How's your water level?

These are uncertain and challenging times for us all at the moment and developing our resilience is key to helping us navigate these turbulent waters. I’ve had a challenging week and one of the ways in which I support my resilience, is through spending time in nature. At Fresh Air Fridays we call this ‘Filling yourself up first’. Sometimes we might feel selfish putting ourselves first but we cannot support those we love unless we pay attention to our own wellbeing. If our tanks are full, we are in the best place to be able to care for those around us; our family, friends, colleagues and wider community.

For my fresh air and nature fix yesterday I walked along a local river gorge. ‘The Strid’, as it’s known locally, has steep banks studded with magnificent mature Beech, Birch, Poplar and a variety of evergreen trees, the combination of which creates a stunning array of Autumnal colours at this time of year. This fills me with joy and nourishes me.

As I watched the water flowing through the gorge below, it reminded me of an analogy I learned from resilience trainer Chris Johnstone. He talks about our resilience as a ‘water level’. Imagine you are in a boat, attempting to navigate the rocks beneath on the riverbed. If the water level is fairly high, we might experience a few lumps and bumps along the way but sail along fairly smoothly, avoiding any major obstacles. If the water level is low, we are more likely to crash into these obstacles, causing us difficulty and significant effort to put ourselves back on the right bearing.

Because I have ‘filled myself up first’, my water level is high. I feel buoyant enough to manage the challenges presented to me this week, without feeling like I’m drowning. By asking yourself “how is my water level?” you can identify if it needs topping up and consider the ways in which you can do this… whatever works for you!

You can find free resources to support developing your resilience here: https://collegeofwellbeing.com//

And if you would like to join my Fresh air Fridays wellbeing sessions, I’d love have you onboard https://freshairfridays.co.uk/session-list/

Autumnal blessings

Helen