4 simple ways to look after your mental health when planning a wedding
Congratulations! You’ve said ‘YES!’ to one of the most important questions of your life and you now have the exciting task of planning your wedding. If you’re currently in the midst of organising your wedding, it can be so easy to forget that there are many moving parts to the planning process. Especially given all of the other responsibilities that we have in our day-to-day lives. Just remember that throughout the entire planning process of preparing for this day, you are not alone and your mental health and well-being when planning a wedding should be a priority.
Mental health and well-being is something I’m really passionate about. In fact, with my other hat on I’m a meditation teacher and I’m training to be a counsellor. Experiencing stress about all of the choices you need to make is perfectly normal and it’s important to have stress management strategies in place in order to make the process as enjoyable as possible. So whether it’s additional stress on top of preexisting anxiety – or you’ve never felt like this before, here are some practical ways to refocus on yourself.
Make time for yourself and your mental health
Your wedding day is more than just a party. It’s a long-awaited celebration of two lives coming together. But remember that on the run-up to the wedding, you also deserve time alone to enjoy things that make you truly happy. Set aside an hour or so each week to focus on the things that positively impact your mental health and bring you joy. Be sure to make that time all about you, whether it’s a candlelit bath with your favourite music, an hour to read a new book, or spending some time in nature. You deserve to invest time in yourself and your wellbeing.
Delegate wedding planning tasks to family and friends
Whether it’s fetching and carrying, checking and confirming or packing or prepping, the power of letting go is one that can drastically benefit your mental health during challenging times. Handing over certain aspects of planning responsibilities is essential and will allow trusted family members and friends to support you during this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Handing over projects that someone else can do for you gives you the space to focus on the bigger picture. Trust me – delegation is an essential (and sometimes exciting!) part of the planning process.
Reconnect with your loved one
From making your list and checking it twice, to picking out the perfect outfits, it’s easy for you and your partner to neglect each other during preparations. Don’t forget you’re planning your wedding as a celebration of your love, so make space and time to enjoy the process. In the midst of planning, ensure ‘date night’ is a priority and use this special time to have fun, laugh, and reconnect with one another.
Don’t feel bad about saying no
Having clear, workable boundaries can mean that you’re able to stick to your values and prioritise what’s important while you’re planning your wedding. At this point in your life where the pressure of other people’s suggestions can feel overwhelming, remember that you’re allowed to say no if something isn’t right for you. You’ll find more about setting boundaries in this post I wrote for Unique Rebels Union. As I said in the post:
“Being human means being in relationships with other people. From our daily interactions with work colleagues to the way we connect with our friends and family; we’re all thrown together in a beautiful mess of needs, wants, and expectations that aren’t necessarily aligned or even compatible. High pressure, unusual situations like wedding planning can bring these incompatibilities to the forefront, and even easy relationships can need a little thought and investment.”
And finally…
There’s no doubt that planning a wedding can be stressful and time-consuming. So when we take time to put these small mental health tweaks in place, we can begin to focus on the positive things that help us keep the stresses of planning at bay. At the end of the day it’s about you and your partner, so be sure to look after yourself, your relationship and the rest will calmly fall into place. I’ll be sharing more content around mental well-being and wedding planning soon. You can also find resources over on my well-being website The Clear Space.
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