So we’ve made it to the end of January, hooray! Doesn’t it always feel like the longest month ever (apart from the last month of pregnancy of course, which is officially the longest month ever)! Every year I find January a bit of a slog, I’m not sure if it’s the cold,
the dark, the post Christmas blues or a mix of all of these put together but it sucks!
The start of a new year always feels a little pressured to make change and be a ‘new you’. It’s very tempting to try and make dramatic changes such as; crash diets, going to the gym every day, planning to run a marathon, giving up alcohol, going vegan, you know the sort of thing. We all want to see a quick fix, why wouldn’t we?
Unfortunately it doesn’t normally take long for the motivation to die and for us to realise making significant changes is actually very, very hard work. Anyone recovering from a mental health issue will of course already be very aware that there are no quick fixes but it doesn’t stop us hoping.
So here’s the bit you probably won’t want to hear.
To make positive change you have to be consistent, you have to make small daily changes which you stick to, they can’t be massive changes as they aren’t maintainable.
Of course if you are recovering from something like OCD or maybe an addiction of some kind you really have no choice, you have to make the changes and attempt to stay on track.
The trick is not to give yourself a hard time, you will mess up now and again and that’s OK. Never loose site of the path you’re on, no mater how slowly you’re walking it. Accept that there may never be an end goal, it’s all about the process of moving in the right direction and getting closer to where you need to be. Where you end up may look nothing like the way you thought it would when you get there and that could be a good thing.
I’m looking at moving careers very soon and I’m starting some training in March, it all feels very overwhelming at the moment but I just have to remember to do a small amount each day and it will eventually pay off.
Changes don’t have to be an all or nothing thing either, you haven’t failed if you slip up or make changes gradually over time.
I’ve wanted to be meat free for a while now and more recently I have started removing meat from more and more of our weekly meals. In the next couple of months the meat will disappear completely but for now if there’s a tin of tuna in the cupboard I’m not going to get stressed about it or throw it away I’m just going to use it up and not buy anymore. I know even the small changes I’m making are heading in the right direction for me and over time they will pay off. There is no big rush, life is a marathon not a sprint.
It’s very easy to just think about the goals and not enjoy the journey you’re on but we need to be more mindful about where we are in life and appreciate what is going on around us. If we are living in the future then we aren’t really living, make every day count. Go to bed each day feeling like you’ve taken a little step closer to where you want to be and that you are heading in the right direction. Be kind to yourself and know you are doing the best you can. Lets make 2020 a good one!
As always, Stay Strong xxx
Conquering OCD 