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| Office inna Hammock |
Coming
back from my 7 months abroad has, not surprisingly, been a mish-mash of
emotions and met and un-met expectations, ideas and hopes. First off, I’d been less than eager
to be here in Saint Lucia smack bang in the middle of the rainy season – and that fear of
being able to cope with the stultifying heat and humidity was not misplaced.
Temperatures in the house of 34.8 and relative humidity of 65%+ have had my
little ol’
brain struggling to string one sensible thought after another, far less sort
out
- Dealing with wildly overgrown, weed-filled, too-big garden;
- 14-year-old car under major engine repair;
- mosquitoes; no-employment; deciding how to chase down unpaid consulting fees;
- hosting my 2 nieces on holiday (bless ‘em, lovely young ladies);
- deciding and beginning to finally learn to code websites;
- keeping up with my Masters project;
- cleaning up the accumulated sticky salt-air Sahara dust off belongings and studio;
- leaking roof; bust pipes; catching up with friends; missing Tupperware and tools;
- miscellaneous requests for this n that help;
- deciding how active I want, and can afford to be, in agitating for better alternatives to things like the DSH Development;
- mulling the possibility for addressing funding needs of local NGOs;
- posting photos of sunsets; discovering the Instagram video story thingy (yes, late, I know);
- engaging in various social issue discussions on Facebook and not least, deciding which Facebook Memory to share each day… (I just peeked, and this one seems very appropriate from about a year ago
"Out of Place"
So,
not surprisingly, one morning last week, after a couple of migraine-disturbed
nights, I woke up feeling categorically ‘out of place’.
I
swiftly decided to have a Social Media sabbatical while I invested some time
and focus in clawing my way back through the hot n stuffy jungle of my life to
a place where something resembling clarity existed. I had a series of podcasts
from the 21st Century Creative that I had ‘not had time’ to listen to and
another from Empowered Sustenance that equaled the podcasts in unopened-ness…I hadn’t written or created a
thing. Wondered what the hell I was actually doing, going to do, wanted to do…
These
few days of the first week have been
absolutely wonderful.
Sure,
I missed the camaraderie of Facebook and Instagram, but the decision to pull
back and invest in clarifying what developing my assets – again – was, again, the best
decision I’ve
made.
Let’s be realistic, for
most of us, figuring all this out take a mommatonn of time.
The Journey
But
if you are anywhere on a journey like mine, I figure I can at least reassure
you at this point, that it does get better as you keep pulling your focus back
to what you need to do.
Whether
you’re
a creative like me, or someone yearning to step out of your job and create your
own business with your innovative ideas, or someone just looking to feel more
in charge of your life and more fulfilled at the end, heck, beginning, middle
and end of each day, I’d
highly recommend pulling back for a while and investing your time in yourself.
We
all know the theory that no-one will take you seriously if you don’t take yourself
seriously. Well it turns out that’s pretty
nail-on-the-head!
My
experience has been that once you start pulling back from social life, you will
have some friends that resist and question why, what are you DOING, suggest you’re depressed, start to
come up with a slew of things you could do – all with good
intentions, granted. Some may even take it personally. It can be the hardest
part of going on this path.
My
advice, be gently firm, don’t entertain those suggestions, don’t feel you have to
explain yourself. But DO be aware that you will need to keep in touch with the
world out there now n again because this task of clarifying
- what you really value,
- what you really want to do and not least,
- how in hell you can earn a living doing this…
Help is Available!
It’s not a walk in the
park. Though walks do help sort an amazing number of things out and recent
studies show ‘Forest Bathing’
has genuinely therapeutic effects. Sea baths, river baths, a swim in the pond,
all good too. https://qz.com/804022/health-benefits-japanese-forest-bathing/
DO
use the services of a good coach – and yep, there are a
slew of them out there, and you, like me, may even be thinking you too want to
be a coach.
If
you have no idea where to start, here are a few people I’ve had good sessions
with and/or, I’m
currently testing out (and happy so far) (if you do use them, mentioning that I sent you there would be very much appreciated, xox).
Debra
Ross –
Life By Choice Coaching, she helped me through one section of my path, helping
filter through what’s
really important and along the way to defining goals and pairing up seemingly
disparate ideas, desires, skills. https://www.lifebychoicecoaching.com/
Christine
Caruso –
spiritualist, stone-reader, bars therapist, kundalini yoga teacher. I won’t lie, I had to go
with an open mind here –
but the results were amazing! I’ve written before about her services and
where I have an uneasy feeling about many people who say they’re energy healers/spiritualists,
Christine felt genuine, so I gave it a go. Not everyone reports the same level
of results and I think a HUGE amount of how this type of therapy works has to
do with your own ability to let go and let happen. The power of belief is
massive and the power of opening up to positivity is equally so. http://www.christinecaruso.com/
Mark
McGuinness, poet and coach for creatives and leader of the 21st
Century Creative. Down to earth advice and discussion and good coaching
podcasts and personal coaching. http://lateralaction.com/
For
physical issues, and many of us creatives and office workers alike, spend WAY too
much time hunched over a computer, I’ve had a session (and
intend to have more) with a movement coach named Petra Fisher of Petra Fisher
Movement – she’s on my current list
to get back on track with. http://www.petrafishermovement.com/
Many
of us suffer sluggishness, digestive issues, tiredness, achy joints…there’s a strong possibility
that our bodies have become overwhelmed with the toxicity of modern
environments and processed foods. There are many diets and plans around and I’ve come some way, by
adjusting my diet, in decreasing problems with gall-bladder issues, migraines and
more recently, aches exacerbated by a bout of Chikungunya in my case, but not uncommon
without that trigger anyway. I am currently gearing up to follow a sort of
paleo/auto-immune diet, guided by Lauren Geersten’s books, blogs and
recipes.at Empowered Sustenance http://empoweredsustenance.com/
In
Saint Lucia, I can recommend a few people / places for easing aches and pains
Sports
therapist and anatomy expert, Donovan Polymise – not for the
faint-hearted –
it hurts, he goes deep, but he knows what he’s doing and I found
the result was very worth the deep steady breathing required to get through my
session 😊 721 1336
Kim
Jackson –
sports therapist at Bayside Therapy Service – a much gentler
option, Kim has great ability to pinpoint where your issues are coming from and
uses a variety of techniques to ease and adjust. Very good results and
affordable rates. Bayside has a bunch of other treatment offers too, so check
them out.
Ojas
Spa, tucked away near Kim’s offices – uses Ayuvedic
techniques and acupuncture, in my case, using electrical impulses through the
needles. They were recommended to me by someone who went to see them suffering
stress and feeling very out of sorts with herself, down in the dumps, irritable
and not her normal vivacious self – she was super pleased
with the results. Very knowledgeable staff will guide you on what treatments best
suit you - these range from the more medicine-like such as the acupuncture, to
delicious hot oil, herbal massages and other sumptuous treats. https://www.facebook.com/ojasspandwellness/ http://www.ojasspaandwellness.com/
Not
last, TiKhan Health Clinic– mother and daughter, both Gloria, 😊, a team of ladies who give excellent reflexology and a variety of
manipulative massages –
Gloria senior did wonders when life had pulled my jaw, collar bones and back
out of place…again,
it wasn’t
so pleasant during the manipulation, but WOW, the result! 452 8475
So, thanks for reading! Are you also trying something like this? Do you have resources you'd like to share? Pop a note in the comments and do share in your favourite social media channels 😊
cheers n all that,
Fifi
