Refresh, Reset and Renew Yourself
Refresh, reset & renew. Even writing those words gives me a lift. The three Rs of wellness. Does the idea of a complete break from the daily grind appeal to you? Would you like to take a break, put life on a mini pause and nourish both your body and soul? Yes, me too. When was the last time you really took good care of yourself? I hope that after reading this you’ll be inspired to arrange your own mini break.
A Lesson in Renewal
If you’re a regular reader you’ll know I have a course called RenewYou. I like to think of it as a one day mini pause to reflect. Genuinely an opportunity to refresh, reset & renew, albeit just one day. One of my recent clients was a woman called Nadia Mahmud. We were using the one to one version and Nadia was with me in my garden studio. As almost always happens on RenewYou, we have become good friends. And, as also always happens, I learned so much from working with her.
I am now linked with Nadia on LinkedIn (I love LinkedIn – link with me.) A wee while ago Nadia wrote something about the restorative power of taking a break and gave me permission to share it with you.
Nadia’s Perspective on Refresh and Reset
It’s healthy to see things from a different perspective every now and then. I’ve decided to take some time out for my mental health and emotional wellbeing.
I’ll be on a retreat for 30 days where I will wake for sunrise every morning, for yoga and mindfulness exercises, and have four more 10-minute mindfulness sessions throughout the day. I’ll also be on an ultra detox, fasting for 14 hours every day. I’m looking forward to the serenity and emotional clarity that will come with it. As well as hopefully shedding a few pounds.
Just kidding. But for many people, that sounds more acceptable than saying I’m one of the billions of people across the world taking part in Ramadan, right?
Perspective. It’s what you make of it and it’s how you choose to use it.
Ramadan kareem to everyone observing this year.
Nadia first posted this on her LinkedIn during 2022’s Ramadan.
Nadia, What Prompted You To Write This?
I was spurred to write about it after separate conversations I’d had and read about people being lauded for their early morning meditation and mindfulness routines, or giving up alcohol to live better, healthier lives.
All of these are basic principles of the religion I dip in and out of, admittedly, but the practices are seen as extreme when linked with it.
At times, it can feel that as culturally aware and sensitive as we like to be about things, that stops when it comes to people’s religious beliefs, which I find not a little ironic. And the post seems to have resonated with people.
Personal Reflections
There’s so much to take from what Nadia called her ‘musings’, not least a recognition of the automatic thoughts we all hold around ideas that are not part of our culture. Time out can help you change your perspective.
Obviously we’ve all been through a difficult few years together and a period of reflection and fasting seems like a good idea. For some of us the enforced isolation did give us food for thought and we vowed to change. My guess is that a lot of those resolutions may have now dropped by the wayside.
Part of the purpose of this post is to encourage you to get back in touch with some of the thoughts and ideas about life you may have had over the last few years. I’m encouraging you to try out your own mini period of fasting. Renew Yourself. Press pause. Find your reset button. Think of it as switching off and on, that always works.
Fasting for Health
You probably know that there are also very good health reasons, both mental and physical, for fasting. Fasting for a period of time helps the body repair itself. Once our bodies no longer have to keep diverting their energies to digest food, the energy gets expended on healing (see this article on the work of Professor Tim Spector).
Likewise, if we fast from our electronic equipment for a significant period of time, we allow ourselves to take a break from the constant bombardment of information and tune into ourselves.
You can do both of those things with relatively little expense. Obviously you do need a huge dollop of resolve, so maybe try it with a friend over a weekend. Happy Refreshing!
P.S. As I write this my adorable brother has just taken me to a spa hotel in the Cotswolds as a mini-break from my caring role . I am definitely refreshed and renewed and can heartily recommend taking a bit of time out, however you can do it.
RenewYou, My Tried and Tested Career Booster!
RenewYou has helped thousands of women make positive and lasting change in their lives. I deliver it one-to-one as part of a bespoke coaching package for women looking to move into leadership, to progress their career, or who wish to be the absolute best version of themselves.
Posted on May 25th, 2022 by Jane
