Healthy boundaries

What strategies do you use to maintain your health and Well-being?

I could write a book on this topic. However, for the sake of simplicity, I’ll keep it as short and sweet as possible. Health and Well-being are multifaceted, multi-nuanced concepts that are highly subjective. What one person considers to be elements of good health and well-being, others may deem inadequate or over-the-top. However, most of us live in the real world, where many competing challenges and demands vy for our precious time and attention. The crucial thing is to ensure that we factor our own health and well-being into the equation. We need to make time, nay quality time for ourselves. It is up to each individual to discover what helps recharge their batteries, carving out time to honour that. There shouldn’t be a huge financial cost or burden. Especially given that so many of us have some access to nature within our reach. Even in built-up cities, there are parks, waterways and places to seek refuge, exercise, absorb sunshine, socialise, walk the dog, have a picnic, smile at a stranger and just breathe. I’m lucky to live in a part of Sydney surrounded by incredible national parks, sandstone escarpments and deep waterways. I’ve written a random hotchpotch list of things that have worked for me.

Here are some of my top strategies for maintaining optimal health and well-being are:

Healthy Boundaries: It is okay to say NO. It’s essential to learn to say NO. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO … I am the 8th child of 10 Children, and as such, I grew up in what was a small microcosm of society. I encountered almost every personality type, from the malignant narcissist to the covert narcissist, those with debilitating addictive personalities. That’s not forgetting the compassionate, thoughtful and considerate siblings and my wonderful parents. I learned at a young age that I needed to erect and maintain healthy boundaries because some people (including family) will bleed you dry, encasing you in their particular brand of toxicity. I learned that I needed to fight for self-advocate. I needed to embed the practice of self-love and self-compassion into my routine. As an empathic person, I needed to ensure I knew I was worthy of feeling safe, feeling loved and giving love.
Maintaining creativity: As far as I am concerned, any creative energies that can’t flow freely will eventually be trapped. There is a higher chance that it can trigger more profound dissatisfaction, life imbalance, potential depression, anxiety, illness etc. Creativity is like a life force. Gifts, talents, and passions are best shared, expressed, grown, developed, given, and put into the universe for others to enjoy, feel, sense, and experience. When a persona has a gift, such as writing, singing, dancing etc., and they don’t allow it to express itself, it inevitably leads to an aspect of themself living in the shadows. So I embrace my passions, such as writing and photography. When I allow myself the time and space to express my creativity, I feel a much more balanced sense of health and Well-being.
Water: Never underestimate the incredible health-giving benefits of water. This includes drinking enough water to ensure you are well-hydrated. This will be different for all of us. Related to this is the pure joy and satisfaction I get from being around water, walking along the beach, swimming, and even watching the turbulent ocean on a stormy day. I delight in watching waves roll in and roll out. Again and again, as if mesmerised by the sea’s internal rhythm. I delight in the billion diamond-shaped crystals as they glimmer in the sun’s brilliance. Water is Life. I will often do an exercise in mindfulness, where I stand with my feet grounded. As I drink a large glass of water, I allow myself to experience the sensations, taste, feeling and energy as the water touches my mouth, lips, tongue and throat. This exercise brings me back into my body, which I need, given that I am a pragmatic dreamer filled with esoteric musings. I’d drift away like an untethered balloon if I weren’t grounded. It could exist in my head.
Special treats: I am in love with my Moringa Leaf Extract. It is part of my daily routine. I also have a moisturiser creme made from Kakadu Plum and White Cypress. I buy it directly from the First Nations artist. The smell and feel are second to none. It is pure heaven. It’s the most amazing body butter, filled with natural Indigenous ingredients, handmade and packaged. I can’t rave about it enough! It contributes to my health and well-being experiences, as my skin looks and feels fantastic. The smell alone is impressive, let alone how it makes my skin feel. Not only that, I am buying a product that is ethically sourced, not made by some huge conglomerate, but by a real-life person—an incredible artisan who is a custodian of ancient indigenous knowledge. This brings me joy.
Laughter, Sunshine, Sleep and Exercise: Do these need any further explanation? I think not! Laugh often; make sure you grab some vitamin D from the sunshine. Ensure you get sufficient sleep; this is different for all of us. Not to mention finding an enjoyable exercise routine that gets the heart rate going is also crucial to good mental and physical health and well-being.
Mediatation and Visualisation: BE THE TREE. A tree survives life’s storms by swaying with the ebbs and flows, and by responding to life’s moods and demands. It takes life’s full force, the storms, the droughts and the floods. Like ourselves, a tree is a beautifully powerful yet incredibly vulnerable being. They are the epitome of resilience, inner strength and acceptance. I visualise that I am grounded like a tree, with my feet firmly embedded in the earth. I am both safe and secure. My body becomes like the trunk, and it is strong yet supple. It moves with life’s changes but still holds its shape and form. My branches are free to dance, swept up in life’s excitement and joy. I am free to feel life’s energetic flow, the spontaneity.
Gardening, spending time in nature: Prefably barefoot (apart from when gardening in areas frequented by our deadly spiders. I delight in growing my fruit and veggies, being able to plant seeds and seedlings and watching them come to life. I ripped up my old beautiful flower-centric garden, instead creating a garden filled with nourishing plants. I did this as a form of reverence and respect for my father, who passed away five years ago. He was such an incredible gardener, and establishing my own garden was a great homage to him. RIP, Dad; you were and will always be an incredible Dad. There is great satisfaction in watching the sunshine and rain bring the fruit and vegetables to life. I have planted bee and bird-attracting plants, flowers and herbs, which bring my garden to life. It has attracted gorgeous native bees, a source of great joy and pride. I enjoy spending time amongst trees, the bush and forests. As mentioned, i adore spending time in and around the water. By the way, gardening can be excellent exercise, a great way to get the happy hormones (serotonin and dopamine) pumping. Related to this is having indoor plants, which are fantastic for clearing the air, adding beauty and helping to create a warm and inviting space. I have scoured my front and backyards to find self-propagated seedlings or plants that I could propagate and grow inside, saving money and being resourceful. I have a 4-metre tall Avocado tree that I’ve grown from seed. There was great satisfaction in first eating the avocado, then propagating it, watching it seed, grow, replant and eventually transfer out into the garden.
Accept yourself for who you are: Why? You are the only version of You… embrace your uniqueness, warts and all. We are all perfectly imperfect.