The first step is always the hardest

By Alice O'Brien, Churchview Psychotherapy, Millstreet

A few months ago I began to feel stressed. I was feeling tired, unmotivated, and maybe a bit over-whelmed. I wondered what to do about it, I decided to do for myself what I tell others to do- find an activity for myself, move more, prioritise myself and my health over work and perceived commitments.

So, with a bad attitude and a huge sense of reluctance, I joined a gym class. I fully believed that I would not be able to keep up, that I would not fit in, and that everyone would be looking at me. And, surprise-surprise, they were not - no one cared - everyone was just there for themselves; they had no interest in who was beside them except to give a nod of encouragement. As for the keeping up part - I’d be lying if I said it was a breeze (more like a gale force wind) but our bodies are surprisingly resilient and can do a lot more than we give them credit for.

Next for the mental health and the endorphins that everyone raved about. I hoped to leave the class with the level of Zen only seen in Buddhist monks. I may not have reached those heights but my stress was reduced, my sleep improved and I was calmer and less anxious afterwards. These are all the things that research tells us regular exercise and movement can do.

It is funny how our thoughts can dictate so much of what we do - or don’t do in some cases. We know what we need to do but we think ourselves out of it. We allow selfdoubt and self-limiting believes get in our way. We allow the little voice in our head to dictate our actions, the little voice that is unkind and says nasty things about our abilities and our beliefs.

So, ignore that little voice and do the thing - the thing that you are telling yourself you can’t do. Go for the walk, join the gym class, go to yoga- just take the first step. No-one is looking; they are all just trying to ignore their own little voices. And, in a surprising turn of events, I continue to go to the gym class. So, if I can do it, so can you.