JOANNA CAREW

From feeling a little low to returning to top form in just a few days! 

In my post earlier this week, I described how I was feeling off kilter …

It was cathartic sharing how I was feeling, but putting my mood in the spotlight also forced me to do something about it: if I didn’t take action, my mood would likely continue to darken.

So, if lesson one was admitting how I was feeling, what next?

I thought about how I get through each day: what I do when I feel on form vs what I have been doing recently. There are significant differences:

Happy Jojo

• Diet: planned meals, balanced and healthy, with occasional indulgences.
• Soft drinks: high water intake, one coffee a day.
• Alcohol: when socialising.
• Exercise: daily walks, boosted with the gym or swimming.

Grumpy Jojo

• Diet: unstructured, either bingeing on carbs or just grazing.
• Soft drinks: low water intake, increased coffee and drinking Coke Zero.
• Alcohol: daily, normally just one glass, but some blow outs.
• Exercise: low to zero.

As a result of these Grumpy behaviour changes, I’ve also been struggling with broken sleep, bloating, and sallow skin with odd spots and dark circles under my eyes.

Having thought about Happy vs Grumpy, my first thoughts were embarrassment and shame, but then I thought give yourself a break, you’re functioning on a high level and these behaviour changes – although negative – are you firefighting to cope whilst you haven’t had the head space to check in and look after yourself.

So, lesson two, I gave myself that break, checked-in with my head, and offered self-compassion and reassurance.

Lesson three, was so so simple: I made a plan for getting back to Happy Jojo behaviours. 

• Bought some fresh but already prepared food so I literally had to take the packaging off.
• Poured water into a pint glass and made myself drink several glasses across the day.
• Stopped the booze for a couple of days, swapping for a glass of lemonade.
• Went for walks and spent a 15 minute session on my rowing machine.

I can not describe how quickly my mood changed, it was repaired within 24-48 hours. Plus, I had some unexpected and challenging tasks to deal with but still my mood didn’t dip. I am in a headspace of self-care and my behaviours/routines match.

Now, I am typing this from Vienna, where I am having the most wonderful time exploring, soaking in the culture, shopping (my favourite!), and spending quality time with my son. Happy happy days xxx