April Reflections
Another month down and somehow we’re already a third of the way through 2019! April felt like a month of two halves for me - there was quite a lot of stress and worry, but our holiday last week helped me to really rest and recharge after a tricky couple of weeks. Let’s delve into the details, shall we?
What went will this month?
I had lots of lovely down time
It’s safe to say I was feeling ready for a holiday this month! My husband and I hadn’t taken more than a couple of days off work since last summer, and it had really started to show, so our trip to Skye felt like a very welcome break. We did nothing but walk and sleep and write and eat great things, and it really felt like pressing the reset button after a busy start to the year.
I also had a lovely weekend in the Peak District with my best friends doing much of the same, and it made me realise how restorative these slow weekends away can really be. More of these in 2019, please!
I had some breakthroughs with my business
This month felt like a huge month for my business and I had some real breakthroughs about the direction I want to take it in and the work I want to do. I am learning so much about what it takes to build a business at the moment, but the biggest lesson is that I can build something that I love and that works for me as well as for my dream clients - it’s such a shift from the corporate mentality I’ve been used to do, but it’s a very refreshing one.
I made space for my creativity
You might remember that one of my goals for April was to make some more space for my creativity, and I feel like I absolutely did that this month. I started my #the100dayproject over on Instagram which I’m really enjoying, and I carved out some time for some writing projects too. I’d love to keep both up in May.
What didn’t go so well, and what do I want to let go of?
I was on the brink of burnout
It’s safe to say that during the few weeks before our holiday, I was well and truly on the brink of burnout. This really isn’t something I’m proud of - I know that filling my plate too much is bad for both my physical and mental health, and it gets in the way of me doing the work I really want to do. It was a definite lesson learned for me, and I’m determined to slow things down a little bit during the summer months.
I let my boundaries slip
One of the key factors that led to me feeling burnt out was that I let my boundaries slip a little. I’m a grade A people pleaser so it can be difficult to put those boundaries in place, but I’m learning over and over again how important they are for my overall wellbeing. I can be a better friend, wife, colleague and business owner when I’m protecting the things that are important to me, and I need to remember that when I’m tempted to say yes to everything.
What do I want May to bring?
A slower pace of life
As alluded to above, I’m really craving some slowness this month. Our trip to Skye reminded me just how lovely life can be when lived at a slower pace, and I want to carry that holiday sentiment over to our real life too. June is looking like it will be a really busy month, and so I want to take advantage of a quieter social diary in May and spend lots of time pottering around at home.
More time spent coaching
After my business breakthrough in April I feel like I’ve really honed in on the coaching work that I want to do with my clients and I’m passionate about helping people find more joy in their everyday lives. This month I really want to spend as much time as possible working 1:1 with clients and helping them to start seeing positive results - if you’re interested and feel like you could benefit from more positivity, you can find out more here.
A little garden makeover
Our garden is looking very tired and overgrown at the moment, so high on my priority list this month is giving it a little makeover. I’m hoping to dedicate a full weekend to weeding and re-potting and generally getting it back to it’s lovely self so that we can make full use of it when the sunny weather hopefully arrives.
What did April teach you?