Category Archives: Inspiration

Patience is a virtue

So I may have mentioned that at the end of February, I’M LEAVING MY JOB! AND GOING TRAVELING! AND STARTING MY OWN BUSINESS! (Phew! Fist pump! Exhale!)

The point of this musing is not to ramble about my various new directions, but to talk about patience. Because I have another few weeks at my job before I leave. And if I succumb to the enormous impatience that is periodically raging and swelling inside of me, then I ain’t gonna be a very pleasant person to be around for the next few weeks.

It is no coincidence that the first self-growthy goal that I am tackling for the new year is meditation. And I consider this pursuit somewhat of a community service (big of me, I know!). I am embracing meditation and the calm, centred, peaceful feeling that it brings, hoping that it will balance out the insane levels of burbling excitement that occasionally threaten to spill over and consume both me and everyone around me.

Not that I think that there’s anything wrong with excitement and anticipation. In their way, they can be totally delicious. The last few days before my boyfriend and I are reunited each time he comes home from his fly-in-fly-out job are sometimes really quite sacred moments of heightened awareness and love. (Sometimes, however, they are just freaking frustrating.)

And I am really grateful to have so many things in my life at the moment that I am looking forward to. It is an amazing, amazing time, and I haven’t felt this excited for I don’t know how long.

But this excitement and anticipation also makes me kind of wary. John Demartini talks in a few of his books about every feeling, by necessity, and by their essence, having an opposite. What goes up, must come down. You can’t experience joy without sorrow, bravery without meekness, elation without despair.

And I suppose I would really like to be experiencing these insanely exciting times without being quite so attached or emotionally heightened. Because I am so excited right now that I am a little bit scared that I might just burst or bottom out or blow up. I’d like to have just a little more of the ‘observer’ in me and be a little less of the fully-succumb-to-every-fleeting-emotion-like-a-crazy-hormonal-teenager type gal.

Hence the meditation.

Hence the practical action steps that I am trying to tie myself to, in order to sink my energies into actually achieving travel-related things rather than just swirling in an excited thought-vortex. You know, like ‘book train ticket from Girona to Paris’. And ‘buy a camera’. And ‘decide how many pairs of undies you’ll actually need for three months, noting that you’re not great at doing laundry’.

And hence the recognition that patience is necessary. And it is necessary to practice presence now. And that I do indeed believe that presence takes practice. And the word ‘practice’ implies that there will be ups and downs, fanfares and failings in the process. And it’s all okay.

I think that if I don’t start flexing the patience-slash-presence muscle now, I may find myself in Paris yearning to already be in Rome, or to be home, or to be in the arms of my boy, when I have spent the preceding three months longing for nothing but chocolate croissants and real champagne and cheesy-cheesy pizza.

What I am saying, my sweets, is that if I’m not frickin’ careful, I may end up spending the next four months not being where I am.

Which is less than ideal, to say the least. Especially when there are croissants to be savoured and schnapps to be sampled and pizzas that I have not yet met.

Really, I wish to be exactly where I am, wherever that may be. That is my wish for me.

I want to savour these last few weeks at work in all their frustrating glory. It is because of those feelings of frustration that I finally had the courage to make this book-a-ticket-and-leave, consequences-be-damned decision. I want to marinate in those feelings and bottle them up. Then I can unstopper them during the inevitable moments of frustration in my new working life and remind myself why I made my decision.


And I definitely want to be where I am on my travels. Be it at an airport waiting lounge or the Eiffel Tower or mid-mouthful of flaky chocolate pastry. Because to not be exactly where I am would be an unfortunate missing-of-the-point. A wasted opportunity. A cause of regret somewhere down the line.

And I am reminded of this:

‘No one longs for what he or she already has, and yet the accumulated insight of those wise about the spiritual life suggests that the reason so many of us cannot see the red X that marks the spot is because we are standing on it. The treasure we seek requires no lengthy expedition, no expensive equipment, no superior aptitude or special company. All we lack is the willingness to imagine that we already have everything we need. The only thing missing is our consent to be where we are.’ (Barbara Brown Taylor)

I don’t need to go anywhere, none of us do.

Traveling is super exciting and definitely important and crazy growth-inducing.

But all of this is also true of standing still…

 

♥

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Jess • Filed Under: Inspiration, perspective, Travel • 4 Comments

Goal the first: Meditation

I have not yet finished my goal setting for the coming year. I need to feel that the juju is just right before I break out my magic moleskine and light my special candle (coconut and elderflower scented – definitely the scent of success!!) and so far, the right mood just hasn’t struck me.

