10 Steps on the road to health and wellbeing

​“Let it begin with each step we take
And let it begin with each change we make
And let it begin with each chain we break
And let it begin every time we awake…”
StarHawk

1: Accept where you are now
We can spend so much time beating ourselves up for whatever state we are in physically, emotionally or spiritually that we've actually got no energy to even take the first step!  This is such an entropic cycle, one that I'm sure has been instilled in us by the shadow side of religion.  In my experience, the first step to healing is compassion for self - and accepting completely where you are now.   This can then be your starting point.

2: Think about where you'd like to be
It's such a great thing to daydream, even though we're pushed to perform, produce, focus, get results etc etc.  Just taking some time to muse about where you'd like to be, think about what is needing to shift or change to be more healthy, more happy or more in harmony with your life, can be a big first step on the road to health and wellbeing.

3: Make one small change
We humans have a tendency to get overwhelmed by change.  We can feel that the journey is way too long or too arduous so we don't even start it.  One of my key mottos in life is KEEP IT SIMPLE.  I believe that at the source, most things are simple; we just make them complicated to fit the worldview that we have built up over our lives.  So just take one small step - it might be cutting out gluten or introducing a walk once a week or treating yourself to a sauna or trying a quiet meditation.  

4: Congratulate yourself and measure the impact
It's good to take a step back after your one small change and see its impact.  We like to achieve things and measuring our progress is a great motivator. So find some way to congratulate yourself and measure the impact of your change (you might write emotions down or have a scale of 1-10 or tell a friend - find what works for you).

5: Make another small change
You can see where this is going!  Its good to find your own pace and your own rhythm.  Taking control of your life is a very empowering thing and it doesn't have to be complicated.  Its one small change after another... until at some stage you look back and see how far you have come!

6: Surround yourself with people and things that resonate with you
We absorb so much of our surroundings and so much of the people we interact with.  So if you surround yourself with negative people, you can see that you will likely be absorbing some of that yourself.  Everything in our lives is important - home, hearth, family, friends, work, play - so part of the journey to health and wellbeing is to attract into our lives that which really resonates with our hearts.  You might want to draw yourself with a circle around you on a piece of paper. Within the circle, you can write the things you are happy with in your life; and outside the circle you can write the things that you feel do not resonate with you that you wish to clear from your life. Although symbolic, this is a very powerful message to your subconscious about what you will and wont accept in your life.

7: Ask for help
We all need help at some stage in our life and that is ok.  Vulnerability is the key to deeper connection and understanding.  We need to let go of the belief that needing help is a weakness. We are huge hearted relational beings and it is only in the reflection of another that we can see what is needed or what is going on.  You might try good friends or even a therapist.  There are many therapies available but what is important is the relationship and resonance you feel with the therapist. In my opinion, the modality of healing is not as important as the therapeutic relationship.

8: Keep accepting where you are
Life is a journey.  It always will be. So it is important to keep accepting who you are and where you are - and resting back into the trust that you are ever changing.  Nothing stays static, no matter how hard we try to keep it so.

9: Make time for play
Play is as important for adults I believe as it is for children.  It brings us fresh energy to face a new day. Laughter heals.  Joy lightens our step.  So do something just for the hell of it. Often!

10: Share your journey
And last but not least, talk about your journey on the road to health and wellbeing.  It may help others to unfold and start their own journey and it will help you to know how far you have come.