Self-care + dealing with overwhelm:

When we start to come into the body and into silence, we’re creating more space in our awareness. Into this space, all our unresolved inner energies (physical, mental, emotional) will come knocking at the door for healing. When we know how to welcome and dissolve it back into peace, this is not a problem, it’s an opportunity. However, even a seasoned healer won’t wish to sit with their suffering 24/7 and nor should they! Balance is key, life has it’s own flow + wisdom, which also includes a lot of self-care, fun and healthy distractions.

• Pay attention to this moment. The sensations of the lower half of your body, the sounds around you, to your breath. Repeat for a good few minutes. Start to move your awareness from your feet slowly to your belly, keeping track of every bodily part and sensation, as well as your breath and then back and forth again several times. You can imagine that you are breathing in and out, as if through each body part, on your way up and down, in time with your natural breathing rhythm, if it helps.

  Notice the contrasts; sound/silence, energy movement/stillness. 

  Dropping all thought and story about the situation, yourself or other, just for a moment, ask yourself the following Qs:

  What is really happening, in this moment? Outside of thought, what are the bare bones of your reality right here and now? eg. woman/man sitting, standing in a room/in nature.

  Notice, there may be sensations, sounds, smells, feet on the floor, bum on seat, breathing happening… what else?

  Are you in immediate physical danger? If not, it’s great to let the mind know this. Give it some evidence and some compassionate coos.

  Remember the hands and feet hold the most nerve endings and are the easiest to anchor awareness down into.  The belly is great too.

• Shake your body out, stretch, dance, sing/make noise.

  Shaking and vocalising are incredibly healing for our bodies. Shake your entire body for a good few minutes, every nook and cranny. Try toning some simple vowel sounds and see how they feel. Try sounding from the emotions, let them make noise. Ugly is great! Medicine is not always sweet tasting. Fantastic to let it out.

  Make a short playlist you can put on easily to have a quick boogie to when needed.

  If you’ve more time and energy, walks and sports in nature are great medicine.

• Self-massage

  Touch can take us out of our busy-mind mode, so gift yourself a little tender needling to your hands, feet, neck. Or get out your tennis ball and yoga mat, for a proper self-care session.

• Automatic writing:

  Write a few pages of whatever's in your head, no censor, no edits, get it all out. No-one will see it.

  Once you’ve done this and if you’re feeling able to: perhaps write down some true things you are grateful for/positive about, however small.

• Wholesome, heartful tv, films, music, talk shows + podcasts:

  eg. Gilmore girls, Parks + Recreation, Heartlands, Studio Ghibli animations.

  Anything innocent and wellbeing oriented. Be mindful, even some comedies and documentaries can carry a lot of heavy emotional charge.

  Please email me if struggling. Try to change the channel in whatever way is easiest right then, go through the list, don't get stuck :)