‘Make contact and listen to others’
If the weekly workouts create a holding space, the daily workouts are programmed to strengthen your relationship with yourself. These are where you work those smaller muscles and understand your reactions, feelings, thoughts and what you need and want. This involves:
1 x mindfulness per day
People confuse mindfulness with meditation. They’ll say ‘I can’t quieten my mind’, but really it’s about choosing where your focus goes. It allows you to have authority over what you concentrate on. It’s energising and refreshing, which is why I liken it to hydration and a chance to realign your focus.
EXERCISE: Practise mindfulness by doing a body scan, focusing on something soothing, slowing down, adopting selfacceptance or being aware of distractions.
Ultimately, the basic human need is belonging and being with other people and so many of us struggle with it. After a year of being separated, it’s going to feel like hard work because all those muscle groups are out of practice.
EXERCISE #1: Connect with yourself. Each morning, ask yourself, how am I feeling? How am I going to work with that today? Then stay connected to that for 24 hours.
EXERCISE #2: Connect with others. Assess what you need and want from others so you feel seen and understood. Get to know your triggers, be conscious of your attachment styles. and make contact and listen to others – to understand rather than to respond.
3 x appreciation per day
The equivalent of your postworkout glow, this is made up of gratitude and affirmations that work on a deep level on your self-concept. It’s about finding a way where they sit well and encourage you to feel better.
EXERCISE #1: Get gratitude working for you.
Become observant – notice what is going on right now. Notice what privileges you have. Let yourself feel it. Write it down or make some other record of it for future reference.
EXERCISE #2: Create your own affirmations. Always write them in the first person and, ideally, the present tense. Keep them positive (what you are as opposed to what you’re not) as well as short and punchy.
4 x movement per day
We live very sedentary lifestyles and lots of things about how we feel about ourselves and our anxieties can build up inside of our system. When we move around, they literally flush out.
EXERCISE: Make your bed, walk, stretch, dance, do light chores. Think about how it changes your feelings and thoughts. Like a cooldown, this should help your mind and body chill out and reset.