more exercise. We might be signing up for virtual events to shape our training. There are so many virtual marathons, half marathons, cycle races, for us to get involved in. All that is good. But we also need to be realistic. Many of you will have so many balls to juggle and adding further to those pressures may not be wise. In addition to your daily work you may well be managing children with home learning, caring for family members, trying to stay connected with friends and family, the list goes on.

There is a balance to be had. I’m not going to be one who suggests that you give up on those resolutions; especially if there was a resolution to staying healthy and active. However, I do think it’s reasonable for us all to consider whether we need to punish ourselves over this third lockdown period. Many of us will have launched into exercise regimes back in the first lockdown. Spring time was upon us, the nights were reasonably light and the weather was pretty good. It’s a whole different ‘ball game’ when we are faced with dark evenings, wet days and, as is in the forecast, the potential for great dumps of snow.

In this lockdown we can afford to think differently. The first lockdown, for a lot of people, gave them a bit of time to think and do things differently, and that element was quite energising. Now we are all a little more worldly worn and the prospect of sticking to a tough physical regime or a ‘hard core’ resolution will be much more difficult to maintain.

Be realistic. Everyone’s journey is, has been and will continue to be, different. Do what’s right for you and do what feels right for you. You’re pretty amazing as you are. Doing what you do and doing it day in and day out takes a whole lot more commitment and resilience than you might think. Balance work, domestic duties and sticking to those resolutions. If the crown slips, so be it. You’ve earned it!

‘Positivity, confidence, and persistence are key in life, so never give up on yourself.’ Khalid
And some Milton Jones to cheer you on your way…

‘When the boys at school found out I had a potentially fatal peanut allergy, they used to hold me up against a wall and play Russian Roulette with a bag of Revels!’

‘Recently I’ve been attending meetings of Eavesdroppers Anonymous – not that they know!’

‘You know the animal that kills the most people in the world? The Hepatitis Bee.’

‘I was walking along the other day and on the pavement I saw a white baby ghost; however, come to think of it, it may have been a tissue.’