Self-care
-
Connecting to nature is connecting to your inner world of magic
On the last day of April I went on a walk through the forest.It has been such a wonderful day, the first warm sun rays, the fresh green leaves, the daisies and dandelions in the meadows. On my walk I recognised how stressed I’ve felt the last couple of weeks and that I’ve disconnected myself from my body and heart. With every step in nature I could slow down, calm my mind and stop my restless thoughts.I could empty my mind and let go of my thoughts as if they were flying away with the butterflies which crossed my path. I observed the butterflies, how they flew from flower to…
-
Coming home to yourself
„Because water always takes the line of least resistance, water is very soft and yet one of the strongest things in the world. This idea then is the strength of gentleness…“ -Alan Watts Going gently only one step at a time.There’s no need to hurry.There’s no need to reach a destination.All is flow.You are flow.You are flowing with time. Everything is a moment in the flow of life.Just there and then a moment of the past in a blink of an eye.There’s only learning, getting experiences while you’re going with the flow.Every experience flows through every cell of your body in endless time. There’s no need for pressure.Flow like water…
-
One step away from the norm, forward to a joyful life
How can I make life feel a bit easier? That was my journal entry this morning.Daily life and work demands feel more and more heavier at the moment, tiredness kicks in and there’s hardly any energy left for something I enjoy doing. I know that I make it extra hard through my overactive mind and overthinking, trying to fulfill all the expectations that I have set for myself and then there is this constant need to create the illusion of control and figure things out. What would make life feel a bit more serene and joyful? Because that is what my body, mind and soul is craving for.Not setting another…
-
A letter to the younger Self – Life has your back
Dear younger Self, This is for you who have gone through so much. I know you always felt like an outsider, that you don’t fit, left alone and forgotten, not seen and understood. You felt always responsible for everything and everyone but you couldn’t make it right anyway, you didn’t get the love you were so hoping for, although you put so much effort in fulfilling the expectations of others. And so you put on even more responsibilities, silenced yourself, swallowed it all down and tried to get on with life and please everyone you hoped was going to love you back. Even if you can’t believe that life sees…
-
How to turn Monday blues into a buttered-side-up day
You probably know these days when you’re frustrated and sad that your weekend has gone by so quickly.Maybe you had to do tasks from the week which you had to postpone and therefore there wasn’t so much time to relax or for doing something nice on the weekend.Maybe your job really stresses you and you think of quitting but you don’t, because it is what brings butter and bread on the table.You feel that your heart has been elsewhere for a long time. You dream of something that makes you feel fulfilled, that excites you and you love doing.You dream of Mondays you love to wake up to.You dream that…
-
A still mind has no fear
Fears are produced by a restless mind, when you’re worrying about what the future might bring, when you’re dwelling on negative experiences of the past.You’re getting a fearful outlook on life when you compare past failures and stressful experiences with a possible outcome in the future.Fears are a product of your mind, of thoughts that are racing from past issues directly to the imagination of the future without stopping in the here and now. You become scared, worried, stressed, your body starts to reflect those thoughts: sleepless nights, a racing heart, gut issues, the feeling of a knot in your chest and stomach… When negative thoughts of an unpredictable future…
-
What growing a cedar taught me about resilience and patience
Have you ever tried to grow a tree from its fruits or cones and watched the vulnerable seedling becoming a little tree after a long period of slow growth? I love to take seeds and cones from my favorite plants and try to cultivate them at home. These are often seeds from plants which grow in special places that are dear to my heart.Once I collected a cone from a cedar at the shoreline of the wild Atlantic Ocean.Its trunk was so big, knotty branches which have seen and endured many storms. I was so happy when I saw the first little green needles in my pot on the windowsill.When…
-
Real success is felt from within
Leave the comparison trap and create your unique way of joy It’s easier more than ever to fall into the trap of comparison. On the internet you can always find someone who seems to have it all: more money, status, freedom, luck, happiness.Sometimes you can get the impression that this bigger, better, faster, more happens in a blink of an eye, with no effort.You just have to follow the newest trend, productivity hacks, the latest hipster network circle and courses.Just follow those guru advice and you will reach all your goals and success with working only for a four-hours-work week. I’m tired of this noise, of constantly trying to tweak…
-
When self-improvement becomes toxic
or what swimming in the ocean taught me about enoughness “I feel tired and overwhelmed. I love learning and personal development, going on this path brought me so much healing but what if it makes you feel stressed? Will there ever be a state when it’s enough? A pause from the urge to constantly improve something?…” When I reread this journal entry I can feel the self-induced stress and pressure I put on myself so often. I wonder what the hidden theme is in my subconscious that pushes me so hard, this feeling of not being enough. Is it the missing acknowledgment of what I have already done,achieved, the healing…
-
Disconnecting from fear-mongering and getting clarity in nature
Have you ever thought about how you can get clarity on a situation when you tend to overthink things? When you have a restless mind, often find yourself in negative thoughts and worst case scenarios? How can you calm your mind and get answers to a problem or clarity on your next steps instead? In our stressful world there’s a huge need for calmness and reconnection to the body, to feelings and emotions, a need for an awareness of what’s going on and running the show in your mind. The first necessary step is to disconnect from everything that stresses and feeds your mind with worries and anxiety inducing thoughts:…