I’m in Cyprus this week. I’m lucky enough to be able to come over here to work and enjoy the warmth. A few weeks ago I started to feel tired and run down so I booked a flight, along with my wonderful friend and fellow coach Elloa Atkinson, and here we are.
I’m super pleased and grateful to be out here, the sun and the quiet and the beautiful food have been gorgeous. And to have a business that I can run from anywhere that has good wifi is such a blessing. (And it’s also a sign, I believe, of what the world of work will look like in future.)
But even amongst all this beauty and warmth I have noticed some of the feelings of being tired and run down have persisted. And it has reminded me of the impact of our external surroundings vs the impact of our internal dialogue. The sun and the warmth have helped to comfort me to some extent, but what I really need, to re-energise, is some internal TLC.
This morning I meditated, I sat on the bed and was guided through a beautiful meditation that connected me to calm and peace on the inside. And this evening I will journal, and create a gratitude list to connect me again internally to all that I have and all that I am. I have been able to talk to Elloa about how I’ve been feeling, I’ve been able to air gremlin negativity that has been keeping me feeling a little small over the past few weeks, and just by naming those gremlins some things have shifted. And most importantly, I have given myself permission to just do my best, to stop giving myself enormous expectations and then feeling like a failure when I don’t meet them. I’ve given myself a break.
Often when we feel unsettled the automatic response is to look outside of ourselves to work out what to shift in order to feel good again. But nine out of ten times the discomfort is because of the way we are supporting and talking to ourselves on the inside.
The real work of self care is about reflecting on what’s going on internally, and realising we don’t always need to make external changes to feel good. Sometimes it’s about getting still, and remembering small shifts in our relationship with ourselves can make a huge impact.
Sending lots of love, Hannah
Ps. Have you checked out our retreat yet? We will be sharing all sorts of ideas on how to self care and nourish yourself from the inside.