awellnessworkinprogress.com

I have been interested in certain wellness-related aspects for most of my adult life. I was an active child and teenager, from a family that enjoyed participating in a range of different sporting activities. After a brief hiatus, when drinking and clubbing briefly took over during the late ’90’s, my active pursuits resumed and carried on into adulthood.

My Story

However, life happens. And sometimes one event or a series of events can take place that change our perspective on wellness forever.

I suffered a mental breakdown in 2018 and it changed everything. Before, I didn’t really think about wellness as wellness per-say; it was just something that interested me: I read all the fitness and wellbeing magazines; I cut out the articles; I scrapbooked them to refer to later; I made lists of actions I wanted to take, habits I wanted to break, behaviors I wanted to cultivate. I had the exercise part down. That’s never really been an issue. So imbedded in my routine, I never experienced any difficulty motivating myself to be or stay active.

But I had struggled with mental health issues most of my adult life. There was social anxiety, compulsive spending, panic attacks, bouts of low mood and depression, health anxiety – and later, a diagnosis of acute anxiety, depression and panic disorder. Although never diagnosed, I am fairly confident I could add Generalised Anxiety Disorder to that already impressive list.

Anxiety, for me, manifests very physically and it is only in recent years that I can admit that many of the symptoms I have experienced – such as generally feeling “off” can, in fact, be traced back to anxiety.

Looking back, and quite shockingly, I was a big ball of anxiety for most of my adult life.

They say everything happens for a reason.

They also say that if you don’t learn your lesson, the same things will keep on happening until you do.

That’s exactly how I feel about my mental breakdown.

It’s why I am the person that I am today. It taught me so much about myself. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced but I got through it and I’m far more resilient as a result. In a way, I am grateful that it happened.

Nowadays, anxiety pops up now and again as a result of hormonal fluctuations associated with perimenopause.

Other mental health-related ‘symptoms’ come and ago as a result of this mid-life stage where one is trying to nurture tweens and young adults into the kind of young men that I am proud to say are my two sons; it’s a challenging time when parents and in-laws are getting older; illness and chronic health conditions have raised their ugly heads and even prevailed leaving open wounds of grief that need to be tended to frequently.

It’s that life-stage when you realise you’re properly adulting and you don’t really like it, and you spend a lot of time in your head silently yearning for the more carefree period of youth.

But alas, it’s all part of the journey. And there can be no growth or learning without challenges and hurdles to overcome.

Thank goodness then for wellness. For tools and strategies that we can employ, not just for when the tough gets going, but for the every day, to build our resilience, to boost our energy levels and our moods, to bring joy, and future-proof our health and wellbeing against all that this wonderful yet sometimes difficult life can bring.