However, one goal that I know will be on my list (it always is) is meditation. ‘Develop a meditation habit’. Along with ‘reach goal weight’, this little beauty is a repeat appear-er (or repeat offender) on my list of New Year’s resolutions. I have spoken about my meditation battles in the past.

As always, I believe that this year will be different.

However, unlike previous years, I am actually going to approach this baby from a different perspective this time (what is it that Einstein said? That to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result is the definition of Jessica?!)

Anyway. I am reading Danielle LaPorte’s wonderful The Desire Map. And she asks you to focus on your ‘core desired feelings’. If you work towards feeling those desired feelings every single day, then you will be creating a more fulfilling life for yourself, regardless of whether you actually become the Gold Medal Winner or Editor-in-Chief or General King Ding-a-ling.

Why is it that I want to develop ye olde meditation habit?

Because sometimes when I do it, I feel amazing.
Because sometimes when I do it, I know that I am a better person.
Because sometimes when I do it – just sometimes – I feel bliss. I reach my very innards in a way that electrifies me and calms me and ‘whole-ifies’ me. In a way that is so singular yet universal, and entirely, frustratingly ineffable. All at the same time.

But I suppose, mainly, it is because I want to feel centred. I want to feel calm and peaceful and present. I want to feel that I am fully living in the present, and meditation has always been a wonderful tool to help me do that. Even if I have raged and railed and struggled against it from time to time.

So this year, I am going to develop a meditation habit because I desire the feeling of calm, peaceful centredness. Not because I think I should. Not because I need to. Not because my grandfather had Alzheimers and studies have shown that meditation increases brain health/power/longevity and bloody-well-just-do-it-already-you-procrastinating-idiot-of-a-time-bomb. (Yes, because if self-guilt and self-placation don’t work, you should definitely try self-beration.  It’s super fun and garuanteed to work!)

I’m going to do it because I desire to feel centred and peaceful and myself.

This month, I am attending a group meditation session and I am meditating everyday for five minutes. Because goddammit if anything but babysteps just leave me feeling overwhelmed right now! But five minutes I can do, five minutes I can handle. Starting small seems like the way to go. And I am doing it for a feeling.

I will keep you posted.

♥

 

PS – In line with the whole idea of reaching health goals this New Year, my gorgeous friend Jessica Nazarali from Live Healthy Simply is a holistic health coach who is kicking off 2013 by offering a limited number of lovely ladies a free discovery coaching session. These sessions are designed to help you make those lifestyle changes that have seemed just-out-of-reach for oh-so-long. Jess is great at chunking things down so that even the most veggie-averse person can see how implementing small, simple steps can add up to a life of wholehearted health. And if you’re already a green-juice-guzzling-gal, she can help you push it to the next level. If you would like to learn more, click here or email Jess at jessica@livehealthysimply.com.

 

♥

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Jess • Filed Under: Health, Inspiration • 4 Comments

So much goodness…

 

Reading good writing makes my innards sing and my heart flutter and my stomach sigh. Occasionally accompanied by a stab of jealousy (until I remind myself that There Is Enough Pie, Jessica. More than enough. Oodles, in fact. And whilst you might sometimes yearn for key lime or pumpkin pie, your particular brand of coconut-cream pie is just fine, thank you very much!). But usually just with that glow of having read and experienced something just that little bit transcendent.

Over my Christmas holidays, I read a few things that I thought were worth sharing. They are varied in their content, but all similarly wonderful in their quality.

Enjoy.

1. This is an article from the New Yorker magazine about a pickpocket. Sounds random? It is. It is also wonderful.

2. Sarah Wilson is one of my favourite writers. Here, she smacked me in the face with her words (again). This time, on the perils of the festive season and the heightened emotions that it brings.

3. Leo Babatua’s piece on how he changed his life isn’t flowery or fancy or filled with big words. But it is an awesome example of truthful writing, and all the more powerful for its simplicity. Which, really, is what he’s all about…

4. And finally, not words but images. I recently discovered this Tumblr account, called Fit Girl in the Real World. The lovely Camelia curates beautiful images of health, wellness and some crazy awesome yoga. Take care if you are looking at this whilst at work, cos a lot of the yoga pictures are a little bit lacking in clothing…!

♥

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Jess • Filed Under: Inspiration, Links to Love, Writing • 0 Comments

2013 is the year of the ship…

[Aaaand she's back! Thank you all for sticking around despite my Christmas hiatus. I hope you all had a wonderful festive season, and are ready-and-raring to kick ass in 2013. Honestly, seriously: all my love!]

