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Wow!  What happened to this year?  Am I the only one who lost June to November?  It seems every year goes by faster and faster and we are busier with life in general than ever before.  Not such a good place to be mentally, with life rushing by we don’t get to stop and smell the roses along the way, unless we consciously make an effort to.  

The last few months have seen me away a lot travelling with work (and some pleasure) to Christchurch in July, Fiji in August, Melbourne in August, Auckland in September and Queensland Australia in November. With all of this travelling, on top of every day life, staff, clients, sickness and Association business, I have been finding things pretty tough.  After speaking to my mentor last month, I came to the realisation that things are pretty hard right now.  But that it’s ok.   It still feels very much like a taboo subject, likes its shameful, but we really need to share our own stories and challenges because the more we do, the more it makes it ok. I shared a video at the time on my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/DiCrawfordErrington/videos/710422802803653/) and the positive responses and private messages were overwhelming.  So I really wanted to share my thoughts with you all. 

I have been dealing with some pretty stressful  things over the last wee while and it was hard.  Admitting it to myself didn’t mean my world fell apart.  It didn’t mean I couldn’t do my job.  It didn’t mean I wasn’t worthy anymore.  It didn’t mean I was any less of a person.   You know what was even more amazing?  Admitting it gave me freedom.  It opened a door in my mind;  I didn’t have to hold it together for everyone else,  I didn’t have to have a brave face on  ALL the time,  I didn’t have to suck it up  and just keep on keeping on.  What it did do, was it allowed me to pause, to understand and accept that #itsoktonotbeok.  To understand that if I didn’t hit the walk I should be doing today, it was ok.  That if I lay in bed a while longer than I should be instead of getting up and doing stuff, it was ok.   That if I didn’t want to talk to anyone today, it was ok.  That if I felt overwhelmed and needed to cry, go ahead  It’s not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength.  A sign of trust in yourself, that you can give yourself the time you need to feel those feelings, to recover and to regroup.  Its healthy to admit you are not ok.  Its a bad day, not a bad life.   Just don’t let yourself stay there.  Put processes in place to combat the overwhelm.  Schedule in ‘time out’ into your life, do things to clear your mind from the monkey chatter, surround yourself with those who lift you up, and learn to say no.  Look for something positive in each day, even if you have to look a little harder sometimes.   

So what are you doing to take a break, put some pauses in your life, and look after your well being? Please reach out, get some help, we are here to listen.  Wellbeing is a huge subject at the moment, and both MYOB and XERO have implemented programs to support their clients.  Please take the first step and reach out.  #itsoktonotbeok

https://wellplace.nz for free resources