My Wellbeing Toolkit: Megan Bruneau

Feeling maxed out? We hear you - and we’re HERE for you, with inspiration, always, for your wellbeing toolkit. We spoke to Megan Bruneau (@meganjbruneau) about the little things that make a BIG difference to her own wellbeing. As a therapist (and author..and podcast host…) she’s an expert at spotting what lifts her clients up, but here’s how she stays HER best self.

 “My biggest wellbeing challenge is a tendency to abandon myself in an attempt to serve others’ needs”, she says, “where my people pleasers at?!” When you get bogged down in comparisons with other people (life goals, career, whatever) it can be super hard to reframe your thoughts back to a place where you’re at the centre. But saying “no” every now and then is a good place to start, “Over the last few years, much of my personal work has been focused on valuing myself in relation to myself - not in relation to others - and setting boundaries: saying ‘no’ to what doesn’t serve me and prioritizing/advocating for my needs.”

A big part of prioritizing yourself is doing the little things that make you feel GOOD, every day. And what that looks like is different for everyone. For Megan it’s “a day that I’m not rushing and - between clients and creating - experience movement, connection and reflection.” Wherever you are on your wellbeing journey, you might have these goals down or you might not be there yet, but the beauty of building a toolkit is you get to try stuff out and see what sticks. That could be a supplement or product, a mantra you say to yourself or even a hobby that you just have to make time for:

“Since the pandemic began, I’ve relied on Peloton yoga to keep me sane. What I love about it is that you can do a SUPER short practice - 5 - 10 minutes if that’s all you want to do! Getting into our bodies is so important for mental health and wellbeing. I also remind myself daily that we’re having a normal response to an abnormal situation. If you’ve been feeling anxious and depressed over the last year, it’s likely because we’re living in an anxiety-provoking and depressing reality right now! It’s understandable I’m feeling (insert feeling here) because (insert reason that it makes sense you're feeling this way). By giving ourselves permission to be in our experience, no matter how messy, we diffuse any shame created by judging ourselves.

Speaking of the pandemic, a situation that is testing everyone’s resilience and mental, and physical wellbeing, it’s important to keep in mind that your own toolkit is for YOU, which means it changes and adapts to where you are in life right now. Big life changes call for changes in how we treat ourselves, pandemic or otherwise, “I’m very recently single”, says Megan, “I’ve been rediscovering nurturing time with myself. So I’ve been lighting a NEOM candle and using NEOM bubbles and listening to audiobooks and courses about healing heartbreak.”

And while some things will come and go as we need them and heal from life events, others are more likely to stick around. Supplement-fans take note - Megan’s favourite is MindBodyGreen's shelf-stable probiotic for helping to nail your gut health for keeps, and get that mind-body link working in perfect harmony. We’re a bit obsessed with being good to our guts so it’s well worth seeing if there’s anything you can swap in or swap out of your routine - and no you don’t have to reach for the kefir, start with high fibre and fruit!

Start building your own wellbeing toolkit with tips, products and tricks and let us know how you’re getting on @neomorganics.