The cauldron is brewing…

We are so privileged to live in an age that won’t drown us or burn us to test if we are witches. Just for our natural ability to care and support. When I look into the numbers it was mainly women and whilst there’s not a definitive number, it’s a shocking estimate. Men were also murdered. How lucky are we that today, we are able to share our abilities and given the space to honour this innate wisdom.

Yet, for women, there is a history of disempowerment and disconnection. Don’t forget, there is great wisdom in the nudges you receive and the instincts you have as part of your nature. This is not some weird woowoo stuff, it’s very real. And time to own that part of you.

Become sensitive to the knowings… Create space in your schedule so that the wisdom can be heard.

We, as women, aren’t meant to plough through life on full throttle. We have a cycle that reveals great wisdom if we let it.

How we share our medicine is a strong calling at this time. From the smallest sense to the largest knowing, it’s time to trust our knowledge, and empower ourselves through how we support ourselves and our families.

This means, as women, we need to slow down our pace, to fall in line with the natural ebb and flow of our rhythms.

And I am absolutely serious about this. If you are like me and poo poo’d it for years, please listen to a fellow sister who became ill because of not listening, several times…

Whilst I transition into a new phase of my life and place my trust utterly in my intuition, my heart and listening to these nudges I’m getting, this will be a journey of trust for me too.

Today, I recognise the signs of doing too much. It’s a call to stop, to sit, to listen or to rest.

Then, I receive. Create. And act-at the right time.

That is part of our potency, to be able to receive and listen. We need space for that to unfold. This way of ploughing forward doesn’t serve our time or this new way that’s coming through.

My way of working is completely changing and it feels great and scary all at the same time. I am totally trusting that what I need will arise from listening to what I a drawn to share.

I know there are many of you that are on board with this way. It’s never been done before so it’s confusing and discombobulating at times. Other times it feels the most natural way — because it is. Getting ourselves back into the natural rhythms of our life is where our wisdom is revealed. So lay down your armour, your strength is not there. It is deep within.

If you’re interested in what I’ve got to say, let me know, share your thoughts, I want this to get you curious, questioning and wondering, something is brewing in my cauldron and I’d love you along for the ride.

Last time I shared my top 3 tips on how to help break that overwhelm feeling, this time I have a few productivity hacks that’ll help you to get a different viewpoint.

First of all, I’d recommend taking a day off — or an afternoon. Get a big notebook (Tiger in Europe are doing an awesome one at the moment for £8), grab some pens and do this Life Declutter. Oh you’ll need a bit of string or ribbon too, heck if you haven’t got those, just a big circle drawn on the paper will do.

Life Declutter

Get a piece of paper and make/draw a big circle with a dot (or heart) in the middle — that dot/heart is you.

Now write all around that dot/heart and in the circle all the roles, projects and things you have to do in that circle.

Now add the things you love to do in that circle.

Next, cross out all the things you don’t want in your life anymore.

Circle all the ones you want to keep.

Underline all the ones that bring in money

Put hearts either side of the ones you love and want to spend more time with/doing.

Now create a new circle and a dot — add in ONLY the things you love and want to keep.

Then make plans to eek out the stuff you don’t want anymore (I’d do 2 at a time) or delegate.

Now you’ve made space, put in 1 day off per month, just for you. You can do whatever you want on that day, sleep, read, bathe, walk. AND once a week block off half an hour just for you — I’d like to make this every day but lets be real shall we.

Day to Day Productivity

When you’re overwhelmed and exhausted adrenaline and cortisol run high through the system. Give yourself a break.

1. daily rest — 20 mins where you do nada, niente. I like to pop my feet up with a cuppa and music that makes my heart soften. Sometimes, its a bath or yoga nidra.
2. Drink lots of water
3. Reduce caffeine — by one cup a day per week if you’re an addict.
4. Create boundaries around social media/tech (Make sure your computer is off by 8 and in bed by 10). Put that phone somewhere els. Turn off the wifi.

To start the day

Mornings are now my favourite time of day. It wasn’t always this way — in fact, I hated getting out of bed because I used to dread the work I was doing.

