LISTEN TO EPISODE 119 HERE -> https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/R7flp2tsvzb
What Keeps You Feeling Well? What has been helping you to function lately?
You know, the things that are keeping you together when you’re perhaps one thread away from unraveling?
Maybe it’s journaling, reading, spending time with friends, or watching your favourite movie.
We all need supportive tools in our lives, especially when we experience tough times or when our days become more hectic than usual. And, I am going to need this more than ever in the second half of May and likely into June because my father is having surgery and I will step in to look after both my mother and father until he is able to get back on his feet again. It’s going to be a stressful time for everyone involved, so I will definitely need to have my wellness toolkit ready.
So, it’s times like this that a wellness toolkit is super handy to have.
I recently heard a concept on another podcast where they discussed the idea of having a ‘wellness house of cards’ that helps you feel supported and grounded.
“Your wellness house of cards are the things, ideas, actions, and products that are keeping your wellbeing together.”
– MICHELLE PELLIZZON
You can think of it as the threads that are holding everything together.
Creating this kind of wellness toolkit is helpful because it means you have a list of tools to turn to when you want to feel more balanced.
Today, I’m sharing what’s in my personal wellness toolkit and how you can create your own resource library to rely on when you need a little extra support.
What Is A Wellness Toolkit?
A wellness toolkit is a group of habits, tools, and products that make you feel good.
Think of a welder bringing tools along to a work site. Everything they need is in the toolkit.
They won’t need everything for every job. But when something needs mending or putting back together, they can find the right tool for the situation.
In our case…it’s not necessarily a physical toolkit, but rather a collection of things that help you to feel better.
Your toolkit is there to help you get grounded when you need to. You can think of it like anchors for the mind, body, and soul.
What’s In My Wellness Toolkit
Here’s what’s in my current wellness toolkit:
1. Breathwork. I’ve been enjoying doing a few minutes of breathwork for a quick pause in my day (in Season 1, Episode 34, published Dec. 20/22 entitled: 2 Essential Tools You Need – Breathwork & Mental Imagery) of this podcast, I walked listeners through two breathing exercises that I use). If you’ve ever struggled with meditation, breathwork is a good alternative because it helps you be mindful without the pressure of trying to quiet your mind.
2. A journal and pen. I find a lot of my problems get solved if I simply write them down.
3. Music. It heals everything, right?
4. Nature. I spend too much time looking at screens, so a simple glimpse at the world outside helps my wellbeing. And, I try to get outdoors as much as possible – for exercise but also to clear my mind using all my senses.
5. A yoga mat. I can quickly roll it out and create space between me and my desk. Stretch, meditate, read, whatever.
6. Walking. I walk for thirty minutes every single day, and my walks are perhaps the main thread holding my life together.
7. Spin Class. I love my spin classes for several reasons: the fitness aspect, the energizing feeling I get from it, sweating it out feels to good for my body, it’s an amazing form of movement for my mobility issues, the social aspect (chat with fellow spinners).
8. A plan to eat healthy, fuelling food. You might find this an odd item to have in the toolkit but I can’t impress upon you enough that following a whole food eating lifestyle has changed my life immensely. Cutting out processed food and alcohol, white flour and refined sugar has made a world of difference.
Just don’t forget to include nutrition (favourite healthy snacks) and exercise (mood boosting movement) in your toolkit.
How To Create Your Wellness Toolkit
1. Brainstorm the habits, activities, tools, and products that keep you feeling well.
Do a quick braindump of everything you can think of that feels supportive right now.
It’s best to use things you already know work for you, rather than things you ‘wish’ you would do. Leave out the 30-minute meditation session if you’ve never done it before.
Try thinking of:
1. baseline activities (brushing your teeth, eating a meal)
2. nice-to-do activities (reading, exercising, calling a friend, putting on a face mask)
You might also want to think of the things that nourish your mind, body, and soul.
SIDE NOTE: ** If you have joined our Wellness Challenge on FB or followed along in my IG stories, then you will encounter 30 days of ideas that you may want to include in your own wellness toolkit.
The May Wellness Challenge is meant to nourish all three aspects: your mind, body and soul, so be sure to take part or look the group up for some inspiration: Inspiration2grow for Female Goal Getters on FB
2. Keep a visual reminder somewhere in your space.
I found it super helpful to make a physical list of the things that feel supportive to me.
When you find yourself in a state of frustration or overwhelm, it’s hard to think of anything that might get you grounded. If you have this list readily available, you can take a quick look and respond to whichever habit or action sounds supportive. It’s one less thing your brain has to think about.
I keep mine as a handwritten list, but you could create a menu of options in the notes app of your phone or in your journal. You can pin it to your wall, make it your phone wallpaper, etc.
You could even create physical cards and pull them like a deck of cards (I use recipe cards for this) to help you find what you need.
3. Use your wellness toolkit.
When the going gets tough, turn to your wellness toolkit and see what sounds good to you in the moment.
Your wellness toolkit will inevitably change over time, so be sure to update your list with new discoveries and remove the ones that aren’t working for you anymore.
What’s in your wellness toolkit?
What wellness practices, habits, and products are supporting you right now? I’d love to hear what’s in your toolkit either in the comments on FB, on IG or right here on my blog/shownotes.
My hope is that you start to implement some of the ideas, tips and strategies that I talk about and I would love to know which ones have been beneficial for you personally.
I would also like to invite you to become part of the Inspiration2grow community on Facebook. The group name is: Inspiration2grow for Female Goal-getters. It is meant to be a community of like-minded women who want to grow strong from the inside out. There will be journalling prompts, nutrition and fitness tips, exercises to try, encouraging conversations among the community and lots more. So, be sure to join this group for support, new ideas and the necessary rocket fuel to propel your health and wellness to new heights.
You owe it to yourself to take care of yourself, show up for yourself and become the best version of YOU.
In case you haven’t heard it yet today, let me be the first to tell you…
You are incredible, capable and your potential is limitless. Never forget that I believe in you 100%. Now, go out there and show the world what you are truly made of.
I hope to have inspired you to grow.
Til next time,
Lisa xoxo
