Finding time to gather my thoughts, plan a post and write something up with clarity and punchiness has been a challenge these past few months. By navigating the demands of a new job, personal commitments, adjusting to the easing of lockdown restrictions while also trying to keep my physical and mental health in check, I have been spinning a lot of plates. And although April and May were incredibly productive, I still felt a pang of guilt knowing that my plans to publish new blog content failed to materialise.

And by continually adding and crossing out ‘publish new blog post’ on my weekly To Do lists, I piled more pressure on myself to write, leading to any fragments of ideas or words floating around my mind to dry up when I got to the screen. It wasn’t until a few evenings ago where after a busy day, I gave myself permission to take an extended pause to stretch, do some yoga and sit on my mat long after the sequence had finished to clear my mind. And it was this moment of surrender which led to some reflections on the way that small choices we make for ourselves throughout the day can add up to bring bigger shifts and positive outcomes.

So this post is a nod to the power we all have to choose well for ourselves, even if we only have a few minutes to spare. Simple things like taking a few deep breaths and stretching or exercising when we get out of bed, drinking water, reading a few pages of a book, savouring the first few sips of tea or coffee in the morning, taking walks and picking a daisy like our inner child would love us to do, tidying away work related items if we are remote working, lighting candles or switching on the fairy lights before dinner to change the ambience in the room, and the list goes on. But ultimately, when we choose well for ourselves, we combine action with intention which helps to fill our cups and build up our resilience to whatever the day ahead throws at us.

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