When we first started this journey to a healthier life, we were focused on what was on our plates but mental health? Nah, ok, maybe we were a little stressed but we were under the general consensus that we weren’t in need of any help or guidance. 

But as time went by and we delved further into wellness, it grew harder to ignore this important piece of the puzzle to total wellness. So we booked a therapist and went all in. We dedicated several hours a week to discussions revolving around issues that weighed us down.   

Today though, we can see that before we started looking inwards, we used the outside world as a scapegoat. If only it weren’t for our, mesley start-up salaries, a distanced husband, an irritating ex, nagging parents, kids who never do as we say, a cross colleague, or the rude journalist this morning, then our life would be perfect. Why was the world seeming to plot against us? we thought.  

Then, one day we got a call that made our noses wrinkle. A wellness coach asked us if we wanted to try meditation. We considered ourselves open-minded but meditation seemed a bit woo-woo? 

Her reply,

“Yes, by talking about our problems you can create awareness. Awareness is necessary for a change to happen but awareness is not enough for you to make the change that is required.”

Help! we thought. Should we continue to go to therapy for the rest of our lives? And how could we afford that? Sure, the therapy had helped us a lot, for example, we had been given advice on how not to dwell on things and gained tools to deal with difficult situations in life, but often when one thing resolved, something new soon appeared, omitting the previous problems and continuing the vicious circle.

The wellness coach continued,

“Through meditation, you will turn your focus inward instead of outward. You will be able to see a pattern of how you create your own life. When you become annoyed and frustrated with others, it is almost always a need within you that is not met instead of the other way around. Instead of seeking confirmation from others, we can give love to ourselves through mediation. It’s called self love and is the key to inner peace.”

We were curious of course but at the same time, a bit skeptical of all this self love chatter. A lack of love didn’t seem like our biggest problem at the time. We got oodles of it everyday from our kids, our friends, family, colleagues and supporters! 

Fast forward to now, a year later and we’ve been meditating ever since. Worth noting is the complete life revolution we have experienced during this last year. Slowly but surely we became aware of the self criticism we subjected ourselves to daily and how we held ourselves to standards we wouldn’t do for anyone else. Put simply, we realized we were standing in our own way.

The greatest fear of all has been to show our vulnerability. Every time someone or something made us feel threatened the guards went up. After wading into these scary waters, daring to show others our weaknesses, we’ve realized that it actually brings you closer to those around you. Really close.  So we have taken down our guards and foster more self love than criticism nowadays.

Do you feel some of the same skepticism we did but are curious about more? Keep a watch out here for something in the works called Mood Pharmacy, launching on our new platform soon! There we will be talking less about food and more about moods and mental health. Eating healthy, exercising and prioritizing sleep doesn’t equivalate to great health if the voice inside your head isn’t actually on your side.

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