Autumn is coming – I’m getting in a stew!
For my part, I’m viewing September with a burst of optimism and new energy! We’re heading in to Autumn, my favourite season and always a time of terrestrial change. When the slow cooker emerges from the back of the cupboard for soups and stews and we’re lucky enough to see our arboreal village transform in to gold and orange hues. In our household we’re still riding high on the wave of energy and goodwill generated by Simon’s 100th marathon event and the ADVA Fun Run in aid of Parkinsons UK. What a great day and a wonderful tribute to our Awbridge community who came together to make it happen. We are feeling grateful! And finally of course the children are back to school with a year ahead that looks likely to be far less disrupted than the previous two. Everyone is keen to get back in to their rhythm, to establish the new logistics, boundaries and way of things, to be independent again. And for me, the opportunity to spend more time doing the work I love, coaching.
This month I’m acutely aware of the fact that underlying this exciting time of transition and renewed prospects for many, the world has changed permanently and some are living with a host of new challenges ‘post-Covid’. These include but are not limited to fear, grief and loss, attachment disruption, career and financial difficulties, loss of confidence, physical and emotional pain. Through my work I support people who have the courage to be vulnerable, who are prepared to take time to understand why they are struggling in certain areas of their lives, and who want to be pro-active in seeking out solutions that make a difference to their long-term wellbeing or achieving their goals.
Real change always has to come from within and I often get asked – by friends and clients alike – what small practical changes can be made to improve mindset, reduce stress and try to overcome whatever it is that is holding you back. I have learned, especially through my work coaching teachers, that a one-size-fits-all approach to post-lockdown recovery does not work. A holistic, mindful and patient strategy needs to be employed, even when we are applying it to our own lives!
Try to be active; as you might know by now, movement and being in nature are my top tips for a happier state of mind. Be creative; draw, make, write – whatever it is that helps you to engage with mindfulness in this way can be hugely beneficial to your overall wellbeing. Try to be mentally present, not living constantly with a past you cannot change or in fear of a future you cannot know. Experiment with meditation or give yourself time for quiet contemplation, preferably daily.
Allowing yourself to always be inspired, grateful, open-minded and to live a life aligned with your highest values = happiness! Oh, and eat more stew!