Thank you for being here, reading, listening and sharing my work. I hope you may benefit in some way from the insights and practices provided to help you navigate your personal and life’s ever changing landscape.
Nourishing Life is a combination of a contemplative podcast drawn from my life as a water nomad with prompts, insights and rituals for self care whilst navigating depression and menopause. Using simplicity and nature to inspire, heal and reinvent a better me and you. Written from my floating home in nature on the Great River Ouse, Cambridge.
Art of Attention Deck by Elena Brower and Erica Jago
I’ve been thinking a lot about the title l’ve given this piece lately ‘Preparation is Self Care’ and how by considering that mantra maybe helpful in listening, healing and tendering to rediscover a better me and you!
Let’s be frank here, as l mentioned in my last two pieces, l have been battling with some life challenges that really effected me more than l could have imagined, mentally, physically and emotionally.
What helped? Simply and unapologetically taking some time out for most of January. Instead of planning my projects and goals, l did nothing. I needed rest, real rest and to ease in myself into 2025 gently and with self care whilst remaining a part-time observer from afar.
Listening, Tendering and Healing
One form of healing that seemed to help me was the practice of deep listening in silence so l could climb underneath the doubt that was surfacing. That looked like less pressure and expectations and instead more pottering around mindfully, exploring and doing things that genuinely interest me.
Preparation and Prayer
Another aspect of this process was Prayer. I prayed every night for guidance and help to ease my physical and emotional pain not just for me but for my partner (never underestimate the power of prayer). I like to think of prayer as a form of preparation because after all guidance is what is been asked for. Answers arriving in the most unexpected ways and forms. I stayed close to my intuition retreating into the quiet spaces between my thoughts and finding refuge deep within.
Whispers from Within
During menopause hearing these intuitive whispers can sometimes seem impossible. Our memories and mind shaped by our hormones become less tolerable to brainstorming, focusing and multitasking. The unclear mind makes it’s presence felt. Feelings of overwhelm with what lays ahead and the anxiety of running out of time replacing the once very capable mind instead.
Simplicity, expression, resting, noticing and walking in nature and breaking environments. Slowly the whispers started to come forth beginning with:
What is it that l truly seek?
What should l be doing VS What would l like to do?
What should l be doing VS What would bring me more joy?
Not having all the answers clear cut but mulling them over in between daily chores of washing, cooking and so forth ideas and inspirations began to come forth.
Vision Preparation For Joy
Feeling well rested and in less pain l decided to finally collect some random short burst of scribbles on my laptop, phone and note book. All representing thoughts around what l would like to focus on and do in 2025. My vision and the words slowly emerging for ‘My 2025 The year of Self Care, preparation and reinvention.’
How l style my vision now days differs from in the past and also from whats out there in a flooded market of journalling. I just want to make mine as simplistic as possible.
Therefore, at the top of mine l give myself a header like ‘My 2025 The year of Self Care, preparation and reinvention.’ Followed by a short sweet statement to myself.
Using the following 8 simple headings and l began to get clarity, these are;
Home - Any alterations, selling, leasing buying of property, moving
Health - What needs my attention? And then take the necessary actions
Relationships - What do l need to improve, what do l need to discard? (behaviours and communications).
Finances - Pensions, savings, debt - Where do l find yourself now where do l want to be?
Hobbies - Doing more of what interests me alongside trying something new
Travel - Where would l like to go, working through my bucket list
Work - When am l now? Where do l want to be and then look at a rough timescale
Projects & Other things l’d like to explore - What would l like to build and do?
Next Steps
I then make it into a pdf and have it on all my devices as well as a slightly shorter written one on my chalkboard. Serving as an homebase, for inspiration and accountability and from where l can add further journalling for joy.
Personally as l write these headings and listen to what comes forth, l know l am preparing as well as healing and tendering to what my soul needs.
How about you? Writing and speaking what you wish to create or bring forth can how a powerful healing effective not just on our psyche but also our neural pathways.
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