Why being healthy feels hard when you’re busy
You wake up early. Perhaps a half hour before the rest of the house wakes. An hour, if you can. You avoid coffee first thing, as has become your habit and have a glass of warm water with a slice of lemon instead. You climb into something comfy and set out your mat. You sit on the floor with your warm lemon water, light a candle and some incense, and pull your journal closer. You close your eyes for a while before picking up your pen.
You’re grounded, and settled, you’ve journaled your thoughts for the morning and you’ve started the day with the dust mites frolicking and dancing in the soft light of morning, as the dawn seeps its promises through the gap in your curtains…with the birds stirring outside and the gentle rise and fall of your chest as you breathe in and out…you turn your thoughts towards breakfast, a warm shower, getting dressed for the day with clothes you already put out the evening before…
Hahahahahaha. Who are we kidding?
Here’s what really happens. You hit snooze a couple of times before your eyes open with a sense of impending doom. You throw the covers back, scattering the cat and not getting clawed if you’re lucky, your daily heads-up display already overlaying your tasks and responsibilities on the ceiling above. Whispers of conversations from yesterday, emails that must be sent today and calls that must be had and shopping that must be done and oh-dear-when-last-did-I-wash-the-windows follows you to the kettle. You all but gulp down that first cup as you drop two slices of bread into the toaster. You shower. You dress. You search for the shoe that got kicked under the bed the night before. You fumble for your keys, grab your phone, chuck them into your bag and head out. As the car pulls out of the driveway…already knowing full well that you are not on time to miss the traffic this morning and already picturing that withering look from Susan the Bookkeeper…you suddenly remember:
Your toast is still in the toaster.
Welcome to life, human. And amongst all of this real life, there is still that voice saying: come on. Take care of yourself. Eat well. When was the last time I went for a walk? Am I drinking too much coffee? Am I DRINKING too much, period? I don’t remember the last time I had a piece of fruit and, whatever, you know, it’s not like the cafeteria at work has any fruit. Unless it’s deep-fried. With chicken wings.
And so you stop. Take a pause. Imagine for a second that yes, actually, maybe I could…and then you shake that off and walk on. Because ain’t no one got time for this, no matter what the Instagram models tell us.
Now, I wonder…do you recognise yourself in this? I know I recognise myself. I’m not perfect, far from. I have the same struggles you do. We don’t all have the same 24 hours. Many of us scarcely have one. And in that hour you’re…what…supposed to eat well, walk a little, perhaps bring a little intention into the day and somehow unravel years of bad habits and begin to…get healthy?
Yes. Actually. We are always so quick to say “I only have an hour for this today”. Only. I only have one. How about we remove that one little word and say, instead: “I have an hour for this today”. 60 minutes. Today. Even if that one hour is broken into six 10-minute gaps…
It is space enough to start. It is time enough to do one small thing. Today. That one small thing is next week’s milestone. It is next month’s goal reached. It is a habit forming. And it is a lifestyle change. One thing.