When Life Gets Hard: Finding a Way to Look After Yourself

Thought For The Week

It’s been a sad week — one that’s brought a deep sense of loss and a shift that feels very permanent. Everything seems quieter and heavier than usual.

In moments like this, I suppose it’s only natural that everything feels difficult.

Even the things that normally seem simple can start to feel like too much.

Exercise feels too intense. Cooking seems like too much effort. Any kind of plan or routine can feel like another demand when you’re already stretched.

Sometimes, the kindest thing you can do is pause, rest, and lower your expectations.

And yet, I’ve also been thinking about the other side of that.

It’s something I wrote about a few months ago in the energy paradox: that the things we assume will take energy from us can often be the very things that give a little back.

Not because we’re forcing ourselves through, or because we’re pretending everything is okay.

But because our bodies need care in the form of food, movement, fresh air, rhythm, and routine — especially when our minds feel a little less steady.

So instead of stepping away from those things entirely, it might just mean asking a slightly different question.

Not, Do I have the energy for this?

But, Could this give me something I need?

Exercise Tip

I’ve actually been surprised by how helpful I’ve found just moving.

Not training. Not running. No plan, no structure, no objective. Just walking.

It seems to strike a balance I didn’t expect. There’s a sense of purpose, but without any pressure or expectation.

It gets me outside, into fresh air, into something a bit quieter.

It creates enough distraction to stop me sitting and ruminating, but not so much that it blocks everything out.

There’s space for reflection, for noticing things in nature, for a bit of perspective — without forcing it.

And I think that’s the bit that can be easy to overlook.

Movement doesn’t have to be intense to be valuable. It doesn’t have to look like a proper session to count.

Sometimes it’s just about keeping that thread there, in whatever form feels manageable.

Something that gives a little back, rather than taking more from you.

Nutrition Tip

When things feel hard, it’s completely normal to lean towards comfort, ease, and convenience.

And that’s okay. This is a time to be kind, and to treat yourself with a bit more care.

I find it can help to think about food as if I were looking after someone else.

Because when someone you care about is having a hard time, you might indulge them for a little while, but you’d still want them to have something that nourishes them too.

You wouldn’t overcomplicate things, and you also wouldn’t stop looking after them altogether.

And I think the same applies here.

Indulgence might mean choosing something you enjoy — something you can be present with, rather than just reaching for out of habit.

Keeping things nourishing and simple might mean meals that are easy, familiar, and don’t take much thought, but still give your body something back.

And even with convenience options, just a moment’s extra thought can be enough to make a more considered choice, rather than defaulting to whatever’s quickest.

Because even in difficult weeks, looking after yourself still matters. It just might require a little adjustment.

Links & Resources

Recipe: For a simple, make-ahead breakfast that takes the pressure off your mornings, while still giving your body something steady and nourishing, try my recipe for Orange & Cranberry Bircher Muesli.

Recipe: I can almost cook this Garlic Prawn & Cherry Tomato Linguine with my eyes closed. It’s my go-to for a quick, easy, tasty dinner.

Easy food options: From Nutrient Dense, to Brain Food, to Good Gut, M&S have a range of different options, providing simple, balanced snacks and meals to help take the thinking out of things.

Inspirational Quote

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

Winnie the Pooh