I’m sure I say it every year but I really can’t believe how quickly 2017 has gone! I feel like I’ve had such a rollercoaster year! Although, I’ve had so much going on that my own pole and aerial training has taken a back seat. I thought this is the perfect time to write a quick blog post about the year.

Training

I started off the year being really into training. I had moves on pole, aerial hoop and aerial silks that I was determined to nail! Unfortunately I had an accident in April (read about it here) which made me have a few weeks off. Almost as soon as I recovered, I suffered from anxiety which got out of hand for months. I wish training helped but I just wanted to be at home. I think if pole and aerial had purely been my hobby it probably would’ve been a release. As it was, teaching was a major trigger for my anxiety (nothing to do with my lovely students!) so I just couldn’t face training as well. Luckily I’m feeling more like myself now 🙂 I’ve also been teaching more this year than ever, usually between 5 and 9 hours day, then filming for Youtube and Instagram. I get to the end and my body and mind feel drained! So many other big things have happened that have taken time and attention away from pole and aerial! In 2017 we’ve been working on a new business, moved house and started planning our wedding!

Don’t stress

It so easy to get stressed about not progressing as quickly as you think you should. I always think pole and aerial should be fun! Yes it can also be challenging, hard work and frustrating at times, but it should be fun more than anything. Sometimes life gets in the way and we just can’t train or go to lessons as much as we would like. I’m trying not to beat myself up about it and embracing the other things that have happened this year. Rather than focusing on what hasn’t happened in my training. Pole and aerial will always be there. I’ve learnt this year that it is so much better to have a bit of a break if I’m feeling overwhelmed, than trying to do everything and ending up dreading training.

It’s also surprising how quickly strength returns! I’m very lucky that I teach so much so even though I haven’t trained much this year I have still got stronger. I have so many students that come back after having a break and are amazed by how well they do. If you don’t have time to go to lessons or practise, it’s a really good idea to do some core exercises. These are my favourites:

How has your 2017 been? xx