my 'journey to weller

YOUR JOURNEYTO 'WELLER'

By Jo -Anne Sco t t

8 K E Y E L E M E N T S T O C O N S I D E RO N

would be like reading my life story.Indeed it was – I had been diagnosedwith Fibromyalgia and Chronic FatigueSyndrome the explanation as to why Ihad been feeling so shocking for solong.

Then came the blow – I was told mylifestyle had to change, I wouldn’t beable to work for the foreseeable future,I had to slow down, take it easy, I hadto start to eat sensibly, I had toexercise – not more but to start to, Ihad to reduce the stress in my life etcetc. It was too much to take in and for6 months I was in complete denial.How could I not work, how could Ieven begin to exercise when I was sotired all the time and in so much pain, Iwas overweight, unfit, my diet waspoor, I didn’t particularly like myselfbecause of the person I’d become andso the list went on.

After my period of grieving for my oldlife that was no longer I got my headaround the fact that if I got to grips withall that had been said I could indeedmanage these chronic conditions andcreate an entirely new life. Hence‘My Journey to Weller’ was born. Iwant to share with you my story andwhat I did to get to where I am todaywhich is indeed ‘Weller’.

Hi, my name's JoAnne Scott andfor the last 18 months I've been onmy own personal 'Journey toWeller'. Just to clarify the word'Weller' this as you may know isnot a real word it’s a word I devisedwhich explains this journey.

5 years ago after a horrible divorce Ifound myself feeling very unwell.My doctor put it down to the stress ofeverything I'd recently beenthrough. However, I wasn'tconvinced you kind of know whenyou're body is trying to tell yousomething and I was sure my bodywas trying to telling me this wasmore than just stress. I'd hadsymptoms for well over the 5 yearsbut they had seemed to have gottenworse. I was unable to hold downmy job, my life, my friends and myhobbies – what on earth washappening to me? Fast forward 3 years to May 2014where I was on yet another period ofsick leave from work, my doctor stillassured me it was all stress. I wasthen referred to a Rheumatologist. Iattended the appointment hopingthey’d find something to explain howunwell I had been feeling for all thistime. After a quick examination anda few direct questions I was given aleaflet and was told to read it as it

STOP, REFLECTAND REVIEW

By Jo -Anne Sco t t

WH A T D I D I D O N E X T ?

1. Learn to Love myself2. Be present and live in the moment3. Laugh more and smile more4. Just breathe5. Exercise6. Mindset7. Diet8. Sleep9. Start being grateful10. Take time out

Gosh – it sounded an awful lot to mebut it was an absolute fact that allthese area of my life just weren’tgoing to work going forward. Ineeded to get fit, healthy, focusedbut most of all manage my conditionso that my life could continue. Allthese things needed to change. Idecided there an then that my lifewas going to work, it was going tochange, I was going to manage mycondition, I was going to be happy, Iwas going to have a life and my lifewas going to be good – I had neverbeen so certain of anything up untilthis point in my life.

I was now on a mission to get'Weller'....

And so I set to work ...............

So the next thing I knew I had to do was tostop, reflect and review. To start my 'Journey to Weller' I began tolook at areas of my life:

HealthDietExerciseWorkSocial lifeDaily livingSleep PatternsDrinking habits

I asked myself these questions:

What were they doing for me?

Were they working for me?

Were they giving me any benefit?

Were they making me happy?

It’s amazing when you’re forced to do thisexercise just what you find. I found severalareas of my life that just weren’t workingfor me – they weren’t working for me nowlet alone going forward.

Big changes had to be made.

And so I made a list ..............

What things did I need to change? Whatimportant things did I need to add to mylife? What changes did I need to make?

1. LEARN TOLOVE

YOURSELF

By Jo -Anne Sco t t

A N D S O M Y J O U R N E Y B E G A N

What did I need to do to learn to love myself?

Care as much about myself as I do for others?

Maintain my boundaries?

Do what I need to do to be ME?

So to begin my journey to ‘Love myself more’ I started to practice thefollowing things:

1. I started to like myself even when I was having a bad day and feeling grumpy(which is allowed by the way)

2. I started to stop beating myself up if my day hadn’t gone to plan

3. I started to say ‘NO’ more often

4. I stopped people pleasing and started pleasing myself more

5. I started to embrace my imperfections and realise that it was OK to have themas they make me who I am

By practicing all these things consistently and on a regular basis has helped megain more control over my life. I have started to feel more in control of 'ME' and Ilike that. The feeling of empowerment has been so great that it has put me in amuch better and a more positive place whereby I am operating from a place oflove and joy. I actually realise that not only am I an OK person I am infact a GREAT person I LOVE ME!!!

