Saturday 11 January 2014

On Miracles...

going into my twenties i felt a huge shift from my usually assertive & outgoing self to a more reserved version of the young carefree girl i once was. people's opinions started to matter more & my clear vision of the person i was & the person i wanted to be, mattered less. i felt my emotions quickly starting to slip out of my control & lost a lust for many of the things that usually thrilled me. 
my doctor & my homoeopath & the therapist & a plethora of other specialists i sought out for some help,  called it 'clinical anxiety' but to me it has always been the natural progression of my age, experiences & my journey.

i've never gone on any medications to 'control it', nor have i ever wished it away. there are certainly times of anxiousness that i could have gone without- but for me, in my experience, being open to the path my emotional state has taken and really paying attention to how things affect me has empowered the way i live my life.

i'm telling you all this not because i want any sympathy. to be honest, i'm sure if any given person looks up 'clinical anxiety' & goes through the umbrella of characteristics it encompasses, we all have it! 
i'm telling you this because only now, at the end of my 25th year, do I feel like i'm making big leaps towards understanding what's going on with my mind, my body & my emotions. 
and to me that calls for a mini celebration, in the form of this post :)

the acceptance i've always wanted from myself is happening. it's happening slowly, but steadily. i'm learning about myself in ways that i've never took the time out to explore before.

 i have strong opinions. i'm judgemental. i fixate or am ridiculously passionate, depending on who you ask. i am loyal in ways that makes me question my sanity. i'm vocal & have a need to communicate in tough situations. i'm a good mom. a really good mom. i'm confident. sometimes. & deeply spiritual. those are a few things i've learned about myself. it doesn't matter much if i love or hate these traits- what matters is that i know them and i work with them and i accept them. 

so if you're feeling lost, or unhappy, or just not yourself- my only message would be to feel it. 
truly sit with those emotions & breath through them. they'll start unravelling and showing you things that will begin to make you a version of yourself that will surpass your wildest dreams. 

in all my 'active' pursuits of trying to 'control' my feelings, i failed miserably. i would wait for whatever doctor or whatever homoeopathic remedy or whatever self-help book to do the work for me. 
to make it go away, quickly.
 but for me, it's been with time, patience & acceptance that i'm able to learn about myself. and when i learn more about my self, i'm more invested in myself. and when i'm more invested in myself, i conduct my life with better intention. and that is slowly making me the intuitive, calm & confident woman I've always wanted to be. & i'm immensely proud of that!

i mentioned self-help books above & for the majority i do absolutely loathe them. but there is an author (or guru, as I call her) in particular that i like. her name is Gabrielle Bernstein. yes, she's a cheerleader. yes, her smiling mug is on every ounce of her material. yes, she makes it look easy all while having perfectly manicured nails & glossed lips. but i like her. i've read her books in the past & some of the material has stuck but much of it just filtered through my anxiety until i wasn't left with all that much from her teachings. so, i'm trying again. 

i'm going to read May Cause Miracles: A 40-Day Guidebook of Subtle Shifts for Radical Change and Unlimited Happiness. the premise is basically a 40-day emotional cleanse in pursuit of 'miracles' aka infinite abyss of happiness (pffft, ya right). but i'm giving it a try to take any little bits of miracle work that i can to make myself even marginally more successful at this whole figuring myself out thing. 
every week is a broad topic of exploration with a sub-topic each day that you have literal 'homework' to complete in order to move onto the next day. there's even a daily meditation! & i'm going to blog about it. i think. not everyday for 40 days but i'll give you updates & hope that maybe some of you will do it with me? any takers?

anyways, that was my rant. or celebration. or whatever you call it. this is usually the point where i would apologize for being so long winded or annoyingly optimistic but in keeping with the entire message of this post, i'm not going to. 
because i'm not sorry & if only one person reads this and can identify with any little bit of it- it was worth it. 

***i want to add that the way i've dealt with my anxiety issues have worked for me. i'm in no way looking to shame those who have sought out help medically or chemically, as i fully understand the value of these solutions. everyone is different & i celebrate each journey without judgement.

Wednesday 1 January 2014

Hello 2014...

happy new year!

I hope everyone had an amazing time saying goodbye to 2013 & welcoming a fresh start in 2014.
we had a great night in with our little guy & enjoyed celebrating the most incredible year of our lives while looking forward to all the wonderful things we have coming up :) 
especially the addition of our little girl

my wish for this year is to be surrounded by the people we love most as much as we possibly can. 
we are so blessed to have unbelievable friends & family who are constantly reminding us how important it is to spend time together, making memories that last 
& I hope we can continue that this year.

to everyone who shows their support to our little family with their kind words & precious time, 
we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

may everyones year to come be full of all things that make you happiest, surrounded by the ones who love you most.

here is a look back at our favourite moments of 2013… enjoy!