Wellbeing Habits Lately | 3

Hi y’all… what have you been doing for yourselves lately? And I mean, for your wellbeing? Things that may not serve a wider purpose apart from making you happier and healthier?

Although this is only my third installment of my Wellbeing Habits series, I can tell it is already impacting my choices. I find myself asking myself those questions above more often than I used to. (Too often, my answer is ‘not enough.’ But then I change my choices!).

Wellbeing habits lately

I’ve decided to only talk about one wellbeing routine this time around. Because it’s a big one, and has affected all parts of my life (it is very much one I am still working on). In my next Wellbeing Habits post, I will be sharing a lot more of my practical tips and products 🙂

Commitment

Most people struggle with overcommitment, which is definitely something I have experienced. But what about… under-commitment? Over the last few months I have felt myself avoiding things, ranging from avoiding committing to a regular exercise routine, hanging out with friends, filling out my application for my board exams or even avoiding replying to texts and messages.

I know part of this is being sick, and not always feeling well enough to engage with life. And giving your body and mind time to rest is really important. I attribute rest and stability to how much better I have felt in the last few months (in comparison to my lowest point!).

Related: My Health Journey So Far: All the Gory Details!

But there is a flip side to that… under-commitment! And truly I think this is something I have struggled with my whole life: the seesaw balance between crazy overcommitment and complacency. In my yoga teacher training this was referred to as the ‘doshas.’ This is an Ayurvedic concept that includes three types: vata, kapha, and pitta, which basically make up your ‘constitution.’ According to Ayurveda, everyone has a unique combination of doshas… some people are more naturally inclined toward certain doshas, and when these fall out of balance it affects our wellbeing.

Personally I think the doshas are just another way for people to contextualize personality. However, I appreciate that in contrast to most personality-typing, doshas are flexible and acknowledge that people and their personalities/constitutions change throughout life, depending on outside circumstances. I have always thought of myself as ‘tri-doshic,’ having qualities of each type. But occassionally one type will outweigh the others (usually unmotivation/laziness from kapha, or anxiety/overcommitment from vata). This is when my wellbeing is affected.

Oh, and here’s a fun quiz to find out your dosha 🙂

So in an effort to balance my doshas, feel less complacent, and quit under-commiting…. I, well, have been making commitments!

These have ranged from agreeing to take on extra days at work, finally checking things off my to-do list that have sat there for months, meeting up with people I said I would meet up with for months, and engaging in a regular exercise routine.

One BIG commitment I made was go to an alternative doctor (actually, she is a clinical nutritionist). I had super mixed feelings about the ‘alternative’ health scene prior to my appointment. However I wanted to experiment with it for a long time but I could never bring myself to commit to it.  I won’t give too much away as I will eventually be writing a separate blog post about my experience with alternative healthcare. (And for those wondering… yes I am still seeing my medical doctors! In fact, I have an appointment with the GI specialist at U of M hospital next week where they are doing a study on my intestines… yay). In the meantime, though, I am implementing some of my clinical nutritionist’s advice and will be sharing the results of that in my next wellbeing habits post!

I have a long way to go with commitment, and am allowing myself a certain level of flexibility and forgiveness when I still feel like I’m in a ‘funk.’ But in the end… will I feel better if I go to that yoga class? Meet up with that friend? Spend ten minutes putting away the laundry? Finish that writing assignment? Probably, yes! So why not do it?

Over to you…

Your turn. What have you been doing for your wellbeing lately? I want to know all your habits, quirks, goals, and tricks.

I promise the next post in this series will be a lot more practical, but sometimes we all need a philosophical ramble, right?

Sarah xx

*Photos taken by Dan on our lovely hike along Old Harry Rocks in Dorset, England 🙂 Happy times!

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