Loving yourself is essential to personal growth, to be able to fulfil your dreamsand to have healthy, happy relationships with others

2. BE PRESENT -LIVE IN THEMOMENT

By Jo -Anne Sco t t


So what did I need to do to start being more present and live more in the moment?

Here are some of things I started to do:

1. To do one thing at a time

2. To slow down a little

3. To start doing a little bit less than I had been

4. To try and space things out

5. To take time out each day (this was a biggie for me)

6. To stop worrying about the future and focus more on today

7. To be present in a conversation

8. To practice mindful eating

9. To meditate for at least 5 minutes a day

Living in the moment and being present is essential for my health and wellbeing. I have finally managed to take my head and my thoughts out of the past, out ofthe future and I have bought them into the here and now. I was missing so muchof the present because my head was always elsewhere. Slowly I have begun tonotice what it is I am doing and I started to enjoy it and to savour the momentmore. It makes me realise and appreciate the abundance of good things I have inmy life and how good it makes me feel by doing them you need to try it!!!

This is so important and creates more productivity by simply just being presentand is the only way to enjoy life to the full. These are simple steps to follow tostart being more 'present'

3. LAUGH EACHDAY ANDLEARN TO

SMILE MORE

By Jo -Anne Sco t t


So what did I need to do to start to laugh each day and smile more?

Here are some of the things I started to do:

1. I surrounded myself with people who had a good sense of humour and mademe laugh

2. I took time out to watch funny movies

3. I made a habit of watching old funny sitcoms from back in the day (FaultyTowers did the trick for me)

4. I made the effort to smile to everyone I came across each day

5. I took more notice of nature around me – there’s a lot of beautiful nature outthere to smile about which we just don't notice

6. I made an effort to think more happy thoughts

7. I occasionally looked back over old photographs

8. I made a conscious effort to smile at myself in the mirror first thing in themorning and also every time I came into contact with a mirror (I was even doing itin shops!!!)

Smiling and laughing more makes me take my life less seriously. It makes memore approachable and it makes me feel more approachable. Smiling lifts myspirits and can change a bad day into a good day. It lifts my mood significantlyand it definately pushes my 'happy buttons'

It can be really hard to smile when you’re feeling tired, under pressure, stressed,anxious etc. But by choosing to smile helps to reduce stress, reduces tension,creates an overall sense of balance and puts you in a more positive space. Andmost of all a smile comes absolutely FREE!!!!!

4. JUSTBREATHE

By Jo -Anne Sco t t


So to just breathe what did this mean?

I realised for sure and pretty quickly that I wasn't breathing properly. I wasn'tdeep breathing at all. My breath was very shallow not great for us apparently.

So what did I do to make sure I started to breathe more deeply?

1. I took 5 minutes each day when I got up in the morning and when I went to bedat night to lie on my bed in the quiet and practice deep breathing – meaningbreathing from my stomach rather than my chest

2. I started to meditate for 5 minutes each day which included deep breathing andalso focusing on my breath both in and out. It made me make a conscious effortto breathe properly

3. I also tried a bit of Yoga breathing correctly is part of this kind of exercise

4. I also took snippets of time out during the day – only for a few minutes to standstill and practice breathing deeply

I find by deep breathing (breathing properly) I feel more relaxed and more calm. My head feels clearer and my thoughts flow better. It also helps me toslow down the pace of my life to a speed which feels more comfortable and moremanageable for me.

Deep breathing has so many benefits to both our minds and to our bodies fromreleasing toxins, relieving pain to improving posture and the quality of your blood. To receive all these benefits plus more we need to make it part of our day to beconscious of breathing properly

5. EXERCISE -GET OUT THERE

AND MOVEYOUR BODY

By Jo -Anne Sco t t


Ummm!!! this was the one I knew I was going to find difficult. Exercise is keyto my health condition. That said when you are so so tired and in pain the last thingyou feel like doing is exercise!!! However, I knew I just had to get my headaround it and do something.

So, here's what I did:

1. I decided that anywhere that was within walking distance from my home iedoctors, hairdressers, my bank and my local supermarket I would walk instead oftaking the car (weather permitting!!!)

