Replenishing Me

2022 is not a year I fancy repeating. We were forced to leave our new home in December 2021 and lived in temporary accommodation until August 2022 when I moved house and met my MSc dissertation deadline in the same week! I also spent the summer working through the practical application of a significant Government policy change on the organisation I chaired – eventually requiring its closure – and the meetings were challenging to say the least. Something to write about on another day …

So, 2022 was a shit year. Unsurprisingly I was ill from Christmas Eve onwards with a sinus infection I neglected to treat with antibiotics until it was causing severe eye pain in early January 2023 and a course of the right treatment helped me build my resilience back so I could function by February.

And whilst February saw me back out in the world, I was still not quite right. I was experiencing awkward and embarrassing moments of uncontrollable brain fog; I had eczema ruining my once perfect skin and forcing me to wear foundation for the first time in years; and my digestive system was sluggish and below par. Add to that a menstrual cycle that has not really known what it is doing for a couple of years and I concluded, with some help from the GP, that this is the start of the peri-menopause. These are the hormonal shifts that I will be living with now for probably the next ten years of my life as I build a new home and a new career. Fabulous.

Pre-Covid, I was all about high performance and efficiency. Everything I did was about getting the biggest bang for my buck. Running had to be further, faster, stronger every time I went out. Food was selected on convenience with a side nod to nutrition and I had an injury management routine rather than a maintenance one. Maybe I am paying for all that quick-living now. What I do know is that kind of motivation just doesn’t work for my tired self anymore. There is science behind all of this and I am starting to learn that I need a shift in focus to maintain my desired level of health in my 40s.

I have gone back to the sections I ignored when I visited a nutritionist in 2018 – the parts that talk about FODMAP foods and suggest avoiding garlic and onion. I remember my Grannie’s famous quote whenever she asked for no onions – “I like them but they don’t like me” – and feel a little sad that I have joined her group too late to share it with her. Garlic appears to be my inflammatory digestive downfall so that’s heavily restricted despite my love of the smell and taste, and I am being much more accepting of the dairy intolerance I have had for a few years and not trying to sneak in lactose when I know it hurts!

I wanted to share the four main things I am doing differently on a daily basis to help replenish my heart, mind, and body:

1. The greater variety of pro-biotics the better. I heard this on Dr Chatterjee’s podcast and learnt that pro-biotics aren’t just in Yakult! This means seeds, vegetables, herbs, and spices as well as miso, sauerkraut, and kimchee so I try to use as many different ones as I can every day

• I aim for 10,000 steps every day whether it’s running or not. Luckily, I got a beautiful pup in January so she is the one to credit with my new step count but I have also joined the gym which is just over a 30 minute round trip on foot. My partner and I walk there, work out for an hour, and then walk home. It’s actually something I look forward to rather than something that has to get done. I still run and I love it but it’s a leisurely trip out to clear my head and not something squeezed in at a fast pace just to get the miles in

• I am doing something I love for at least five minutes every day. Another one from Dr Chatterjee and that is why I am sat in a coffee shop waiting for my partner and writing this. Writing and reading are the things I love and making sure I do at least one of them for five minutes every day has made a huge difference to the way I feel even if it hasn’t changed much of the physical side effects of the hormonal shifts. It helps in building my resilience and reduces my sense of overwhelm. It also saw me reading the same book as my daughter just after she finished it so we could chat about it together. Before, I would always have pressured myself to use my precious reading time on what I deemed ‘stretch’ material and, whilst my partner did mock me for reading a ‘kids book’, Ross Montgomery’s Midnight Guardians gave me something more than stretch. It gave me precious insight into a loved one’s world

• The final thing I have added into my life is a 60 second connection every day with at least one person. That person may be new to my life or been in it for decades; may be someone I see every day and or someone I don’t get to see regularly. Technology is a wonderful tool for this but I also make a conscious effort to take those opportunities to connect in person too. The connection is about reaching out to offer help, support, or simply an acknowledgement of hearing and seeing someone and what they are sharing. It’s a great exercise in learning to better recognise the needs of others and how to help meet them

It is now April and I have been at my new routine for about 100 days. Physically I am a little better but mentally I feel exponentially improved. The daily challenges of life feel much easier to deal with and I feel ready to thrive again in the pressure of a new work environment. Which is good because I have just accepted a new exciting and challenging role. I have been truly privileged these last few months to have been able to take time off to get better and now it is time to get back to work whilst ensuring I continue to build on the strength of these new foundation stones: the right food, the right movement, and the right connection all wrapped up in regular rejuvenation. Everything is tailored for me by me after years of knowing me; and that’s the replenishment I need. I hope you find yours too.