A note from our founder, this World Mental Health Day.
I used to think feeling better meant I needed to do something.
Exercise more. Sleep earlier. Meditate. Take a holiday. Build a better routine.
And while all of those things can help, I’ve realised that sometimes taking care of ourselves isn't about adding another thing to the list.
Sometimes it's asking: what am I carrying that I can put down?
Before starting Forme, I went through a period of burnout that eventually led me to step away from corporate life. Looking back, I don't think it was one particularly difficult day that got me there. It was the accumulation of many ordinary ones.
Always being switched on. Feeling guilty when I wasn't productive. Filling empty space because doing nothing felt uncomfortable. Telling myself I would rest once everything was done.
The problem was, everything was never done.
Rest isn't something we have to earn
This is something I'm still learning.
Life looks very different for me now. I'm running a business, working, teaching and raising a little human. There will probably always be something I could be doing.
I've had to become much more intentional about deciding what actually deserves my energy.
Some days, that means moving my body. Other days, it means choosing not to. Sometimes it means leaving a message unanswered until tomorrow. Letting something be good enough instead of perfect. Saying no without replacing it with another commitment.
And sometimes it is simply recognising that being tired is reason enough to rest. There doesn't always need to be a reward at the end of productivity.
Find your own anchors
One thing that has helped me is having a few simple things I can return to when life feels particularly full.
Not a strict wellness routine. Just anchors. Movement is one of mine. Making matcha is another. Scent has become one too. Even stepping outside without my phone can shift the way I feel.
Yours might look completely different.
The important part isn't what the ritual is. It's noticing which things genuinely make you feel more grounded, rather than doing the things you think a well person is supposed to do.
Maybe that's a useful question to sit with today:
What helps me come back to myself?
And, perhaps just as importantly:
What can I give myself permission to put down?
I think there is space for both.
That, in many ways, is what I hope Forme can gently encourage. Not a perfectly curated version of slow living, but a little more awareness of how we move through our days, what we make space for, and what we choose to let go of.
This World Mental Health Day, I hope you make a little room for whatever you need.
With stillness & warmth,
Calista