2. I decided to find something I liked doing (which turned out to be runnung mightI add yes me running who would believe it!!!!)

3. I needed to do something that was guided where I was not left to my owndevices (I always ended up doing far too much if I was left to do it myself)

4. I put more effort into my daily chores, things like gardening, housework,changing the beds etc it counts as exercise you know!!!

So here's the exercise I found that I really really enjoyed, was guided and I coulddo it and build up slowly Couch to 5K I just love it!!!!

GOSH, I can't tell you how much exercise has changed my life. First of all I justLOVE it!!! But it makes me feel more energised, more focused, more motivated,it puts a spring in my step, it has improved my stamina, it's improved my mood,I've lost weight and it has changed my shape basically it just makes me feelAMAZING!!!!

Again exercise has lots of benefits to both our minds and our bodies and is anessential part of our day to day life. Regular exercise is necessary for bothphysical fitness and good health. It's important we find time to filter this into ourweek

6. DIET - EATHEALTHY

NUTRITIOUSFOOD

By Jo -Anne Sco t t


I realised that my diet was quite shocking and the foods I was eating were doingme more harm than good. My eating times were all over the place and I snackeda lot on rubbish, especially at night. I was an emotional eater – I ate when I wassad, anxious worried, depressed, in pain, tired but I also ate when I was happy,watching the TV, reading a book – in fact I was eating all the time. I knew I hadto make some changes. Here’s what I did.

1. For a start I decided to have a healthy breakfast every single morning

2. I started to eat more fruit, salad and vegetables

3.. I massively cut down on the amount of alcohol I was drinking

4. I cut down on the processed foods I was eating

5. I limited takeaways and fast food meals to a maximum of once a fortnight

6. I started to drink water – lots of it!!!

7. I did allow myself to be naughty once in a while mind – it is allowed as long asyou don’t go mad

8. I didn’t beat myself up if I fell off the wagon for any reason I just becamefocused to get back on it as quickly as possible

9. I changed my relationship with food and ate for fuel rather than for comfort

10. I started to make more sensible food choices when eating out

Eating more healthily gives me the right fuel for my body, giving me the energy tokeep going during the day no more afternoon slumps!!!. My thinking hasbecome sharper, I feel lighter and brighter and it's worked wonders on my skin,hair and nails. I just feel so good now about what I'm putting into my body. Thesaying is right 'you are what you eat'

It’s important we’re eating the right foods to fuel our body in the right manner.Good nutrition is part of a healthy lifestyle. Eating the wrong foods makes us feeltired, lethargic, sluggish, increases our weight and increases our risk of certaindiseases.

7. SLEEP- GET ENOUGH

OF ITBy Jo -Anne Sco t t


Fibromyalgia affects the ability to sleep. Fibro people become ‘wired’ at nightmeaning come 10 o’clock we feel like we can run a marathon!!! So, I had bigproblems with my sleep patterns and have endured many a sleepless nightresulting in then sleeping for most of the next day because I was just so exhausted. This had a massive impact on my Chronic Fatigue. My body clock very quicklybecame completely out of sync. I knew I needed to work hard to get some sort ofsleep pattern in place whereby I was getting enough quality sleep at night tosustain me during the day. It was hard at first but finally I have mastered it:

Here's what I did:

1. Going to bed at near enough the same time every night (including weekendswhere possible) and getting up at the same time in the mornings

2. Not touching my IPad, my phone or my laptop etc after 7 o’clock in theevening

3. To stop working at 6 o’clock and spend the rest of the evening doing somethingrelaxing

4. To avoid watching television an hour before sleep

5. Drinking camomile tea in the evening instead of my regular cup of coffee

6. Avoiding alcohol where possible in the evening

7. Doing my exercise in the mornings rather that in the afternoon/evening

8. Avoiding eating big meals late at night

9. Reading a book or a magazine, doing a relaxation session or listening to musican hour before sleep

10. Only napping for a maximum of 20 minutes once during the day (if I need to)

Getting enough sleep and getting enough of the right sleep has changed my worldcompletely. Gosh, for a change I feel less tired during the day, I have moreenergy, I want to do more and feel like doing more, I am less moody and lessirritable. Getting my sleep makes me feel so alive and helps me to functionbetter, to do the things I want to do and get more enjoyment out of doing them asI'm now, in general, less tired.

