The Therapy Edit - THROWBACK - On Quick & Easy Ways To Boost Your Wellbeing

Episode Date: October 7, 2024

In this THROWBACK episode Anna shares a lightbulb moment about how she can easily boost her wellbeing and offers you advice and tips as to how you can easily go about boosting your own too!

Hello and welcome to the Therapy Edit podcast with me, psychotherapist Anna Martha. I love bringing bite-sized thoughts and conversations to support your well-being in your busy lives. Behind the scenes, we are working on bringing you a whole new series, but in the meantime, we have delved into the archives and will be sharing some of our most loved nuggets, light bulb moments and powerful chats. I hope you enjoy them. Hello, I hope you're okay. So today I have a light bulb moment to share with you. You know I love a light bulb moment.

Those little moments of realization that you know are going to make an impact. You know that once you've had that realization or kind of receive that knowledge or gain that awareness that you can't go backwards. You know that somehow that is going to impact or reframe or reshape how you move forward. So I had one of these the other day. And I did something that I knew was going to actually change my life. So bear with me, it's essentially a tip on how to boost your well-being with little effort. And I've got my phone here because I'm actually going to share some of the ideas that you have had because I mentioned this on my social media and you added lots of your thoughts too.

So I'm going to add to what I say with your words. So, right, let me say that I absolutely love reading. I fall asleep to novels on my Kindles. I'm always reading. I read maybe a book a week. However, nonfiction books, which I think require a little bit more focus than energy, whereas novels for me feel like I'm just kind of consuming and enjoying quite passive in the process. So I love nonfiction books.

I write nonfiction books. They feed my mind. They feed my soul. They shape my work. You know, it's just this, it's learning, isn't it? I have a whole bookshelf right beside me, absolutely full of books that I have bought that I want to read. that I've borrowed off people with the intention of consuming. And I've tried so hard.

I've spoken on here about how I even trying to form a habit of reading like a chapter a day. And that habit completely fell by the wayside. So now whenever I look at my bookshelf, I just feel this kind of like tinge of guilt. Now, as I always say, guilt is there to prompt you, not to shen you. And I had this light bulb moment on a walk yesterday. So walking is something I do regularly. I go for a walk because I know how good it is for me. And often I talk to a friend or I listen to a podcast.

But I had this realization yesterday that I could listen to books. Bear with me. Bear with me. I could listen to books. So I downloaded there and then, stood by a hedge, dopamine nation by Anna Lubke. I'm not so sure if I've said her. surname right but I downloaded this book and I was practically dancing through through the part down the past because I was so happy now you might think this is this is ridiculous Anna I mean

number one I have recorded three audio books so I do well know that they exist and number two this is what people do right people listen to audio books but the thing is in my head I have this rule that I read nonfiction books in their paper form. I read the physical books that I can write in them and I can fold down the pages. But the thing is, because that feels like it's almost too much for me at the moment, I've been doing nothing. I've been avoiding the bookshelf altogether. So I kind of had to like climb out of my own box and break my own funny rule that I didn't even realize was there. And surely it's better to listen to a book than not engage in it at all. So downloaded Audible, felt like it's going to change my life. I truly think

it is. And I started to think, you know, so often we have needs, right? We have needs that go overlooked. The things that I have done in the past, I've got like this genetic, thanks dad, this dental like gum thing, which means my gum recede, gums recede more than they should. Therefore, I have been told for years that I should floss. So I've had to make flossing part of my daily routine because my last assessment, it's called a checkup, was a little bit alarming. So it was that urgency then and I managed to create a rule for myself. A good rule is that I floss is not an option. It's something that I have to do.

Now, there are other little things that I've done little tweaks that I'm going to share with you and I'm going to share some of yours with you as well. Little tweaks that are ways of meeting needs without really doing a whole. whole lot different. I mean, isn't that great? They're kind of like little hacks. Now, we can't kind of hack our way to rest. We can't life hack our way to meeting many of our needs. But there are ways and little tweaks and things that I've been doing that I was thinking yesterday as I was writing about it that have made such a difference to me over time. And I love that analogy that if you correct the flight path of an airplane, a degree or two, it can end up on an entirely different

continent. Isn't that incredible? Sometimes these things that we do. The choosing to listen to the book instead of the read to read the book. The choosing to make dental flossing a thing that you do are non-negotiable instead of something that is optional because suddenly you recognize the urgency of it. Some more of mine that I leave vitamins next to my toothbrush. Sounds silly. But I had vitamins. I need certain supplements. And I would just, I would say patchy in taking them and I just move them next to my toothbrush and there we go. Now I take them every single day and I'm in a routine. Another thing that I do is I know I need to check in with friends, both to check in on them to maintain that relationship, but also as a way of being accountable, emotionally talking.

