Last year The Guardian newspaper reported that nine in ten 7 to 21-year-olds feel worried or anxious and only 17% feel very happy. This was taken from a Girl Guiding survey which showed a massive change in girls and young women's declining sense of wellbeing over the last 15 years.
This got me thinking, if the younger generation of women and girls felt this way, then most likely so did women who were older.
When asking a few of my mum friends on the play ground how their feelings of contentment, achievement and safety compared to 10 years ago the resounding feedback was that it had dramatically dropped too.
Why? Well, I don’t think I need to spell it out — rising costs, gender pay gaps, a pandemic, the political landscape and social media all have played a part, and we all know that this is just the tip of the ice burg.
For many it’s time for a shift — globally we need to strive for much more positive, compassionate change. But for a lot of women that shift will actually be something they want to see in their day to day lives as well.
Now it’s not lost on me how scary change can be, on so many levels people tend to resist it because it requires them to face up to fear, adjust what feels comfortable or positively own a new belief or reality. There is a secret though to embracing change and creating a few shifts in your life and these ideas can make all the difference.
For someone who might be terrified of doing things differently start small. Break things down and ask yourself what micro shifts can I implement that could feel easier and then start practicing and engaging in them until they feel comfortable.
Plan to succeed and it all becomes clearer and much, much easier. Write those small steps down, create a list and really saviour the positive feeling you feel when you tick those achievements off.
Get others involved, this gives you a support circle and keeps you accountable, and you never know who you might inspire to start making shifts in their life too. Don’t ever be afraid to ask for help, you might not always get a yes but keep going, I bet there’s someone out there who can and will.
Finally ask yourself what have you got to loose? What is the worst that can happen? Write it down and make a plan for that.
Great, now you know you can handle whatever life throws your way it’s time to decide - do you really want to stay where you are in life, or is it time to make that shift?
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