A preventative approach to your wellbeing
It’s only February, and I caught myself having a slightly unnerving thoughts these last few weeks: how is the year already moving this fast? Surely the rest of the year, will not go this quick!?
My first instinct was to read that feeling as pre-empted fatigue or overload, but then I paused. The work I do in neuroscience, leadership and wellbeing keeps pointing to the same truth: we’re very good at intervention, but not always as good at prevention especially in our own lives.
In health and mental health, “prevention” is foundational. We don’t wait for burnout, injury, or crisis before we act (at least in principle). So what if we applied the same prevention mindset to how we design our year? Where our wellbeing, rest and recovery was not an emergency response but rather, a protective structure.
What would it look like to plan your year as prevention, not intervention?
For me, it looks like this:
~ Mapping weekends and long weekends ahead of time;
~ Booking leave early - plan scheduled time off before the calendar fills itself;
~ Checking boundary load across weeknights and weekends;
~ Finding mindless activities that fill my cup (I bake!); and
~ Practising clear, respectful communication (including saying no when needed!)
Three “prevention” tips as you think about your year ahead:
Pre-decide your recovery schedule rest and renewal, regularly, before you “need” it (before you crash!)
Load-balance your weeks - if one area is heavy, intentionally lighten another, or review where you can say no, delegate or delay.
Name your boundaries out loud - prevention works best when it’s communicated, not just intended.
A fast year doesn’t have to become a depleted one where your time off turns into healing and intense recovery. With intentional design, it can be a well-held one.
How are you shaping up your year for prevention not intervention?