For whatever the reason is not getting enough sleep is so debilitating and isdetrimental to our health and wellbeing if this is happening on a regular basis. It’sso difficult to sustain your days when you’re constantly running on ‘empty’. Weneed to get into the habit of practicing good sleep habits every day to help sustainnot only our lives but our bodies, our health and our general wellbeing.

8. BE GRATEFUL

By Jo -Anne Sco t t


It's so hard when, for whatever the reason, you find yourself suffering from illhealth. It’s hard to stay positive and focused about life. I found for some time thatmy ill health took over my life completely and was shaping everything I did andevery thought I had. It became my main focus, it was all consuming and Icompletely lost track of all the good and positive things that I still had in my life. After taking on a series of daily exercises (which eventually became daily habits)I managed, in time, to turn this all around. Among doing lots of things I startedfocusing on being grateful – grateful of what I had instead of what I didn’t have. So what did I do?

1. I started a gratitude journa which I still write in every single dayl

2. Last thing before bed I wrote in my journal a list of 5 – 10 things in my life Iwas grateful for

3. I didn’t always focus on the big things I had I also started to focus on thesmaller things, for example that the sun was shining today, that I was well enoughto go out today, that I cooked a lovely meal for diner, that I always have food onthe table, that I sleep in a comfy bed, that I managed to find a parking space intown, that I live in a lovely home etc etc

4. I started to recognise, take notice of and appreciate my surroundings ie thegreen trees, nature, the blue sky, the birds singing etc etc

5. I started to appreciate the time spent with my family and friends more toreally appreciate being with them and cherish that time and enjoy it to the full

6. I started to make the most of my good days and be grateful for them

7. I started to realise that there were other people with far worse health conditionsthan me

8. I started to acknowledge everything I received and appreciate to the full theabundance of good things I have in my life despite my ill health

When I shifted my focus, when I wore a different pair of glasses I saw my life ina different light. I was amazed at the big shift in my focus. I realised that I took alot of things for granted, things that I thought were just normal. But it's the normalthings we need to be grateful for too as not everybody has them. Change yourfocus to what you do have as opposed to what you don't have. Start beingconsciously grateful for the things in your life, both big AND small and see how itmakes you feel

Being grateful shifts our focus from what our lives lack to the abundance wealready have. Giving thanks and gratitude makes us happier and more resilient, itstrengthens our relationships, it improves our health, it helps to reduces stress andit gives us a more positive outlook on life.

IN SUMMARY

By Jo -Anne Sco t t


All the things I've talked about here are among the things I needed to address onmy 'Journey to Weller'. These are the things that either needed to be present inmy life or the things that were already in my life but needed to change. None ofwhich are a 'quick fix' to becoming ‘Weller’ they take time, effort and patience.But once I started to incorporate these things consistently and on a daily basis andcontinue living by these new guidelines certainly, over time, it has helped me toget to where I am today which is most definitely feeling ‘Weller’ than I've everfelt before. I feel fitter, healthier, lighter, brighter, more energised, more positive,more motivated and more focused about my life. It’s such a stark contrast towhere I was 18 months ago. I still have my health condition and always will havebut I am now in a position, after all my hard work, where I can manage mycondition and live the life I want to live and achieve the things I want to achieveand enjoy the moment. I am the living proof that making changes in your life andmaking smarter choices actually works. I am now ‘Weller’ you can be too

You can make simple changes in your life and make more sensible choices inyour life. By wanting to do this and actually putting your thoughts into action youwill be well on your way to your 'Journey to Weller'.

So, have a think about it.

Are you willing to make a choice, to make a change and take action?

What is there not to love about being on a 'Journey to Weller'?

If you have enjoyed reading this and would like to embark on your 'Journeyto Weller’ you can access my on line webinar where I talk in detail about all thesethings and more. For a small cost of £7 you will have complete access to my 'Journey to Weller’ where based on my experience over the last 18 months, whatI've learnt and from the help I've received from various sources, I giveyou my advice, what I did, how I did it, my hints and tips so that you can make thechanges I made to become 'Weller' and to feel 'Weller’ 'Weller' than you've everfelt before.

To access my on line webinar please click on the link below

Thank you and I hope you enjoy your 'Journey to Weller' as much as I did and stilldo.

JoAnne

xx

##journeytoweller

www.joannescott.com

my 'journey to weller

Healthcare