A much needed daily reminder
I find that in many ways, I am very close to living my dream life. I am so grateful to be able to go for daily walks, forage and learn about plants that grow locally. I live in the beautiful Lake District, the list is endless… But I am also still dealing with a lot of challenges, mostly linked to my own perspective, internal beliefs and constant anxiety. I feel it’s important to share this as well as the things that are going well for me, as that to me is the most honest.
I am in a transitional phase at the moment where I am about to change my career, perhaps start a business, leave my current 9-5 job which is no longer serving me. All of this is so exciting and I’ve waited for this for such a long time. I remember toying with the idea of studying something new to change my career but had no idea of what I truly wanted to do. Now I know exactly what it is I want to do and the type of business I want to run, which feels amazing. But I also have a lot of self-limiting beliefs, such as I have no idea how I will support myself financially by doing the job that I love whilst also living the lifestyle that I want to live. I don’t see myself working fulltime but I want to be able to go for hikes regularly, explore the Lake District, write this blog, be creatively inspired, experiment with drying herbs and infusing oils which all feels like a fulltime job already! I don’t seem to have this natural belief in myself where I can tell myself that whatever it is that I dream of doing, I can make that happen. I come from a place of lack most of the time where I struggle to trust in the world around me and that things will work out.
I thought I would list below, details of how I have been tackling this and what the work has been for me in practical steps. I see myself working on these things continually as I have held these self-limiting beliefs for such a long time. It’s going to take a while to shift them! This is my much needed self-care list as a daily reminder:
Holding myself accountable: This is a constant battle for me as I notice a tendency to want to blame something or someone externally for my misfortunes. What has also been challenging for me is holding myself to commitments that I have made to myself. I often find myself waking up on a morning and not feeling good, using that as an excuse not to include my self-care practices for that day as I’m ‘too tired’. I’m also trying to find the balance between not rigidly sticking to every self-care routine but to also listen to my body which might be telling me that it needs something different.
Journaling every day: I find my brain often feels all over the place, very scattered, thinking ahead with lots of racing thoughts. To counteract that, I will try to avoid the real world through ‘escapism’. Also, when I’m fear-driven I prefer to avoid thinking about my worries altogether which only creates bigger fears in my mind. It has really helped me to journal every day, regardless of how I am feeling. I might write down my worries and think a little deeper about where they are coming from, or I might write down all the things I am grateful for. Journaling forces me to focus my mind on something and get it out of my head and on paper.
Daily breathwork practice with manifestations: This has been very powerful for me. I have learned through this practice to manifest elevated emotions (such as feelings of gratitude) that I imagine myself feeling when I have my own business and am doing work that I enjoy. I bring those feelings into the present to change my current emotional experience and shift my energy. I might also use some affirmations such as ‘My body is wise and I trust it to guide me through life’, ‘I am so proud of everything you have achieved and fully believe you to be capable of anything you set your mind to’. These affirmations change depending on what I need every day.
Spending time alone in nature in the early mornings: I’ve put this last, but I think it’s actually been the most powerful healing practice that I could do for myself. It’s been the catalyst for all of the above. Being alone in the natural world has been a safe space for me to be fully authentic and connect to my true self without judgement.
One of my early morning walk views
I’m excited to be at this part of my journey where I am ready to bring about change. The past two years have been very still and quiet while I figured out my authentic self and worked on understanding my internal world. Now I feel like I am at the start of a new journey, where I can work on engaging with the world around me as a more authentic version of myself and employment is a huge part of that. I think what you do says so much about you and has a huge impact on your day-to-day life. I love the idea of being able to tell people I meet that I am a blog writer and aromatherapist with a special interest in local herbs & plants. I’m not quite there yet, but I am facing my fears, and I am keeping myself moving forward towards that goal.