I have realised that the worthwhile things in life take work, even those which you usually take for granted. A few weeks ago i started feeling sick. I don’t get sick very often, so I didnt take much notice of the sore throat and throbbing head. I continued with my normal Tuesday routine, teaching bootcamp, a Personal Training session and 10km run with a friend. I was shocked when by 8pm that evening I was on the couch and could barely raise my head.
I ended up being sick for two weeks, and am not proud to say, I was a terrible patient. I felt awful both physically and mentally, and became very emotional (much to my husbands horror!). After living overseas as an expat for 6yrs, all of a sudden I wanted to go home. My poor husband nearly fell of his chair when I turned to him (cough cough) and asked what the chances were of him getting a job back in Australia…soon!! (knowing full well that with his current company this wasnt going to happen). I got upset that my sisters didnt call to see how I was feeling, conveniently forgetting that i hadnt told them i was sick. Our apartment (which I love) began to feel claustrophobic and I became convinced i would only be happy in a house with a garden (which isnt going to happen in HK).
Nothing was right in my world, and I wallowed in my misery.
Being a LIfe Coach, I was aware of my behaviour and started to give a lot of thought as to how I could lift myself out of my mood. My normal strategy would be to go out for a run, but that obviously wasnt going to happen, so i fell back on my coaching tools. I started writing in my gratitude journal, i repeated my positive affirmations 5 times each a day (something i admit i had gotten slack with), and I got in touch with my eldest sister, who always makes me feel good.
I tried really hard to improve my mood, and it worked. It was an epiphany for me. I am normally a positive, happy person so I assumed it came naturally, but it doesnt. I subconsciously work hard to be that way. I make the choice to do things that improve my mood such a exercise, write down what im grateful for and say my positive affirmations. When i was sick, i let those things slip and succumbed to feeling sorry for myself. Its no different if we want to lose weight, run a marathon or get a promotion at work, we have to put in the effort to reach our goal. Decide what sort of person you would like to be, and work hard to achieve that. You can try the tools i used:
– Writing in your gratitude journal
– Repeating positive affirmations
– exercising
– get in touch with someone that makes you feel good
Or you might have your own “mood lifters”, which i would love to hear. Make the choice to be happy and positive and reap the rewards. Have a great day. x