228. The wine witch
I've got bad news for you if you often refer to your wine witch... ding dong!
Sober Summer - 90 days of 1:1 coaching
Book a space in my Zoom Diary to discuss 1:1 coaching here
Buy the best-selling book Drink Less; Live Better here or order from anywhere you usually buy your books.
Subscribe to my 5 day Drink Less Experiment here
Did you know I've HIDDEN a podcast episode?
It's your secret weapon at 5pm if you are feeling cravings for alcohol. You can download it here
You can work with me 1:1 over 90 days to change your relationship with alcohol?
All details HERE
BTW - If you didn't already know, I'm Sarah - Drink Less; Live Better founder, best-selling author, expert speaker, life coach and, as you already know, podcast host!
We don't have to hit rock bottom, we're allowed to want something different and we can CHOOSE to improve our lives from this point onwards.
I work in the magic space where doubt, hope and action meet... oh.... and
PS I believe in you!
Let's get connected;
on Facebook
on insta
Check out Drink Less; Live Better for blog posts and more
Subscribe to this podcast so you don't miss an episode - also please do leave a like or review and share the love! Thank you
Found the podcast useful? I'd love to have a coffee with you - you can buy it here THANK YOU!
Transcript
Hello and welcome back to the Drink Less Live Better podcast.
-:I'm Sarah Williamson and you can find out more about me on my website, follow me on Instagram, or read my book for all insights and wisdom.
-:Drink Less Live Better Related I have coaching spots available at the moment.
-:Send me an email sarah@drinklesslivebetter.com and ask for my calendar link.
-:Book a slot and we can have a coffee and chat.
-:I'll tell you about how coaching with me might look and you can tell me anything you want to offload about your relationship with alcohol at this moment. Let's get on with today's show.
-:I hate to break it to you, the Wine Witch. There is no such thing. I know, I know.
-:If you hang around in sober circles as I do, at some point you're going to hear someone referring to the Wine Witch, the name
-:they have for that voice in their head at 5pm that sounds like it's encouraging them to pour a drink.
-:The Wine Witch is the playful or wicked Persona some people adopt to make light of their drinking habits. Here is my wildly unpopular opinion. There is no Wine Witch.
-:That voice you can hear is you. Wine Witch talk gets around. It's supposed to be relatable.
-:Maybe it pokes fun at the daily challenges we face, the juggle of careers, families, endless to do lists, and the way alcohol
-:is often seen as the well deserved reward.
-:But beneath that humor lies a much more complicated story.
-:The Wine Witch isn't a magical being who appears at 5pm to make all your worries disappear.
-:It's a symbol for the emotional labour and stress that we carry every day.
-:And the way alcohol is sold is a simple and quick fix.
-:If you're a professional woman in your 40s, 50s or 60s, chances are you're carrying a significant emotional load.
-:Emotional labour is the invisible work of managing your own feelings and the feelings of those around you, partners, kids, colleagues and friends.
-:It's the mental checklist, the constant planning, the endless problem solving that most people don't see or appreciate.
-:This emotional labour can be exhausting and it's normal to want relief from it.
-:Alcohol is often positioned as that relief, a way to switch off, to relax, to reward yourself for all the hard work that you do.
-:Alcohol might feel like a solution in the moment.
-:It doesn't solve the underlying stress and indeed adds to it too. Alcohol isn't the solution.
-:Alcohol can numb the anxiety, but it also interferes with your body's natural ability to manage the anxiety.
-:It disrupts sleep, which makes emotional resilience even harder the next day.
-:It increases feelings of depression and overwhelm and it may even add more pressure because the wine witch Persona sometimes
-:normalizes drinking in a way that makes it harder to step back or say no.
-:When we lean on alcohol as the go to coping mechanism, we can lose sight of healthier, more sustainable ways to manage stress and emotional labour. So what's the alternative?
-:How do you honour the very real exhaustion you feel without reaching for a glass?
-:Here are some ideas that I often share with my coaching clients.
-:Number one, Recognise the emotional labour you're undertaking.
-:Acknowledge the work you do behind the scenes.
-:It's real, it's heavy and it matters.
-:Naming it helps you to see it clearly instead of letting it stay invisible and overwhelming.
-:Which parts of the emotional labour really do belong to you and which parts belong to someone else? Create some clear boundaries.
-:Set limits on how much you take on emotionally or physically.
-:Saying no or asking for help can be radical acts of self care.
-:Find some non alcoholic rituals to relax.
-:Replace wine o' clock with something that truly restores you.
-:Maybe it's a mug of herbal tea, a short walk, some journaling or a few minutes of deep breathing.
-:Practice self compassion, stress and emotional labour don't mean you're failing.
-:Be kind to yourself under whatever tricky circumstances you're operating.
-:All of this is about you, not the witch.
-:Look, if you find the wine witch idea funny or even comforting, then go with it.
-:But remember, the power is yours to do with what you choose.
-:Don't be giving away your decision making or pretending someone else made a choice for you.
-:With or without your consent, you get to decide how to show up for yourself at the end of the day.
-:You get to choose rituals that lift you up instead of the ones that weigh you down. There is no magical wine witch.
-:You are your own best source of strength and care. Thank you for listening in today.
-:Check out the show notes for resources and ways to work with me and P S. I believe in you.
