Feeling stuck in a rut sucks. One minute you're fine and the next you have fallen in right on in. It's very difficult to dig your way out. Exhausting, in fact. It's like all the energy goes out of you. You know what you WANT to be doing. You just can't summon the clarity or motivation to actually do it. This leads to feelings of GUILT. Especially in the age of Social Media, where it's so easy to compare yourself to others who appear to be doing it better. Or who appear just to be[...]
I am a survivor of narcissistic abuse. I believe my interest in personal development stems from the fact I have had so many toxic relationships. And I have played my part in them. We all have blind spots and we go on repeating the same patterns again and again until we learn the lesson. For those who know my story, you will have read my previous experience with a Narcissist. If not, you can read about it HERE. During this time I lost a lot of money, weight and self-esteem. This[...]
It was May 2018. I was sitting 21 floors above the beach in my swanky Barcelona office. Midway through interviewing a candidate for a role within our company, my imposter syndrome was rearing its ugly head. It didn't make sense. I had a great job. I lived in a great city. I had a great social life. So why was I feeling so uncomfortable? I'd experienced a similar feeling a few times in my life. But there was something extra toe curling about this particular occasion. T[...]
I have a morning routine because I know the consequences of not having one. I have lived all types of experiences. And I have learnt that having a morning routine sets me up for a happy, productive, peaceful day. But it wasn´t always this way... Former me When I was 24, my morning routine was a bowl of cocoa pops and a cigarette. Back then I was a different person. I was in full on survival mode. When I worked as a primary school teacher, I had zero morning routine. I would be marking[...]
I have always been quirky. My friends got me. But many people didn't. I remember one friend saying people either loved me or hated me. I didn't like that. I wanted everyone to love me. We'll come back to that point later. Many people thought I was weird. But they said it with a smile as if there was something that amused them about my wierdness. It took me 20 years to figure out why that was. As you get older you start to appreciate weirdness as uniqueness and authenticity[...]
There is a dangerous spiritual belief that there are no victims in this world. That we choose our suffering before we incarnate in order to learn the lessons we need to learn. I am not disputing what our souls may or may not decide before we are born. What I AM warning of is the danger of using the shadow side of this belief to stay in situations that ultimately are causing us harm. Read my past article on the dangers of spiritual new age positive thinking here. I used to buy into[...]
If you are doing something that you really love, but you are feeling drained, exhausted and burnt out, then read this newsletter to the end.Mark Twain famously said: "When you do what you love you´ll never have to work a day in your life".Well, Mark. I have a bone to pick with you! Why is it that so many of us are doing what we love but feeling COMPLETELY overwhelmed and like we can't make ends meet?I'm pretty sure that if Mark Twain were alive to answer my question, his reply would soun[...]
If you have ever felt terrible in your body but have been unable to pinpoint symptoms or feelings, this article is for you. In 2019 I was diagnosed with underachieve thyroid and Hashimoto’s Autoimmune disease. Before that I had been feeling extremely tired for a while. Eventually it got so bad that I couldn't stay a full day at work. I went to the doctors thinking I would need to take some iron supplements. I didn't realise that this tiredness was a key symptom of Underactive T[...]
If you are considering moving from the city to the countryside but are worried about making the change, this newsletter is for you.My ultimate desire in life is for peace.Peace inside and peace outside.The truth is that living in Barcelona has not been conducive to either of those things. You can read about my difficult start to Barcelona hereLast week, after 10 years of living in the city, I finally moved away for good.THE EFFECT OF CITY LIVINGI started getting ill the year I moved to B[...]
If you are the kind of person that: swallows your anger instead of expressing it pretends everything is OK when it isn't says YES when you mean NO believes you are not an angry person feels uncomfortable around expressions of anger Then you may be at risk of developing autoimmune disease. Here's why. MY STORY As a child, when unkindness was directed my way in an angry tone, I learnt to associate anger with being mean. When I was shouted at, I learnt to associate[...]