It took my years to get into a ‘morning practice’ but after a baby who didn’t sleep for 4 years, i am now queen of the mornings. I guess there’s a positive in everything.

• Breathe — feel into how I am — what I need that day
• Permission slip — Ive found this super helpful — I give myself permission to…
• Choose an intention card
• Get a cup of tea (I am in the UK after all)
• Meditation — yeah yeah, you hear this all the time and yes I’m on that bandwagon. I don’t know how I’d have handled the sudden death of my mum, the murder of a friend, being a single mum and managing anxiety if I didn’t have this by my side! You can look for research etc but my advice, just start doing it. Headspace is a good app. I love the free challenges that Oprah and Deepak put out so look for them too.
• Writing/Journalling — even 5 minutes per day can help you avoid burnout (read Greg Mckeown’s book Essentialism). Writing brings creativity to life, helps you to get clarity, processes and releases stress and it’s good for your immune system. In fact, psychologist and researcher James Pennebaker contends that regular journaling strengthens immune cells, called T-lymphocytes.
• My phone stays off for the first hour after getting up

So that’s the morning sorted, and then your day begins. What then? Here’s a quick Decompression technique you can do at your desk

Find your seat, close your eyes, sit with the sensations, the mental chatter, the breath, just as it is. No need to change a thing. Feel it all.

Now exhale fully and as you inhale please fill your lungs up as it was to fill your whole being. Now make an O shape shape with your lips and blow the air out making a gentle sound. Inhale fully and then exhale with an S breath, making a loud sound like a snake.

Repeat twice.

Inhale fully. Hold the breath for as long as you can. Then exhale out through the mouth.

Repeat twice more.

As you breathe in, feel the your spine grow longer

As you breathe out, do it through your mouth and keep your spine long.

Repeat a few times.

And from time to time, these go out the window, I read the signs and remind myself of what I need to do.

Juggling umpteen roles alongside being Mumma, career woman and provider can prove to be overwhelming at times.

Currently, I’m in the Welsh Hills for what I’m now calling ‘my mental health break’. I plan to install them regularly throughout the year!

I do tend to take breaks whether it’s shutting down the wifi at home for a couple of days and getting outside or taking myself away from it all. Like now.

These few days come after a particularly intense time where I’ve felt overwhelmed and lost in a whirl of thoughts. Sound familiar?

I needed to get away from my environment so I could take a different viewpoint and perspective on life back home.

I’ve got big plans and back home I was getting bogged down in the mundane and needed to break habitual patterns.

I’m finding these breaks are vital for my growth as a Mumma, business woman and teacher.

We can’t all take these breaks at a drop of a hat and I’m a firm believer that little and often (as in every day) is better than getting to breaking point…

Simple, small daily actions are way better than one grandiose thing. I admit, I’d got lost in work and life and forgot most of the simple, small things. It happens right.

For me the signs that I’m doing too much are things like my right neck and shoulder feel tight, I find it hard to switch off, I feel tense and am more shouty, I haven’t got time to make myself lunch let alone clean the house. What are yours? Get to notice what they are, these are your signposts.

The more we are giving out in our lives to family, jobs, social lives then the more we have to give back to ourselves and go in.

Knowing the signs, doesn’t always make it easy to change my ways though. It takes awareness and then action and sometimes we are too busy being a whirling dervish to be able to stop. That’s why its good to know the signs so you can change a few things before you get to burnout point.

Energy is our currency — we need to look after ourselves daily.

The thing is I love what I do — do you? I know I wouldn’t want to do anything else. This also comes with challenges as I can often find myself working too much.

So in order to make sure I’m not running on chocolate bars and adrenaline, I’ve had to put a few things in place to look after myself.

If you’re already feeling overwhelmed, these are my top 3 tips to integrate asap.

1. Create a clear relationship with your phone and computer — factor in breaks and days off.
2. Take 20 mins every day to do something healing — meditate, walk outside, exercise, good chinwag with a friend, Yoga Nidra (a yogic sleep).
3. Cancel all non-essential things in the calendar — be brutal — Even that cuppa with someone who you feel you ‘ought’ to meet but don’t really want to. Be realistic — what can wait?

Let me know how you get on.