BalanceAprilIssue2017 - 40

LE
E

P

P

T

H

WER T

O

O

I TOOK
CONTROL
OF MY
LIFE WITH
EXERCISE

O
P E

say' no'
VA NE S S A H A R T L E Y,
41, F ROM C RO UC H
END I S A YO G A
T E A C HER

just smile
M A X BLO OM, 42, I S A N A & R
DIREC TOR A ND L IVE S IN H A MP S T E A D

GETTING PICKED ON AT SCHOOL FOR
BEING JEWISH AND THEN BEING
treated badly when I worked as a tea boy
in my teens taught me to tolerate people
who don't respect me, which I consider
a technique for maintaining calm. If I'm
driving and someone cuts me up, I think
'have the tarmac' and breathe it out.
There's more to worry about in life.
Smiling is the key to balance because
it's impossible to feel sad or stressed when
you're doing it. On the train this morning,
everyone looked gloomy, but as I listened
to my music I remembered I have a job
that allows me to travel and I'm my own
boss. And so I smiled at total strangers!

It's OK to say
'no' if you're not
happy. You don't
lose anything by
having an easier
life! I found
balance when
I split up with my
partner. For years
I was unhappy,
but now we're
good mates. My
advice to anyone
struggling is
to stop taking
selfies. You don't
need the approval
of others.

change career
S ONI A PA DA M, 38, A FA SHI ON DE SI G N
EN T REP RENE UR, L IVE S IN M A IDA VA L E

Two years ago, I was working crazy
hours as an accountant. I decided
to change career to save my life, so I
launched Eight Hour Studio, an ethical
fashion line. It can be a struggle to
switch off, but small things help - I
finish work by 6pm and use a Lumie
clock (lumie.com), which replicates
sunset and sunrise. I do small acts of
kindness when I can. Feeling like I'm
making a difference makes me happy.

40

BALAN CE April 2017

keep moving
C A RLY WIL KIN S ON , 33, I S A FI T NE S S
IN S T RUC TOR A ND L IVE S IN BRI S TOL

OTHER THAN RUNNING THE LONDON
MARATHON IN 2007 WITH NO TRAINING
- I finished sixth from last and it took me six
hours and 32 minutes - I'd never exercised.
So, on my 29th birthday, I decided to make a
change. I went to the gym and worked out for
five weeks solid. It felt so empowering.
Moving is my top tip for happiness. When
you're running or dancing, endorphins fire
and it's an amazing cycle - you feel better,
sleep better and want to exercise more. Within
a year of walking into the gym, I was writing a
fitness blog (projecthb.co.uk). Two years later,
I started hosting body confidence seminars
and I'm now a qualified fitness instructor.
Your body is an incredible machine, but it
needs maintenance. Replenish energy with
eight hours' sleep a couple of nights a week,
drink plenty of water and breathe deeply.
I have an obsessive compulsive disorder
called trichotillomania, which means I pull
out my hair when I get stressed. It got
pretty bad last summer, after I moved from
Shoreditch to Bristol and every constant in
my life changed - my friends, my job, my
home. I'm now having hypnotherapy and
this is the first time I've admitted it, which
is scary, but being open and vulnerable is a
privilege in a society where perfection seems
to be the norm - at least, on social media.
I will be working to become a more
balanced me until the end of my days, and
that's OK because wellness is a journey. B
http://projecthb.co.uk http://www.lumie.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BalanceAprilIssue2017
