Where Do You Begin?

Don’t worry, this isn’t a sales pitch. I just needed a photo that captured the idea of moving forward when you’re feeling stuck (not the easiest thing to illustrate!), so I went with the little item that kick-started me into looking after myself again after a spell of perimenopause low mood.

At the time, I felt completely lost. The idea of making big changes was overwhelming, and I found myself caught in a frustrating loop: tearfulness > low mood > “must do better” > “but I don’t know where to start” > guilt > back to tearfulness again. I’ve since discovered that this cycle of overwhelm and self-doubt is really common during perimenopause. Hormones in chaos can leave you feeling angry, tearful, or paralysed by indecision, and acknowledging that truth is the first step toward easing it.

My motivation was flatlining, and procrastination had me in its grip. So I started small, tiny, in fact. In a bid to reclaim some sense of self-worth, I decided to take care of my hands with a humble 67p hand cream from Aldi. My thinking was: if these hands spend so much time caring for others, surely they deserve a bit of care themselves. Every morning, I made a ritual of applying the cream, reminding myself why I was doing it. I never missed a day. Still don’t.

That one tiny act gave me a surprising sense of achievement. It was proof that I could start somewhere. Bit by bit, my positivity returned, and I added a few morning stretches into the mix, nothing dramatic, just 5–10 minutes. Recently, I even took myself for a swim in the sea pool at Westward Ho! on a mid-morning weekday. For me, it felt gloriously indulgent to put myself first, but I now know it isn’t indulgence at all; it’s essential. My future self will be grateful for every one of these small steps.

I’m not saying everyone needs to rush out and buy cheap hand cream (and no, Aldi isn’t paying me to say this, any hand cream you love will do). The point is to find a starting point that feels manageable, something that’s just for you. Begin there, and see where it takes you.

And if you do give it a try, I’d love to hear how you get on.