I’ll start out by saying this is the first attempt I’ve made at writing a blog for over a month. I was ill with covid and my one my cats died very suddenly. I’ve been taking time to focus on myself, my own needs and recovery. You might call that selfish, I call it self care.

I started writing again over the last couple of weeks, but I’ve still struggled to return to creative or blog style writing. So here I go.

It seems to me we often focus on the big things in life. Those big tasks, events, or actions we need to take are the ones that play on our minds. They can often feel like they are the cause of our heads feeling full.

I’ve recently tried a different approach to help keep my mind clear. I’ve been journaling and focusing on the theme of getting the basics right. I’ve focused on making sure my basic needs are covered in a positive way and expressing gratitude to the basics. If I look back through my daily gratitude for the last few weeks it looks something like this:

• I am grateful for my home
• I am grateful for my job and wages.
• I’m grateful I am well enough to get out of bed

There is always something going on in life, whether it’s a major stress factor or drama being caused by a friend. I decided to focus on my own basics to give my resilience a much needed boost. When you strip away the complexities of life, and focus on the basics, that is when you really discover what truly matters in life.

Focusing on the basics has given me a do less mindset in my personal life. I’ve stepped back from a few things, made less plans and focused a little more on the day to day. Grief and bereavement is not easy, but this approach has really helped me.

I feel like I am getting back on track with my basic in my life. The rest will follow.

Could you boost your resilience with a return to the basics?