“I trust there is a plan far greater than mine”
Hello friends,
I’m showing up a bit differently today, I hope you’ll forgive me.
I’ve been feeling very anxious again recently. Those of you who know me will know this is not a new thing, but rather something I manage, something that pops up from time to time, particularly if I’m worried about things or if my hormones are going through another shift.
My training bookings have been fewer this year than in previous years, and that’s really scary. I’m developing new aspects of my business, so in some ways I’m grateful that I’ve had time and space to do that, but it's still absolutely terrifying being the sole earner in my single-parent household. I don’t mind admitting that I’ve been looking at jobs in the last week or two, questioning whether I should give this all up and return to “stable” employment.
It's ironic, maybe, that my work is around stress management and my own life is far from being stress-free, but actually, I think it’s important to show up and be real, and also to show that I genuinely understand when someone is experiencing stress, burnout or anxiety. It’s not that our experiences will be the same (each is unique to us!) but I do have my own lived experience to draw upon which provides me with a deeper level of empathy and fuels my passion to support others.
It’s also important to get some perspective on how many people experience anxiety, and just what impact this, and other examples of poor mind-health has on the economy:
In 2023, an average of 37.1% of women and 29.9% of men reported high levels of anxiety in the UK.
32% of UK adults reported that being able to afford to pay bills was a significant cause of anxiety in the past two weeks.
The cost to employers of poor mental health is £51bn per year.
Presenteeism is the largest contributor, where people work in spite of illness and not perform at their full ability, which is costing employers around £24 bn annually.
However, for every £1 spent on supporting the mental health and wellbeing of their workforce, employers get (on average) about £4.70 back in increased productivity.
Sources: Priory Group and Deloitte
As for me, I’ll practice what I preach and take care of myself. I’m exercising (nothing too high cardio, to manage my cortisol levels), I’m connecting and sharing, I’m meditating and I’m gently nudging my inner-critic (she’s the one who wakes me up in the morning to tell me what a mess my life is) to speak more kindly.
My mantra for this month is “I trust there is a plan far greater than mine” because you know what? Despite the doubt and dread, I HAVE managed to get myself this far. I’ve built a whole life from scratch (that's a story for another time!) and I have managed to pay the mortgage and feed myself and my son as a self employed person for the last four years. So I choose to trust that this journey will work out for me until it really isn’t. But I’m not there yet.
Thanks for sticking with me!