 

For the past month, I have felt this insane level of resistance every time I sit down to write. Crazy strong resistance. Like, there is a petulant teenager inside me who is kicking and screaming and chucking a toddler-worthy tanty.

“But I don’t wanna write!”

“But I don’t feel like it!”

“But I’ve been at work all day”

“But I deserve the day off”

“But blah-blah-blah blerg…”

And really, I have let all of my writer’s tools desert me. I have given in to this annoying beast. I have spent the past month feeling guilty about not writing. Which is super fun, let me tell you.

After feeling super resist-y for all of early December, I finally yielded to the feeling and proceeded to give myself two weeks off over Christmas where I didn’t have to feel guilty at all. Permission was granted. I could let it all go. And damn it has felt good. It has been a release, and apparently, I really needed it.

Sometimes brains need vacations. They need time to prance and twirl and sway freely in the coconut-scented breeze. Mine was singing out for it, but it took me quite a while to listen. I think for those of us living the double life of a really-not-right-day-job whilst trying to create the ‘life of our dreams’ in the off-hours, it can be really tiring and emotionally overwhelming trying to get it all done. (Hmmm, first world problems, hey?! And yet it is real to me, and I need to acknowledge it, and I definitely do not need more guilt in my life…) Trying to create the space to do it all – the time space, the physical space, the inner space – can be… well, trying. Seriously, it takes a lot of spaciousness to create. And more so when your brain is overloaded at the end of a workday with a million things that you don’t really care about, which aren’t getting you anywhere, but which you need to do anyway. You know, so that you get those things called ‘pay cheques’ in order to pay those pesky little men known as ‘Bill’.

So in recognition of this time of Resistance, and in the knowledge that I want to steer myself towards achieving my desires, most of my New Year’s Resolutions are about Gettin’ It Done. Because I have spent far too long living in the awesome world of ideas that is my head, but not actually delivering. And to be a writer, you must write. You must deliver. You must ship.

I have always been someone who is supremely ideas based. I love the abstract, the wild, the surreal. I can brainstorm a million ways to combine a teaspoon, a turnip and a totem pole into a weapon of mass seduction. And this is a super excellent quality that I love about myself… HOWEVER, now I want to back it the frick up! With actions, with achievements, with real-life words!

So, in essence, this is the year that I ship. I will explore my inner world of ideas and wonder, but then I will translate that into tangible, ship-worthy deliverance. Shippin’ my shiny innards to the world. It is all I want to do, and I am so excited. And now begins the learning process, the trying new things, the gettin’ it done…

I’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime, let me leave you with these words of Mr Pressfield, he who wrangles with Resistance more eloquently than most:

Resistance and Love

Resistance is directly proportional to love. If you’re feeling massive Resistance, the good news is, it means there’s tremendous love there too. If you didn’t love the project that is terrifying you, you wouldn’t feel anything. The opposite of love isn’t hate; it’s indifference.

The more Resistance you experience, the more important your unmanifested art/project/enterprise is to you – and the more gratification you will feel when you finally do it.

Oh Mr Pressfield, sometimes you get me all hot and bothered when you just get me like that!

Oh, and in the interests of honesty and accountability and ship-worthiness, yesterday I wrote 2134 words for my book. Booyah!

♥

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Jess • Filed Under: Inspiration, Writer's Block, Writing • 1 Comment

This is me steering…

 

So I have exciting news. Very exciting news. I wrote a post a little while ago about how I wanted to go traveling next year but was having trouble committing to where and when and for how long.

About a month ago, I finally made the decision: At the end of February next year, I am going to Spain, France, Italy, Austria and Hungary for just under three months. By myself. Which is slightly scary.

As you can imagine, I am super excited.

 

 

And then, when I get back from my overseas traipsing, I won’t be returning to my job. I am going to be starting my own business. Finally doing something that sets my heart aflutter and my innards on fire. It is still taking shape in my mind, but it all revolves around writing. And this is almost more exciting than the travel itself. This will be me shaping my career by myself, my way. Which is slightly scary.

And, as you can imagine, I am super excited.

For so long, I have felt like I haven’t been making decisions actively. I have felt very much like I’ve been at the mercy of the swirling tides around me. I’ve felt like I’ve been acting at the whim of the surrounding forces – whether that was having an ex-partner with strong ideas about what he wanted, or doing a uni course just because I could get into it, or sticking around at a job that didn’t challenge me at all because it was convenient.

