With September comes the changing of seasons, fresh starts for a lot of people, a need to hunker down, get back into routine and start working on all the things that sat on the sidelines during the dog days of summer.
This September brings with it a feeling of optimism for me. I feel like I’m finally coming out of my cocoon. Allow me to explain: Since December of 2017 I’ve been dealing with multiple ailments, almost one after the other. It started with a sports injury, then a burnout, resulting pain symptoms from the injury and the burnout, followed by a head injury, more pain, fatigue and a wealth of other issues, and months of recovery. My options were to sit and wallow in the darkness or to retreat, heal and focus on the light. While I most certainly had my moments of darkness, I think overall I was focused on the light.
At first, the light felt like a goal I had to fight for. I pushed and pushed, I stretched, I did everything I thought was supposed to do, but continued to just feel that tightness that comes with pushing and not being well. Looking back, I wasn’t aware that I needed to breathe into the pain (both literally and figuratively), be gentle and have compassion, and just let the universe do its work. Now after nine whole months of cocooning, I can see that my body, my spirit and my intuition had to take the lead, no matter what my ego wanted to push for. I can see that when I finally just let go of the push, I started to heal. Maybe that was part of the lesson after all.
Oh, the lessons! I’ve learned so much in my cocoon. I’ve read, 17 books and counting, in fact. I’ve learned that coffee is not the cure to low energy. I’ve learned that even though I’m tired, sleeping more than 8 hours a night is just not the answer for me. I’ve learned that intuitive eating is the best approach for naturally fueling my body and I no longer crave entire batches of cookies and cakes like before. I’ve learned that instead of 12 cups of water a day, my body needs almost double that. I’ve learned that my cellphone and social media should not be a cure to my emotions. I’ve learned that I absolutely need to ground myself outdoors, no exceptions. I’ve learned that I cannot force my body back into a fitness routine; I’ve had to learn to embrace the grey-zone and the something-is-better-than-nothing approach to physical activity; I’ve understood that my body will let me know when it is ready to be pushed. I’ve learned the value of meditation and mindfulness, even though I’m still working on carving this into my daily routine. I’ve learned I need to invest in myself, my health, my wellness, my business and other services in order to be my best self. I’ve learned, on a much different level, that independence is on a spectrum (I already knew this - in fact, I collaborated on my masters thesis on it, see Bonikowsky et al. for you academic-types out there). I’ve learned that I just can’t do it alone; I need the support and love of my husband, family, friends, healthcare team, acquaintances, co-workers, fellow entrepreneurs, spiritual mentors, spirit guides, dog, barista…. I think you get the point! I’ve learned that my creativity cannot be minimized; I’ve felt the urge to create. I’ve also learned the value of rest, by truly listening to my body, to following my intuition and remembering to b-r-e-a-t-h-e.
While I’m aware that I’m not back to 100 per cent, I’m feeling like the fog is lifting on multiple levels. With all my learning, I feel like I’ve undergone a transformation, a metamorphosis, if you will. This new butterfly I’ve become has better self-care, presence, connection and intuition. I feel like I’m over the push I used to feel to get things done by a certain time, in a certain way, whether I wanted to or not.
Instead of the push, I’m ready to RISE. I’m ready to move, to contribute, to influence, to love, to blossom, to create. The question is, are you ready to rise with me?
And so it is.
If you’re ready to rise, please have a look at my programs and contact me to see how we can rise together. As the saying goes, we rise by lifting others.
Together, we rise.