Nourishing moments #3

Things that lifted my spirits, felt inspiring and a challenge for good measure.

Hello lovelies,

How are you?

I don’t know about you, but January felt quite slow and steady until all of a sudden it was the 23rd and we were way more than half way through the month!

I set the intention of going slower and feeling content with conserving my energy. Matching nature, the idea is to be in a sort of hibernation till spring. Leaving this pressure to know what I’m doing with the year and basically taking it slower. I’d say it’s mostly panning out, but also been interesting observing those niggling feelings that maybe I *should* be working harder after seeing others share their goals and aspirations for the year (damn years of hustle culture and conditioning).

It’s been just over a year since I left my job to pursue freelance life and a more creative career, and it was a reminder that change is slow, non-linear and there’s challenges along the way.

Honestly the pull from hustle culture can still feel alluring at times. When I notice those thoughts arise I’m asking myself a question a therapist shared with me a few years back that’s stuck and become a bit of a life raft…

What do I need in this moment?

Often when comparison is creeping in or my nervous system is having a wobble, it’s self compassion, but also coming back to trusting my direction and intuition, knowing that how I choose to do things doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else.

Anyway, I felt like I wanted to share that before jumping into this post. I know there’s so much noise this time of year, so just a reminder that however it’s been for you is valid - we’ve got 11 months left my friends!

I’m returning to my nourishing moments series and making it a bi-weekly thing. It took a bit of a back seat, but I’ve decided to bring it back as a way to share a mini update, articles, podcast episodes and basically anything that felt nourishing in some way…

Let me know what’s felt nourishing for you in the comments!

1. So, I’ve started a book club with a friend! We had our first session a couple of weeks back and it was just a joy. It came out of wanting to read more fiction, but also to connect more with local women and build a sense of community. If reading more or meeting new people is high up on your list, I highly recommend joining a local club/ making your own - it’s been so fulfilling!

2. I’ve literally just finished reading This One Wild And Precious Life by Sarah Wilson (who also has a Substack btw). It was one of the most inspiring and thought provoking non-fiction books I’ve read in a long time. It’s packed with so much research and it’s made me think more about living with less and making better use of what I have - I’ll be sharing more on this soon!

3. Making my own cocoa energy balls! I put some mixed nuts in the food processor (I pick mine up at Aldi), add in some normal dates/ medool dates then 100% cocoa at the end. Whizz it all together, make some bitesized balls, pop them in the fridge and honestly, if you have a sweet tooth, they’re the perfect little snack.

4. I’ve done a bit of a 360 with podcasts and I’m back to loving them. I was looking for new things to listen to and stumbled across 28ish Days Later earlier in the week with India Rakusen. I’m half way through, but so far, it feels like an essential listen for everyone, whether you have a menstrual cycle or not. So much wisdom!

5. Okay, so, I finally ordered the shoes I’ve had saved on a Pinterest board for years but never took the plunge with… The Birkenstock Bostons. I wanted to wait to see if they were just a trend and that’s why I liked them, but no, I love them (borderline obsessed). They’re practical, go with everything I already own and are just a bloomin’ good addition. I don’t know how I’m going to wear anything else.

6. This TikTok ❤️

7. Moving on from a job that didn’t feel quite right… Sometimes you just know don’t you? It feels scary, but your intuition tells you. Being self employed is this tricky balance of wanting to feel secure financially but equally wanting to do the work that’s most fulfilling. I feel so relieved to have more time back to pour into Substack and my other creative projects now I’ve let something go.

8. Committing to an *almost* daily Yoga Nidra practice - it’s been part of my morning ritual for a while. I’m nearing the end of my training and just feeling

9. Doing spring spotting walks (aka going out for a walk and looking for all of the signs that spring isn’t all too far away). I’ve noticed daffodils close to flowering and snowdrops in full bloom. My husband thinks I’m crazy, but I was giddy when I spotted the first set - just stunning.

10. Finally, I can’t not mention the treehouse stay with Canopy & Stars (pr). It was just a really lovely stay and felt amazing to be somewhere that’s so immersed in nature - it was just so quiet too! A real dream stay.

The *not so* nourishing stuff…

Honestly, with everything that’s going on in the world right now, both of these things are very small in comparison - very aware of that. Sticking with the original format, I wanted to share them nevertheless as they’ve taken up a fair but of time over the past few weeks…

1. So, on our way back from our gorgeous treehouse stay our car broke down, turns out that was its final trip and the engine has gone. Not *quite* what we had in mind for the start of the year, although we were laughing at the contrast between a tranquil treehouse one day to waiting for recovery for 9 hours the next. Now we have the task of thinking about what to get next… who knew buying a car would be such a hard decision?

2. I’m still in the thick of EMDR therapy. I’ve been having weekly sessions and decided I’ll be dropping down to every two weeks because wow, it’s intense. After the sessions you continue to process and I’ve been finding that I only have a couple of days where I feel myself before I’m back into processing again. I’m hoping it gives me more space to just exist, outside of the doing the work - you know?

With that, I’d love to know, how’s your week been? Has anything felt particularly nourishing?

The Next Monthly Journaling Club…

On Thursday the 1st of February we have the next Monthly Journaling club! The theme for next month is TRUST. There’s going to be a different theme each month which are inspired by the Slower Space community’s words for the year.

It’s also the day of Imbolc, the halfway point between winter solstice and spring equinox, so a good chance to reflect and start thinking about the final stretch of the winter months. You can find all of the details for the journaling club here. I’d love to see you there ❤️

If you found this post useful/ enjoyed it I would be so grateful if you shared it or restacked it. It helps other people find the Slower Space community! Thank you x