I’m still reflecting on New Year and wondering how many people are still trying to implement the next ‘quick fix’. You see when it comes to creating lasting change, patience is crucial.
As James Clear says,

It takes  ‘…Forever to build a habit, because if you stop doing it, it is no longer a habit.’

So, the key is to be kind and gentle with yourself and make it easy and enjoyable to set yourself up for success. You must also be patient because it will take TIME.
Patience is NOT my virtue, so I do understand how difficult it is, but through my work I also understand just how important patience is when making lifestyle change.

A lady I worked with many years ago with her diet was such a brilliant example. she had been poorly for many years so she was committed to give the healthy changes all the time it needed.
And it did take time for her new diet and supplement regime to work……
However, she felt she had nothing to lose and was totally focused and committed to making the changes for as long as it took, and she was certainly rewarded for it. I never forget how after several months of sticking to her new diet she was able to reduce pain medications she had taken for years, and how she was able to enjoy long walks in nature without having to pay the consequences the next day. I also clearly remember her husband’s smile as he said, ‘I have got the wife back I married.’
I will never forget it.

Sometimes it is hard to visualise what is possible before it happens. Sometimes we need to have a little faith that our choices will be worth it in the long term if we can’t see an immediate result.
That is why making TINY changes that are relevant and meaningful to you are crucial. We need to really know why we are doing something and find our own personal meaning to it.
I have read lots of wellbeing books. I have listened to lots of podcasts. For me life is a continued journey of learning and discovery and I love that.

However, I have also felt overwhelmed in the past, thinking I had to implement everything that this or that ‘expert’ was kindly sharing with me.

I now know that it is CRUCIAL that we implement only what resonates and has meaning to us! We need to create our own version of whatever inspiration is being shared with us.
Often, we need to try a lot of different things before we figure out what works for us, so approaching it all with kindness and patience, (there’s that word again) is so important.

I think that perhaps creating tiny, meaningful rituals is a truly powerful way to start.
You see rituals are something we do with intent, and when used for our own health and wellbeing, they send a very clear signal that we are ‘saying yes’ or investing in our own wellbeing.

I have tried many different things myself but the tiny rituals that I have maintained are journaling, meditation, yoga and breathwork, but I have fine-tuned it and shortened all these practices over many years. You see we don’t have to meditate or journal for hours on end. Sometimes lighting a candle, sitting down with a cuppa or a book for a few minutes, or doing a short stretch at the end of a busy day is all we need to replenish our energy and unwind from a busy day. Sometimes we overcomplicate everything and expect HUGE results instantly.

My recent experience as a participant of the beautiful ‘wellbeing Wednesday’ sessions at Brookside farm last month taught me so much about rituals. These women who have meditated consistently for YEARS beautifully demonstrate what we can achieve when we commit to a regular practice. Love, joy and peace literally radiates out of them, and I feel extremely privileged to have spent 6 weeks with them. I smile now as I think back to the first few weeks when I ‘tried really hard’ to take it all in. Ironically, I was applying the same ‘ try as hard as you can’ approach I use in other areas of my life to this very gentle practice. A much more patient, gentle approach was needed, and this is the approach I have now adopted by continuing with 5-minute daily practices of their very special form of meditation,

However, there were many more rituals that have stayed with me from those 6 special weeks.
Each week we came together to listen and share stories with each other, huddled under blankets round the fire. We lit a small candle for each of us and shared warming herbal and honey drinks and tonics made with herbs fresh from the fields. Taking moments to pause to light candles and drink mindful cups of tea are accessible to all of us and send a clear message to slow down and take time out.

These weekly moments to pause also gifted us the opportunity to learn more about ourselves, and this is also where the power is. To achieve real health and wellbeing we need to understand and be compassionate with ourselves, because this enables us to be more compassionate to others and to feel so much more at ease with life. The wellbeing that these women demonstrate so beautifully is simply a gentle contentment with life…. and this is available to us all.

So, please go gently with yourself. give yourself time and patience and maybe start with just 5 minutes to pause and create a TINY ritual with a BIG intention, which is to say yes to yourself and your wellbeing in 2023.

I would love to know what that looks like for you, so please feel free to get in touch if you would like to share.

Sometimes, lighting that candle for yourself is actually all you need.

Thank you for reading.

Wishing you health and happiness always,
Harriet x