The other side of good news

A reminder to live life at your own pace ☕️

Hello my well-paced companions,

You last heard from me over 2 months ago when I announced that I was leaving dentistry to start a new career path as a creator.

That's not exactly a coincidence.

I’m over the moon with my new job, but sometimes, especially with social media, that's all we see- the good news. We hardly ever see the other side of it.

All you saw was my new job, what you didn’t see was:

  • my feelings of impostor syndrome

  • how difficult I found it to adapt to change

  • my time management issues as I tried to juggle Youtube, a full-time job and life

  • my anxiety about leaving a job and being part of a new team

The reality of the last 2 months has been this: a sink filled with dirty dishes, an empty fridge, feeling like a slob because I wasn't exercising and my head being an absolute jumble. I've been happy, but I've also had moments of tears with being overwhelmed.

I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to stay on top of everything, but I realise that was a bit naive. There’s been a huge shift in my routine.

So here’s what I’ve been doing instead:

  • I’ve given myself permission to be a bit of a mess (both physically and emotionally). Keeping a clean home, exercising, eating well and making time for everyone requires effort- and there’s only so much effort we can give at one time. Fighting our feelings can also make things worse, sometimes we just have to ride the wave.

  • I’ve been delegating. I hired an editor and I’ve asked my husband to help more with household things.

  • I say no more. I’ve told my family and friends to be more patient with me until I adapt to my new schedule and I've declined any requests for more of my time.

  • I’ve been honest with my team. So often we try to cover up our feelings because we want to look competent. I chose to be transparent because I was worried I wasn’t delivering my best work. I’m glad I did. My team were incredible understanding and told me they often feel the same.

  • I bought a planner. Never underestimate the power of pen and paper to make you feel more put together 😅

  • I decided what my non-negotiables were. I can’t do everything and a good time management won’t drastically change that. I’ve had to assess what I want to stay on top of (my job, YouTube, time with my husband, my mental health) and what I don’t mind loosening my grip of (this newsletter, Twitter, cleaning, long workouts, yoga teacher training).

  • I took a lot of deep breaths. Any time things felt too much, I stepped away from my desk and went outside. I took some deep breaths and I reminded myself that there's more to life than what I do, and that I don't need to take everything so seriously.

These past 2 months have been an important reminder that any time we "add" something new to our life, things will change. It can be disruptive to our regular routine which can make us feel off balance.

It might take a while before it feels comfortable again, but look after yourself in the mean time. Slowly but surely, you'll recalibrate just as I have been.

So let’s take the pressure off ourselves, enjoy our good news and be patient as we change, adapt and grow.

💭 Made you think

I'm so excited to be writing The Good Pace again, but most likely I'll be keeping it to bi-monthly to ease myself back in. Thank you so much for sticking around and for being patient with me, it means the world.

Have a great bank holiday weekend!

Love,

Akta

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