So on the way back from a drop off, nursery drop off, I will call my mum and there's a couple of friends that I call. So it's how can I fit something into what is already happening that meets a need. Another one is that if I wake up early, so often my husband is up and out really early, so I might wake up before six. I know that I have a choice. What can I do in this time before my kids get up, which hopefully will be, you know, a good few minutes. What can I do? Do I need to walk, work out? Can I have a bath or do something reflective? You know, just, maybe I just need to just do some stretching or something. What can I do in this time that isn't taking from anything else? It's just time that I have. What can I do? I have that choice.

Another thing I do is batch cook. I love a batch cook because it buys me some time the next evening when I've already got a meal that we've coached. You know, this little thing is when I'm doing something already. How can I make it something extra to meet that other needs? So tonight, I don't I have to cook dinner. It's a wonderful feeling because I cooked it last night. So that is just brilliant. Another one I've been doing recently and I can't believe I'm saying this and it sounds so silly. Some of these things sound so silly, don't they? Because to you, they might mean nothing. To you, someone else, it might be like, well, obviously you're going to do that. But to me, it's these little things that are making a difference that I'm tweaking in my life. You know,

another one of mine, and this is why it makes me laugh because I've never been an ironer. I've been like the staunch, I don't iron anything. But I looked at my wardrobe when I was doing a bit of a clear out and I thought there are so many things in here that I really love. But because they're so crinkly and they're not meant to me and they don't look nice, I never wear them. So I decided I was going to do like an hour of ironing and I iron some things up my wardrobe and I've just been enjoying them so much more. I did it in front of the TV. Fairly even realized I was doing it. It was actually quite therapeutic. I can kind of see why some people enjoy ironing. So some of yours, You know, taking a little walk with a coffee and just making it your own moments, seeking

the micro moments, hand balm by the kitchen sink, this is from Susie Redding, photographs to gaze it while I cook. How lovely. You know, people saying that actually audio bits have been so helpful, I'm going to get back into the routine. Mine is the Muslim coach. Mine is having a morning skincare routine. First thing in the morning before the rush starts, someone else here keeps iron spray in

their handbag to remind them to remind them to use it because that's a need of theirs um lots about skincare routines squats whilst brushing my teeth feels like a boss the day before it has even begun um always take the scenic route so if you're going somewhere why not just go a slightly different routes so you can enjoy it someone else here says i think of lunch as a rule not an option a hungry mom at school pickup is no fun at all i love these so another one's squatting whilst brushing your teeth. Brilliant. Listen to podcasts whilst walking the dog. Sometimes I like just to enjoy nature. Doing a few stretches after my shower. A motto of cook once, eat twice. I love these. You know, just so many little helpful things that creative ways of finding

to meet needs that you have in moments that are already there. So feel free to hop onto my Instagram and share some of yours, but get creative. Think about how you can meet those needs in those moments that are already there. How can you layer them up? Just add a little something else in or just move something around to remind you to do it. Hopefully there are some ideas and maybe you'll be downloading audio books too, but I am just delighted that I had that light bulb moment. I hope you enjoyed this episode. Grab a copy of my new book, The Uncomfortable Truth. Change your by taming 10 of your mind's greatest fears, where we tackle some of life's uncomfortable truths that rob us of energy, joy and headspace, such as some people don't like me, I'm going to

fail. Bad things will happen. And as we move into a place of radical acceptance of these truths, you will find yourself living more freely and intentionally with more presence and confidence than ever before. You can find it at your usual bookseller. But in the meantime, just feel free to hit subscribe and if you enjoyed this episode please do share it so that we can get more ears benefiting from the words that we share.