A Guide Home

In case you get lost

Number one -

Don’t trust how you feel about yourself after 9pm.

When the day has ended and the mind has nothing to do, it will pick apart the many things wrong with your reflection and life choices. Now is not the time to problem solve. Turn off the melancholy music, wash your face and wrap yourself in a warm blanket. Let hot tea soothe your throat and spirit, immerse yourself in a story, a world beyond this one. And when sleep calls, surrender to it.

Number two -

Go back to basics when everything feels too much.

Feed yourself

Drink water

Rest, minus the guilt

Breathe fresh air, deeply

Move your body, even a little…stretch a limb, twist your spine, shake the stagnancy off.

Don’t complicate care, you’re just a plant with feelings.

Number three -

Get lost….

Go wander through fields and forest. Meander by a river, sink your fingers and toes into sand. Take a route you’ve never gone, walk a path that’s untouched and undiscovered. Accidentally trespass on private property, stumble over rocks and through the long grass. Study the details; the smooth edges of stones, light shimmering on the water, the tight buds preparing to bloom, the rough bark of a wise oak tree.

If you have the energy, climb a hill; take in the view and let it remind you of how small this moment is in the grand scheme of things.

Number four-

Return to your senses when nothing makes sense.

Listen to a sweeter sound than the voice in your head - a chorus of birds greeting the day after a long night, the favourite song that brings a smile to your face and fond memories to mind. Cuddle the cosy blanket close to your heart, stroke the soft fur of your sweet animal companion. Sip slowly on that first morning coffee or tea, smell the favourite sweet treat and let your mouth water before the first delicious bite.

Number five -

Let yourself be seen through the eyes of someone who cares for you. Let them witness you through love instead of the lens of shame and brokenness you filter yourself through. Let them remind you of your resilience, brilliance and beauty when you have forgotten. Isolation is not your friend, practice allowing yourself to receive the care and support you are worthy of. Your back and shoulders aren’t sore from sleeping funny, they ache from carrying too many burdens alone.

Number six -

Sit and surf the wave of your inhale and exhale.

When you are stuck in the pain of a past you can’t change, or anxiously ruminating over an unknown future, return to the body and anchor into the breath that exists only in this moment.

Sit in the pause between each breath, the still point where you can hear that quiet voice whisper…

I am here

I am home.