I think that a lot of this was based on not knowing what I wanted. Except, truth be told, I think I did know what I wanted, I just didn’t want to admit it. Because it’s not the path that I am supposed to take. Because it means not using my university degree. Because there is a whole lot more risk following creative pursuits. Because admitting meant that I could fail.

So this not knowing – or not admitting to myself what I did know – meant that I just didn’t make a whole lot of decisions full stop. I just went where the wind took me. I do not know how I came to miss out on this piece of Most Important Information, but here it is: I did not realise that I had the power to not only influence my life, but to actively create it. I just kind-of floundered along.

In fact, I have only realised that there was an alternative to this method of life-living in the past year or so. At the grand old age of 29, no less. And let me tell you, it has opened up a whole array of possibilities and opportunities that I had not let myself even hope for previously.

It was my wonderful boyfriend who actually illustrated this point to me. He wanted something really bad in his career. He had no experience, no skills and not really any contacts at all. And yet he made it happen.

And at first, I couldn’t figure it out: “But how did you do it?”

Him: “I just did it. I decided what I wanted and just did everything that I could do to make it happen.”

“But weren’t you scared?”

“Yeah.”

“Weren’t you worried that you might run out of money or that it might take forever or that it might not work?”

“Yeah.”

“Weren’t you worried that you might just fail and all of your efforts would have been for nothing?”

“Yeah.”

“And?”

“And just do it anyway.”

“But how do you do it?”

“You just do something.”

“Hmmmmmm…”

Somehow, watching him achieve what he wanted to do over the past year has helped me figure out that I can actually do that too, in my own life. He was super scared and risked a whole bunch and had to spend a lot of money to get there. But he still did it, and I can too. I don’t have to keep going on doing things that aren’t fulfilling me. I don’t have to spend my life in a supposedly ‘good’ job that makes my heart sink just a little more each day. I don’t have to settle for what is.

Instead, I can actively make choices and steer my life in the direction that I wish it to go.

These two decisions – travel and career - are so massive for me, and they are filling me with enormous amounts of hope and excitement. What I love about my life is that I am creating it. I may not have figured out all of the nuts-and-bolts yet, but my course is finally set in a direction where I want to go. Where I choose to go. This is me steering…

 

♥

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Jess • Filed Under: Inspiration, life, perspective, Travel • 16 Comments

Where are you looking?

According to an ancient legend, there was a time when ordinary people had access to all the knowledge of the gods. Yet time and again, they ignored this wisdom. One day, the gods grew tired of so freely giving a gift the people didn’t use, so they decided to hide this precious wisdom where only the most committed of seekers would discover it. They believed that is people had to work to find this wisdom, they would use it more carefully.

One of the gods suggested they bury it deep in the earth.

No, the others said–too many people could easily dig down and find it.

“Let’s put it in the deepest ocean,” suggested one of the gods, but that idea was also rejected. They knew that people would one day learn to dive and thus would find it too easily.

One of the gods suggested hiding it on the highest mountaintop but it was quickly agreed that people could climb mountains.

Finally, one of the wisest gods suggested, “Let’s hide it deep inside the people themselves. They’ll never think to look in there.” And so it came to be–and so it continues today.

 

-Jack Canfield, ‘The Success Principles’.

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Jess • Filed Under: Inspiration, life • 4 Comments

Little Love Notes

Dear Friday,
I am super psyched to have you off! I have a little three day getaway planned with my beautiful boyfriend, and am so looking forward to Not Being At Work. So thank you for your delightful non-workiness!!!

♥

Dear North Queensland,
Ima comin’ to getcha! Three days at Airlie Beach should be amaze-balls. I see a cocktail (or three) in my very-near future!

 ♥

Dear Travel Plans,
You guys! You are awesome! The way you are slowly taking shape in my mind is So Fricking Exciting. It’s been really amazing to have had a random seed of an idea, slowly let it fester and marinate, then (and this has been the key part) start to act. I keep wanting to spout about you to anyone who will listen. Thanks for helping me make sense of where I want to go (both literally, and in life in general).

♥

Dear Sister-pants,
You are a very good sister. And a very good human. And I missed you, even though you were only away for ten days! Thanks for coming back. With a present, no less. That was awesome.

 ♥

Dear Raw Mushrooms,
I did not realise that I liked you until very recently. Now, I am adding you to all my salads like a mad woman. Mad for mushrooms, that is. You pack a decent wallop of vitamin-and mineral-power to my lunch. I swoon at your shroominess.

