First off I’m sorry for disappearing without explaining why. I’ll be honest I wasn’t expecting to, but life got the better of me! Yes, even I who swears to be able to manage my time so brilliantly found things got too much for me!

So 5 months ago I started a new job. And I am so happy at work! But I needed time to adjust and get used to my new working environment. That meant a slight change of focus in my life.

With that swiftly followed by the summer holidays and lots of various family activities going on, life just got in my way. So much so that I literally broke down in tears a couple of weeks ago.

I realised in that moment I had allowed everyone else’s priorities and needs come before my own. I had forgotten the importance of self care and what mattered to me.

So once I had stopped crying, and got everything out I was determine more than ever to make myself the focus of my life again. There were 3 things I realised I had forgotten…..

1. Exercising is crucial

I let my exercise routine slip massively in the past few months! So this was the first thing I wanted to rectify. It’s still not quite where I want it to be but definitely something I’m tracking with the intention of making some exercise part of my daily routine.

Sweating and moving my body has helped me in so many ways! I have lost weight, I feel fitter and happier! I have utilised YouTube, free apps as well as some exercise classes so that I get a variety of workouts that can also be done in a variety of places.

Being able to exercise at home and not have to break the bank on gym memberships has been amazing! I highly recommend searching your app store and YouTube!

2. Journaling is essential

Yes I am a huge planner addict! You only have to look at my Instagram feed to notice that. But that’s not what I’m talking about here. This is more about clearing my head as well as challenging myself.

So I suggest 2 different types of journaling. The first is a brain dump style. This is me just clearing my head of all thoughts and ideas. Once I’ve got it down on paper I find it easier to then order the thoughts. The business ideas I have or lists of tasks that are going round and round all become clearer and I can process tasks much more smoothly.

The second type of journaling I do is designed to help me think about myself differently. For this I use question journals, such as daily prompts. It gets me thinking about things that I may not usually think about and challenge me to improve myself.

3. Staying hydrated is necessary

I have always been terrible at keeping myself hydrated. I can go hours without and drink and had got used to having a dry mouth. I knew something had to change but was struggling to find the answer.

Then I bought myself a 2 litre water bottle and it became life changing for me! Now I only had to fill the bottle up once a day and I know I have to finish it to have got the right amount of fluids for a day.

Now I won’t lie when I first started using this bottle I felt weird. I was peeing all the time and there were a few days when I couldn’t drink it all. But now if I don’t drink enough fluids, boy do I notice it! I wouldn’t say it’s fully sunk in as a daily habit yet, but it is definitely getting there!

I hope these things prompt you to remember to take care of yourself and encourage you to put you first.

You can’t look after others if you don’t look after yourself first!