Wellness spotlight 🔍

I’ve been writing all year so far. There’s been a variety of topics:

• Adventure,
• Fitness,
• Goals,
• Productivity,
• Web development,
• Wellness.

What I write seems to reflect how I’m feeling. I’ve recently written a few Wellness articles because I’ve not been feeling 100%.

Here’s a spotlight on my articles in that category and a bit about each technique that I use to feel better.

Just breathe

In yesterday’s article, I spoke about using meditative breathing techniques to focus your mind and body. Whether that’s to relieve stress and anxiety or to relax and prepare your body before training, I really recommend trying these techniques for 15-20 minutes per day.

Read “Just breathe”, written on 14-02-2021.

Dealing with negative thoughts

I came up with the idea for this article when I was on a walk alone, surrounded by nature - rivers, fields, hills. I’ve always used this technique to let go of negative thoughts that roll around my head all day, every day.

In it, I say:

“I’m not a fan of journaling my thoughts and feelings. I’m not keen on the idea of counselling, and of talking about my feelings.”

So instead I go outside and see the world. The open oceans, the mountain tops, the rivers and skies.

Loving and appreciating the great, vast outdoors makes me feel that my problems aren’t as big, I myself am insignificant, and that I can release worries into the world to be broken down by nature.

Read “Dealing with negative thoughts”, written on 11-02-2021.

What do you see?

I use visualisation techniques a lot, especially when training and needing to push myself. I came up with this article during a particularly difficult training run.

I come up with a lot of article ideas while I run.

It’s important to be able to keep in your mind why you’re doing something, what your end goal is. I visualise my end goals every time I stumble or falter and remind myself how important it is to keep going and to push through.

Read “What do you see?”, written on 29-01-2021.

Why I’m writing

In “Dealing with negative thoughts” above, I say that I don’t like journaling my thoughts as a wellness technique. I don’t dismiss this as an idea, it’s just not for me right now.

However, I find the act of writing itself therapeutic even though I’m not writing about complex, meaningful subjects a lot of the time.

Writing is also a way for me to share my knowledge and experience with others. I mention in this articles two instances of how my writing a technical article and giving a presentation at a web development conference years ago helped two individuals further their careers, and they surprised me with a thank you a lot later down the line.

That’s why I write.

Read “Why I’m writing”, written on 23-01-2021.

Success savings

This is a technique I got from reading a triathlon training book. Joe Friel suggests that we bank up a “success savings account” of great achievements and positive messages for ourselves for when we’re feeling low or need encouragement.

I talk about some of the things I have in my savings, and what I visualise and tell myself when I need a boost.

Read “Success savings”, written on 15-01-2021.

Why I wrote this

I summarise one of those articles by saying:

If [writing] inspires one other person, it’s worth doing.

It is. If writing this article and any of the others helps anyone feel any better, I’ll be glad that I wrote it.