 ♥

Dear Raw Onion,
Although you stink up my breath, I still love you dearly. It is strange how much I have been craving you lately.
♥

Dear Kevin McCloud,
You should call me! We would get on like a house on fire, I just know it! With your acerbic wit and my embarrassingly-layman-like knowledge of house design, I think we would amuse each other greatly.

Mr McCloud. Just leaning and gazing and thinking important thoughts…

♥

Dear Reader,
Thank you for being awesome and for visiting this here little corner of Ye Olde Interwebs. Please write your own little love note below, I would love to hear what you are lovin’ and crushing on!

♥

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Jess • Filed Under: Inspiration, Love • 5 Comments

Interview!

Happy morningtime, peeps!

If you feel like some lovin’, head over to Arianna’s Random Thoughts and check out the interview that I did with her. I love the ‘Profiles of Perseverance’ interview series that she’s been doing, and she’s chatted with all sorts of interesting people. I was so excited when she asked me to take part.

Check. It. Out!

♥

Image from Pulitzer Princess

 

 

 

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Jess • Filed Under: Inspiration, Links to Love • 3 Comments

Your mission, should you choose to accept it…

A mission statement is a clear and succinct statement of purpose or philosophy. Lots of businesses and organisations have them – schools, teams, units, companies etc, but have you ever thought about having one as an individual? A statement of your personal ethos – why you do what you do - can be a useful tool for determining which tasks, goals and activities align with where you want to go and who you want to be. It is particularly helpful for narrowing down and cutting out things that are not actually serving you – once you have a clear statement of intention, it is easy to identify those things which are extraneous and are not amplifying your goal.

Some good examples of mission statements for big-time global companies are:

Ben & Jerry’s ice cream: ‘to make the best possible ice cream, in the nicest possible way’.

(I really like this one. At my work, I suggested that our mission statement should be ‘to give the best possible policy advice in the nicest possible way’. Unsurprisingly, this was not adopted. Instead we ended up with lots of boring business-sounding words like ‘stakeholder’ and ‘agenda’ and ‘dynamic state of strategic alignment’!!)

Google:  ‘Google’s mission is to organize the world‘s information and make it universally accessible and useful’.

Microsoft: ‘At Microsoft, our mission and values are to help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential’.

Technically, this is Apple‘s mission statement: Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

However, when Steve Jobs’ had to take a leave of absence due to illness, the acting CEO made the following statement, which I think is much more inspiring than the above:

We believe that we’re on the face of the earth to make great products and that’s not changing. We’re constantly focusing on innovating. We believe in the simple, not the complex.

We believe we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products that we make and participate only in markets where we can make a significant contribution.

We believe in saying no to thousands of projects so that we can focus on the few that are meaningful to us. We believe in deep collaboration and cross pollination in order to innovate in a way others cannot.

We don’t settle for anything other than excellence in any group in the company, and we have the self-honesty to admit when we’re wrong and the courage to change.

 

Developing a mission statement for yourself can help keep you focused and on task. You can have a mission statement for different parts of your life (for example, one for your career, one for your personal life, one for your creative work etc).

For my blog, for example, my mission statement is:

To inspire through truth and whimsy, in a way that is truly me.

As a writer in general, my mission statement is:

To tell a damn good story, and the truth.

As a person… well, this one is constantly changing and evolving. At the moment:

To live boldly and truthfully, to embody my highest ideals, to love fiercely.

It can also be really enlightening to find out other people’s mission statements. My beautiful boyfriend, after much prodding and encouragement (!) said that his mission is to be ‘happy, loyal and determined within himself; and generous, honest and respectful with others’.

So now it’s your turn! Don’t worry if your words don’t sound particularly profound or literary – merely the process of getting your highest priorities onto paper can be enlightening. Start by just writing a few key words and sentences down, and go from there. I kept finding the words ‘truth’ and ‘authentic’ popping up for me – it’s clear that living in a way that is fully aligned with my truth is important to me. That’s good to know! On the flip-side, you may realise that things you thought were important to you, are actually not at the top of your list. For example, I assumed that ‘being happy’ would be part of my personal mission statement. But it turned out that other qualities rang more truthfully for me, and were more in line with where I actually want to be.

So once you’ve written your mission statement, how do you actually go about using it? Well! Start by writing or printing it out and sticking it someplace where you see it a lot. Say, next to your computer monitor or on your bathroom mirror. Read it every day, and remind yourself of the awesomery you have within you and that you want to align with.

