Who has time for a wellness routine?

Can stress be positive, working from home and being happier in the pub.

Is there such a thing as good stress?

For my regular readers (thank you!), you might have noticed my writing has slowed a little lately, and I wanted to explain why.

My head’s been at capacity with some exciting new developments at my agency - we’re merging with another company, meaning new clients, a new team, and a new infrastructure. It’s exciting and feels like I’m on the precipice of a new (better) future me. Which is especially welcome as I near the end of my time working on my skincare brand. My usually busy brain has been even busier, fizzing with ideas for what’s to come. All of this has been taking up my bandwidth, meaning the topics I want to cover here aren’t producing as naturally.

I’ve been living off cortisol - but in some ways, thriving off cortisol - which has made me question: is there ever such a thing as good stress? My confidence is at an all-time high and I’m loving it, fuelled by the "stress" from newfound success.

I don’t know if you can ever claim that being stressed is a good thing? I’m not the right person to ask when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. I don’t adopt the best practices across the board (my son asked me earlier why my wee “smells funny” and I had to admit it’s “because I’m not drinking enough water”).

I often wonder how people can find time for a full wellness routine when I just about manage basic hygiene practices like changing the bed, flossing and washing makeup brushes. I never seem to have enough hours in the day.

Which is why working from home is so handy.

Being able to pop on the washing between Zoom calls means that when you do get a day off, you can actually have just that - a day off from life’s requirements - and do something you actually enjoy. That’s how real work-life balance is created.

It’s why I'm so riled by Nigel Farage’s condemnation of working from home. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: people deserve flexibility. And it’s not even like that isn’t self-serving - as an employer, if you offer understanding and flexibility, you get a lot back. People that are going to shirk work will do that if you micromanage them or not. If they’re sat in a company office or on the sofa at home.

Excluding people from working is not the answer.

It’s reported that over 70,000 women per year lose their job through pregnancy, while 98% want to return to work after having a baby - but most don’t feel it’s viable. That’s a devastating statistic - and when flexible working keeps coming under fire, it’s crucial to counter with the real positives it offers.

I want to be a (good) mother and have a career.

I want to be able to show up for my children - it’s as simple as that. But I’m also innately ambitious, and balancing those two things is only made viable through flexible working. It’s not just about flexibility. It’s about setting real boundaries - so work and home life stay separate. I do struggle to keep to “normal” working hours, and I also feel torn as I don’t really believe success can come that easily either. You have to be willing to put the hours in. I’m still working on both those things for myself, but that doesn’t mean I don’t understand how important it is to try and create that balance and set an example for employees.

There are absolutely benefits to working together in the office (or elsewhere) - faster and better learning, socialising and interacting help diminish the anxieties that can set in from working solo. I’m not saying I don’t see the value of office roles - honestly, I think hybrid setups are probably the most ideal. But building workplace situations based on individual needs, rather than cementing one-size-fits-all rules, is, in my opinion, the best way to get the best out of a team.

Undeniably, being with people is fuel for the soul.

I liked a recent article in The Guardian by Isabel Brooks. She captures how Gen Z might be physically healthy - but it’s a shame we don’t spend more time in the pub (or just interacting and building real-world relationships). My take is that perhaps we’re sacrificing our mental health for our physical health. And maybe being “healthy” isn’t really that healthy at all. I grew up in pubs (my parents owned them), so of course my view is a little skewed. But it’s not really about going to the pub. It’s about the idea that maybe giving ourselves too much thought isn’t the healthiest way to live. Now, I could definitely benefit from dedicating more pockets of time to myself. But I don’t think the key to happiness is thinking about yourself too often, too?

[This weekend at the foodies festival, not the pub, but close.]

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