Going from surviving to thriving in your midlife

Maybe you’ve realised you’re only just getting by.

Maybe you’re burnout and or are feeling like you’ve been run over by a peri- menopause shaped bus.

Maybe you’re feeling confused about who you are, and and feel like a shadow of your former self.

Your first step to feeling better is to concentrate on your basic needs. I’m talking 3 meals a day, staying hydrated, and getting enough sleep. I’d also recommend making sure to get outside for a mental health walk everyday- which really works, and a minimum of 10 minutes is all that is needed.

During times like this, I recommended going back to basics with as much as your life as is possible, to give yourself time to rest. Cutting back on extras, and saying ‘no’ is important, as is learning to rest guilt free. Pushing on is not going to fix the problem, but allowing yourself to rest and regroup most likely will.

When you begin to feel more grounded, you might be ready to start introducing some growth habits. Things like regular exercise and emotional regulation strategies like mindful eating, journalling and mediation. These habits are going to set the tone for a lifestyle change that is going to stop you entering survival mode again- because they’re going to increase yourself awareness, and you’ll get some big fat alarm bells ringing if you’re anywhere near survival mode again. Keep going with your sleep focus here- let’s make sure your basic needs are being met.

Next, we’re looking to help you to tune into your body again, as you likely felt disconnected and/or disembodied when you were in survival mode. Overthing and anxiety keeps you in your head- and stops you listening to your body’s needs. You become separate from your body and you might start to think that the only way to feel better is to control your body by dieting. The reality is that you need to learn to feel (as opposed to keep thinking). You’ll feel more present and calmer as a result, and will experience glimmers of what it’ll feel like to thrive again. Yoga and somatic therapy is good for this, as is breath work and meditation. Journalling using the feeling wheel works for many women too.

From here you’ll enter a phase of consistency where you learn how to manage your new habits within the constraints of your other responsiblities- work, family, caring etc. You’ll learn that progress is more important that perfection and that it’s what you do most of the time that matters. You’ll learn what realistic and sensible movement looks like for you and how it feels.

All the time here , you’re concentrating on your sleep, your hydration and eating wholesome, nutritious foods. You’ll learn that you don’t have to be 100% perfect everyday but you do need to make daily intentional effort to look after yourself.

Next you’ll want to feel like you’re making progress- so we’ll review and tweak your weekly movement, making sure it stays interesting and you know how to manage it around energy peaks and troughs. We’ll make sure you have robust emotional regulation tools and have an improved relationship with food, exercise and your body.

And then, out of nowhere (but actually out of a lot of hard work and habit building) you’ll stop and realise that you are thriving. That you are so very removed from the broken, lost confused person who started Coaching 9 months ago. You’ll realise that your life’s stressors aren’t that different, but your ability to cope has changed significantly, and that you no longer fall apart when faced with set backs. You’ll be a better, more robust version of yourself with a million new learnings from your rock bottom. And you’ll have a whole toolbox of habits and tools that will mean you know how to look after yourself for the rest of your magnificent life.

You’ll feel hopeful and optimistic and you’ll be able to look back at what you’ve achieved and be so proud of yourself. And you’ll know that it was you that did the work, and that you are strong beyond your wildest dreams.

Ready for this? Email me Beth@movemehappy.me to enquire about my 1-1 Coaching Programme.