Yes I’ve moved.. Again!
Over the last 8 years I’ve moved between 3 different homes. From flat to flat and now to a small house with actual stairs! As silly as it sounds, when you’ve lived in flats for so long, having the separation of an upstairs and downstairs is like a dream come true. And especially for anyone that has an at home office, the separation is much welcome for your mental health. Not to mention the cute little garden we now have which is so important for some much needed fresh air and grounding as a lot of us experienced during the days of lockdown.
But as exciting as it may sound to start a new chapter it often comes with a feeling of deep unsettling, the need for all of your energy to get you through the endless boxes and extra patience when dealing with estate agents (if only you knew the experiences we’ve had!).
Over the last year, well in fact for most of my life, I had an expectation of how life would look. The picture perfect ‘successful’ life fed to us of what life entailed. The dream job, the perfect partner, the big house, the two children and a dog for good measure.
But my reality looks a lot different to this. I’m lucky to be in a loving relationship, have the support of my beautiful family, especially my sisters who I just couldn’t do life without, and be doing work with a greater purpose. I chose a non-traditional path in my work which, at times, brings so much uncertainty and yet is my biggest joy. I don’t have children, I don’t own the big house or have endless money for all of the holidays on my bucket list. And yet I’m trying my best to find contentment.
Years ago I only could have dreamed of where I am at in life now. So often we are striving for the next thing, the big home, the next milestone and forget to stop, pause and embrace everything we have. This move has been stressful, but deep within me I’m learning to find gratitude to be able to move onto this next chapter of my life. I’m so ready for a reset in my environment and I know it will have a ripple effect into so many other areas of my life.
And with the above in mind, I wanted to share some of the ways in which I have been striving to find home within myself during the chaos of moving.
Connecting To My Body
I’ll be sharing more about this really soon but connecting to your inner world and your body in times when you feel unstable or ungrounded can be the best way to find a sense of calm and safety. It can often feel hard to do this when we are constantly bombarded with messages telling us to strive for the ‘perfect’ body. Encouraging us to make changes to how our bodies look, to loose weight or gain weight, to make them look different to how they were intended to look.
I’ve grown to understand that our body can be our space of home if we allow it. It’s what we come into this life in and what we leave this life in. And so developing a connection with the body and the mind has been one of my greatest blessings to find calm during any storms or unsettlement. Through practices such as mindfulness and meditation to ground the body and mind I’ve become more in tune with what helps to regulate my nervous system. This has helped me greatly through all of the changes I’ve been through in life.
Tending To The Physical
Over the last 8 weeks I’ve been enrolled in a brilliant strength programme with Milan Hansjee. It’s called the Season of Strength and has allowed me to connect to my physical body in a new way. From becoming mindful about what I’m putting into my body, to learning about the power of protein and trying new exercises at the gym, the strength I feel in my body is unmatched. It has helped me to get through the anxiety and disruption in life and not only been good for my body but for mind too.
The group programme was perfect as I felt motivated when speaking with others in the group and felt more inspired with food choices as well! I caught up with Milan to find out more about the power of training the body.
‘Strength training doesn’t just change how your body looks, it changes how it feels. It builds stronger muscles and bones, improves posture, and boosts your energy. On a deeper level, it lifts confidence and steadies your mood, so your body feels like an anchor you can rely on, no matter what life is throwing your way.’
Oof that hits deep! The anchor you need is sometimes deep within you and I definitely found this through building strength. Milans next Season of Strength programme begins in October and I couldn’t recommend it enough for finding a deeper connection with the physical body, your one constant home throughout life.
Working With Purpose
My work is my baby. I might not have any children (out of choice at this point in life I might add) but my work is my biggest pride and joy. And it has been my biggest saviour during so many of the ups and downs in life. My work gives me a greater purpose. When I see the transformations that a client goes through, it makes the last four years of building the business so worth it plus all of the life experiences that have gone into shaping how I work.
Being self employed has its challenges but it has been one of the biggest turning points in my life and during the move it has kept me grounded and connected to something beyond my physical presence. I feel so grateful for that. To be helping others to gain their visibility and confidence is really special. So I guess you could say that I’ve found a sense of home within my work too.
So for anyone that might be going through any changes in life, just know that there are ways that you can find stability in the instability. From creative practices, to working with intention or getting to know your body, there is always a way.
I hope this resonates! I need to run now to empty some more boxes!
But if you are looking to talk about changes you are going through and how I can support you through finding home I would love to hear from you. Book in for a completely free Style Discovery Call. You won’t regret it!
