It’s a lot, it’s busy, it’s too much. Renovating a house is one thing, but running a (fast) growing business is quite a lot. Especially considering that I am not ‘fully employable’, mentally vulnerable and I have to take my health into account a lot.

To top it off, I received notification from the UWV (the dutch Social Security acency) that I have grown out of my (disability) benefits. My business now provides the income. I am super proud of course, but it is also SO terribly exciting. I feel a kind of pressure now that I didn’t feel before. I guess I’ll get used to it, but IEW a lot of anxiety too!

Funny, through all the busyness, I had already forgotten this last one, even though I do feel the pressure. But now that I am sitting here typing my blog, it really hits me. Time to make sure I keep doing well and maybe you will recognise things or get some tips from it!

 

 

SLOWWWW PLEASE!

I am someone who can work really hard. I go fast. Over my limits often. Result: I need a lot of time to recover and am of course ‘depleted’ very quickly. Convenient? No. So for me, it is very important not to feel rushed or too busy. This leaves enough time for recovery. Even better would be to live completely ‘slow’, but my character has a turbo mode that quickly kicks in and in combination with busyness I don’t (yet!) manage to do everything slow. And honestly? Sometimes I love to ‘get on with it’ and then let go and relax and recover. The two in balance would be nice!

Anyway, important to build enough ‘slow’ into my life over the coming period. Taking time to read a book, pick dahlias in the garden, play with the dogs for a while or cook. By doing these little things at my leisure, I take myself out of turbo mode again and unwind.

 

 

COCOONING

Life just rumbles on, of course. At the moment, it feels a bit like I’m on a moving train that just won’t slow down. Do you know that feeling? When I feel like that, it’s time to get off that train (I’m quick to tell myself I can’t, but I can almost always!). A day of doing nothing, no work, being home alone and no obligatory list of chores. Just crawling away in my own cocoon. Some tea, enjoying a book while it rains outside. Or a long (stroll) walk with the dogs through the woods. Rummaging in the garden, baking a cake or painting (whatever I feel like). Now that I am writing this, I already feel it, so nice!

 

 

FALL ENERGY

With cocooning now comes autumn. Lovely! And very helpful. The bustle and high energy of summer is waning, also known as the ‘yang energy’ (=light, active, outward) to give it a name. Slowly, more and more autumn energy comes. ‘Yin energy’, the dark, passive, turning inwards, time for reflection. Somehow I’ve always remembered this because it’s so right for me and works so well. In summer, my turbo mode activates very easily, at the end of summer I am often empty, then there is a need for dark evenings at rest, going to bed earlier and getting up later, shorter days and less light. Mood lights, cosiness, a book, a puzzle and, of course, lots of cosiness! The time of year to recharge is upon us!

 

 

SELFCARE

You guessed it, it’s all about self-care, of course. And what form you pour it into doesn’t matter. Doing what you need and what helps you feel good about yourself is what counts. I’m going to focus on ‘slow, cocooning and autumn energy’ for a while. What about you?