When was the last time you checked in with yourself?

When was the last time you checked in with yourself?

On the surface it’s a straight forward question isn't it? but really, when was the last time you were self aware about how you’re feeling? Actually sat & thought about why you’re acting the way you’re acting, why you’re talking the way you’re talking, why you’re thinking the way you’re thinking.

In 2022 there’s distractions everywhere, phone, email, text, laptop, iPad, the world is at our fingertips. How many of us grab our phones & go on Social Media before we’ve even gotten out of bed? I’m guessing a lot of us. If someone drank alcohol the instant they woke up, we’d call them an addict wouldn’t we????. Are we turning in techno-addicts? Or has that already happened? Have we become so enamoured with our mobile devices we’re now lost without them & what is that doing to our longer term health?

As a Health & Safety Practitioner, we’re the ones people turn to for advice & support, we’re supposed to know better! but I don’t think I’m the only person working in H&S that neglects (or has neglected themselves).

I’ve recently checked in with myself, I haven’t been happy with a lot of what I’ve found. My sleep pattern isn’t good, my diet is poor, my mood has suffered, my concentration is poor, my energy is low, I’m not giving my best & my imposter syndrome has pretty much taken up permanent residence in my head.

The negative chatter in my head has been in overdrive for so long it’s become normal, insults, degrading myself, questioning my ability, talking myself out of things.

When we think negative all we see is negative. We (I) need to see more positive, I’m not talking about the toxic positivity, but acknowledging our thoughts & feelings & making a choice about how to feel & not allowing the negative self chatter to dictate.

For the first time, I’ve accepted I need support & guidance. I’ve begun seeing a Coach, even after a couple of sessions I’m thinking more positive thoughts, I’m making incremental changes that will benefit my overall health.

So, my advice to anyone reading this, give yourself some distraction free time & check in with yourself. Be honest with yourself, easier said than done, ego can be a powerful foe, get past ego, think about your thoughts & feelings over the last few days, think about something that’s upset you recently, why were you upset? Be honest, think about something that made you smile, why did it make you smile! What feeling did it evoke?

Ask yourself a few questions:

What do you need to be happy today?

What are you grateful for?

Focus on your breathing for 5 minutes! Take deep, long, slow breathes.

But be honest, it’s the only way you’ll see benefits. It isn’t easy, in fact being honest with yourself is probably one of the hardest things you can do.

I’m by no means an expert, I’ve written this short piece based on my experience.