Sometimes in life we have to stop doing things that we love, even when it is good for us. In my case, one of those things was my early Monday morning group swim in ice cold water. This was a wonderful habit that had become a highlight of my week. It ticked so many boxes:
Community and the power of a team
Time spent in nature
Cold water therapy
Fun – so much fun and what a natural high!
Getting out of the comfort zone.
As I have been in recovery from a pretty traumatic illness, my body needed a little time out of anything too extreme and stimulating. I also didn’t feel comfortable driving early in the morning due to the strong medication I had to take at night. I really missed it, but knew that in time I would get back. Today was that day. I was nervous but it was magic.
It would have been easy for me to put it off, to stay in my little comfort zone bubble. But sometimes we just have to take that first step back to happiness. It’s done now and I can’t wait to go back and to build up my stamina in the cold again. It fills me with joy.
If you have had a setback in life, I want to encourage you to take that step back to happiness, whatever that means to you. As I spoke about on my recent podcast, episode 181, it can be easy to lose ourselves and our confidence. When we get a big knock, it can be easy to shy away from living. Because we remember that life can really freaking hurt. But no pain should keep us locked away. No pain should stop us from playing.
I hope you will join me in playing. Because you deserve it. Even if your mind tells you otherwise. You got this.
Jojo Fraser is an award-winning mental health researcher, author, podcaster and keynote speaker, dubbed as ‘the Queen of positivity and a kindness advocate. She is a Tedx speaker and a regular contributor on BBC radio. Jojo is known for normalising discussions around our mental, emotional and spiritual health, making it accessible and relatable to all. She has quickly grown a reputation for having a huge impact even on the most sceptical of people. She was a finalist for ‘ Scottish Inspirational influencer of the year 2022’.
Connect with her across social @jojofrasermojo
Instagram (the old account was hacked)
Listen to her Tedx talk about the power of removing our masks.
Contact – mummyjojoblog@gmail.com
Well done baby! Proud of you ❤️ AMLFY