Hey Reader,
The last few months have tested me in ways I never expected. Losing my home, starting again from scratch...none of it has been easy.
And when life feels unstable, health and wellbeing are often the first things to slip.
If you were here for my first ever edition of i-Unbound, then you'll know the main area of focus identified by my life design dashboard was my health and wellbeing.
My mental health has been very bad for a very long time, I haven't been sleeping properly and even though my eating habits aren't that bad, I think I'm so full of cortisol and inflammation that I've put on weight regardless.
I've also developed stress-induced gum and teeth issues in the past year, after a lifetime of my dentist doing nothing more than counting them at each visit.
The world's also pretty heavy right now.
I think most of us are feeling that weight, and the relentless exhaustion that comes with it.
I’d love to say I’ve had some great revelation or that I’m now thriving, but the truth is simpler: I'm just figuring things out as I go.
And what’s helping isn’t motivation.
It’s discipline.
Doing what I can, when I can
Motivation is unreliable. If I waited to feel like taking care of myself, I’d never start.
What’s keeping me going is committing to small, do-able, actions even when I don’t feel like it.
Not perfect, not impressive...just consistent enough to count.
Some things I’ve found helpful:
- Habit stacking: I'm a big fan of James Clear and have found habit stacking to be really helpful. For example, I could never quite manage getting daylight within an hour of waking as I'm NOT a morning person, but for the past few weeks I've been brushing my teeth in the garden (when it's not raining!).
- Basic movement: I don’t aim for huge workouts, just something each day, depending on my energy levels: a walk, stretching, a few exercises at home. I've made 10 minutes on my walking pad after brushing my teeth a habit and have been gradually adding in 10 mins + after each meal, with at least one of these outside.
- Achievable nutrition goals: When I drink a glass of water upon waking, it helps me to get set up for meeting my 2l water intake goal for the day; for food, I'm focusing on protein and fibre intake, which includes 'eating the rainbow'.
The morning routine that works
SO many of the wellbeing gurus out there advocate for a morning routine, but this mostly involves getting up at 5am, meditating and journalling.
I know myself, and I know that I will never stick to any of these, as I simply don't enjoy them and when it comes to life design, I don't want a life where each day starts doing something unnatural for me.
The only time I can happily bounce out of bed is when I'm in a hot country, and preferably near a beach.
Otherwise, for me, 5am is more likely to work as bed time.
The best routine is the one that will work for YOU.
After months of trial and error - and falling of the wagon repeatedly - what's working for me in terms of a morning routine is:
1. Glass of water immediately upon waking.
2. Brush my teeth in the garden for daylight.
3. 10+ mins on my walking pad - or some form of movement.
4. High protein and fibre breakfast (30g+ protein and fruit/ veg).
5. Coffee and socials.
6. Deep work.
I've managed to stick to this routine every single day for over a week now (it took a while to get back into it after my rock bottom moment) and I do feel better for it.
I'm also more productive after following this routine, getting through more work tasks and being more active throughout the day.
My sleep still needs work, but I'm focusing on one area at a time and embedding those habits first so that I don't get overwhelmed.
And on that rock bottom moment, there are always going to be life events, illness, exhaustion or bad mental health days and these WILL knock our routines.
We're human.
I used to beat myself up, but being consistent isn't just about doing something every time without fail - it's showing yourself compassion when you drop the ball and then picking up where you left off, rather than using it as a reason to stop altogether.
Action, not perfection
I’m not saying wellbeing fixes everything. But I do know that when I’m sleep-deprived, running on stress, and skipping meals, everything feels harder.
Making small improvements here isn’t about perfection: it’s just about making life that little bit easier to handle.
If you’re also trying to rebuild, or just get unstuck, start small.
Do something manageable today.
You don’t need motivation.
You just need to begin.
i-Unbound is now a little over a month old, and has touched upon each of the main pillars - life design, personal branding and wellbeing - in that time.
But I want to build a community that really does help you start living the life you want to live and that's why your feedback is really important.
I'd really appreciate it if you could reply to this email with either YES (if these emails are meeting your expectations so far) or NO (if they're not really working for you). Thank you!
Same time next week?
In your corner always,
Sam 💛
