Happy Bladder, Happier You? 4 tips to help you reflect on your progress so far

Probably not, let's be honest!

As with any challenging health condition, our bladder weakness can affect our lives in many silent ways, as well as the obvious. Challenges that have become almost the norm in our everyday mean that we can minimise how big the impact is as we learn to cope with the side effects and symptoms. 

For those of us who have focused on improving our bladder health this year, reflecting on the changes we’ve made, both big and small, and how they’ve aided our progress helps us to celebrate the ‘little wins’ and start the new year positively. More than just a little ritual, reflection is a powerful way to reinforce habits that have had a positive impact on our bladder health and affirm the changes for the new year, aiding consistency and supporting our mental wellbeing, too.  

Don’t worry - reflection doesn’t have to take hours or require elaborate journaling; we’ve got a few simple practices that you can do while sitting on the loo (!), cooking the Christmas dinner, or while you are in the car driving to see loved ones over the festive period. 

Here are four easy ways to reflect on our bladder health progress this Christmas, helping us feel proud of what we’ve achieved and inspired for the year ahead.

1. Go back to the beginning of the year

Take a moment to cast your mind back to where you were at the start of the year. How did your bladder health feel back then? Were leaks, urgency, or discomfort holding you back from activities you love? Maybe you’d already begun taking steps, like trying Jude’s Bladder Control supplements, but hadn’t yet seen the full benefits.

If you have a pen and pad handy - or maybe even your phone - spend just a few minutes recording your memories of how things were before you started focusing on bladder health. If you don’t fancy writing, try recording a voice note or a video for yourself. Don’t worry about making it perfect! Perhaps you noticed improvements in the frequency of leaks or had fewer sleepless nights due to waking up for the toilet. By contrasting your starting point with where you are now, you’ll hopefully feel a sense of achievement of how far you’ve come. 

2. Think of the little wins that have made the biggest difference

Too often it’s the little things that we overlook, but that make a big difference to our lives. Perhaps you’ve worried less about where the loo is when you are out and about, or maybe you’ve slept through without the constant need to pee during the night.

Make a list of those little wins and changes you’ve made: even if you now realise you drink more water than you did before, or perhaps you don’t worry about coughing, or laughing because you have more control over your pelvic floor.  If you’ve made specific changes, you can note those too - like reducing your caffeine intake, or taking Jude’s Bladder Control supplements, or ensuring you do your pelvic floor exercises every day! 

3. Celebrate the big - and little - ways your life has changed

It’s only when things go wrong that we really realise how our bladder health is deeply connected to our overall wellbeing, isn’t it? When we take steps to improve an area of our health like this, it can have a surprising impact on other areas of our lives, too. 

In this practice, take time to reflect on the lifestyle changes you’ve embraced this year: have you made an effort to drink more water, eat more bladder-friendly foods, or stick to a regular exercise routine? Perhaps you finally found consistency when taking your Jude Bladder Control supplements, and have seen your efforts pay off?

Consider how these shifts have influenced your daily life. Maybe you’ve felt more energised, experienced fewer leaks or urges for the loo, or perhaps you’ve even found joy in a new hobby like yoga or walking. This kind of reflection doesn’t just highlight what’s worked for you; it also helps reinforce the positive habits you’ve built and will continue into the new year, too. 

And finally, take a moment to congratulate yourself on these efforts! We don’t celebrate our small achievements enough. Progress isn’t always about perfection - it’s about committing to making the effort for ourselves as we do others and the choices that support our long-term health.

4. Set your bladder health intentions and goals for the new year

The final part of this practice is to think about what we want from the year ahead. No, we aren’t recommending resolutions, because let’s be honest with ourselves… we don’t keep them, do we? Instead, let’s set intentions for the new year and our bladder journey ahead that will build on your progress so far. 

Simple, focussed goals that are achievable and not pie-in-the-sky (hands up if you’ve started many years thinking you’ll go to the gym every day… ooops!) are a great starting point for setting new intentions. Think about consistency and habits you would like to form - habit stacking is one of the trendy buzz words that tend to float about this time of year, but the concept is sound in that you find one habit you do regularly, and simply build on it. 

Perhaps you’d like to continue taking supplements that support your bladder health, increase the amount of times you do your pelvic floor exercises a day, or build a habit of journaling how you’re feeling each week. You could also think about other areas of self-care, such as improving your sleep routine or taking more time to relax and reduce stress, which can also have a positive impact on bladder health.

By framing these intentions in a positive, achievable way, you’re more likely to stay motivated and committed.

Happy new year to you - and your bladder!

Jude’s clinically proven supplements give you better bladder and pelvic floor control, helping you sleep through the night and regain the freedom to live life on your own terms. With just one capsule morning and night, you'll have relief from need-to-go urgency in just 12 weeks.