Then, use it as a practical guidance tool. If I am struggling to determine, say, if a certain article will work on my blog, or if a certain chapter is right for my book, comparing it to the criterion of the mission statement is very helpful.

As a short, clear statement, it is also excellent for explaining clearly to other people why you do what you do. If you’re often told you need an ‘elevator pitch’ in your line of work, then your mission statement is an excellent place to start. And as for creating loyal customers/readers/employees etc, starting with the why can be the best tool. If you are doing what you are doing for the right reasons (which people can tell, by the way, regardless of the wording you use in your mission statement – insincerity smells loudly), if they believe in why you’re doing it, then they will willingly follow wherever you may lead. The flipside to this, of course, is that you have to follow through on your word. You have to actually tell a damn good story, and the truth. Or be bold and truthful and loving. If people can smell that you’re really writing to achieve money, fame or accolades then they will not be loyal followers or consumers. [Note: there's nothing wrong with money, fame and accolades. Go for them. But not at the expense of your true vision (or else adjust your vision!). You'll usually find that these things are natural flow-on effects from a job well (and authentically) done.]

So, do you have a mission statement? Have you ever used one before? Or do you wanna write your first one and share in the comments below? Your mission statement, should you choose to accept it, can stoke your heart-fire and guide your progress in a really amazing way. Give it a try!

♥

This post first appeared as a guest post on the gorgeous Jessica Nazarali’s blog Live Healthy Simply.

Images from Sarah Eileen + Twiddler House

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Jess • Filed Under: Inspiration, perspective • 5 Comments

Stressy-Jessie and the Lady of Light

There is a lady at my work who everybody likes. I don’t have a whole lot to do with her, but I chat with her socially whenever we happen to cross paths in the kitchen. She is gentle and calm and positive, which are all super qualities to bring to a workplace. And not only that, but she is genuinely liked and respected.

Just last week, I happened to run into her on the street, as I was heading out to get my much-needed afternoon caffeine fix. We were both on our way to different places, but stopped to chat. And wow. She brought this energy with her that was truly beautiful and I couldn’t help but be affected by it. So calm and centred and present. So warm and caring and… well, just filled with light.

And this is a woman who, in the current government job cuts, has been demoted and had half her team, her car park and her salary cut. Oh, and her much-loved family dog died a few weeks ago. All of this, yet the woman is a beacon of calmness. It emanated from her. In our brief ten minute chat, in an entirely non-preachy way, she managed to calm me, encourage me and reassure me. And I didn’t even know I needed any of those things!

Our encounter also left me with the reaffirmed knowledge that we are responsible for our own energy. It is a choice. We can cultivate it so that people walk away from us feeling filled with light, or conversely, sucked in to the stress. And it made me wonder about how I sometimes fail dismally in this regard…

For way too long, I have struggled when coping with stress. I just get too caught up in it and end up feeling tired, sick and wrung out. And completely disappointed in myself. I end up feeling the stress hormones surging through my system and I become unable to stop my mind worrying over it like a dog with a super-tasty bone. Usually I end up eating or trying to find some other way to numb it down (which, surprisingly [!!] doesn’t work!).

At the moment, I work for someone who could politely be called a drama queen. And I find it so very difficult to not get sucked into her whirlpool of fluster and bluster, even though I can intellectually recognise that it is pointless and not serving me. I end up taking it on, and – worse – taking it home.

My Dad once sat me down and said that he loved me and thought I was amazing (I have an awesome Dad!) but that if I didn’t address how I react to stress, I would never grow into the person I could be. That I’m meant to be. I found that difficult to hear, but it was also arrow-to-the-heart true…

So I left my conversation with the Lady-of-Light, had my coffee, then came back to my desk and immediately did something I’ve been meaning to do forever: I booked an appointment with a lady to learn some new techniques for dealing with stress and managing your energy. She came highly recommended from a friend of a friend, and is half counselor, half hippy, half healer (yes, that is three halves!). Hopefully, just the right amount of woo-woo and practical.

Seeking help and answers from someone who knows more than me is an active step to move forward - I don’t want to just keep on keeping on. So, I will report back with what I learn and what I discover. It already feels good to tick something off my to-do list and to be actively making my health and wellness a priority. So stay tuned!!!

Do you feel like you deal with stress well?

xo

♥

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Posted on November 19, 2012 by Jess • Filed Under: Health, Inspiration, Wellness • 10 Comments