Things are starting to get incredibly difficult for many, right now. There is a lot going on in society that feels scary and uncertain. And many of us are going to be left feeling anxious about what it all means. 

In times like this, we start making decisions to put our own needs on the back burner for a while, when what we really should be doing is the exact opposite.

In times of worry, uncertainty, financial hardship (you name it), we immediately go into auto-pilot and we go straight back into those old habits that were formed growing up, that told us that when the shit hits the fan, we must rescue everyone and everything around us first and put ourselves last. 

We suddenly forget the wisdom of that old saying about why it is so important to put your own oxygen mask on first. So stuck in fight or flight mode, that all sensible thinking goes out of the window and we suddenly find that we are unable to access our trusty toolkit, paying special ignorance to why those tools are there in the first place.

So, I thought I would write it out for you, today, in the hope that this reminds you of some of the best tools we all do still have, which I have learnt to rely on. And why, when the shit hits the fan for me, I get my foot out the door!

We all remember the thick of COVID-19, right? Of course, we do. How could we ever forget? 

I remember for me, the hardest part was when both me and my husband had to continue to work full-time at home, with both our children in tow. This wasn’t the hard part, though. 

The hardest part wasn’t juggling it all or not being able to keep up with the millions of tasks and needs that seemed to arrive every second of every day.

It was the inability to have a moment to think without interruption. It was the lack of space, peace and clarity that existed in our minds. 

It drove us crazy! Millions of thoughts racing through our heads, constantly trying to solve so many problems, both with our work and within the family. 

My website crashing, just as a new product goes on sale, that will hopefully rescue the state of our bank account and ease some financial stress and anxiety, at the exact moment one of the kids hurts themselves and has a huge meltdown, whilst the other child fights for our attention, because they are feeling deeply unseen, because mummy and daddy are so busy all of the time, and now all of our attention is on their sibling, and does this make me a terrible parent? How do I fix this? How do I get the kids to stop having meltdowns, so I can work and earn money? I need to read that parenting book, again. I need to Google it all!! Arghh!!!!

I remember both me and my husband were having migraines, all of the time, which only added to the pressures we were all facing. 

Then, one day, when things couldn’t get any worse, I had a ‘to do’ list the size of Ben Nevis, my sister was dying of cancer and needed me. I had so many messages and notifications to respond to, emails to answer, no money in the bank, and was just generally having a terrible time with both my kids and my husband, too.

Honestly, it couldn’t have been more important that I sit down and get stuff done. And in that moment, I realised how unsustainable it all was. That the reason I wasn’t finding the answers in all this chaos was because I was allowing myself to become consumed by it all.

So, I decided to do the exact opposite of what I should be doing. I put my coat on, pulled my wellies on, poured a herbal hot chocolate into my flask, kissed them all goodbye, and went outside. 

No, I didn’t leave them for good. Though, I won’t lie, at times that seemed like a good idea. I went out for just a couple of hours. 

I marched myself straight into the woods and didn’t stop until I was sat at the very top of the hills, looking down on it all. All the way up, taking in big, deep, healing breaths and breathing it all back out!

By the time I reached the top, I was a big, sweaty mess. The whole forest knew all about my ordeal, as I told them on the way up. There was no judgement, at all, from the trees and all their inhabitants. They simply sat there and listened, which was great. I sat there so thankful for their ability to just listen without trying to fix me, give me advice I hadn’t asked for, or above all, interrupting my thought process. They simply offered their sweet oxygen and a listening leaf. It was exactly what I needed. 

As I stood there, looking down on it all, I remember feeling like I was also stood on top of all the shit that was being thrown at me. Like I was the queen of the castle and it was the dirty rascal. I felt smug. It felt good. And I finally, finally remembered everything I was wanting to bring back into this modern existence. The whole reason I was building this business. So I could remind everyone of our place in this world. Of our place in nature. And its incredible power to heal when we reconnect with it. A place I so often forget about myself because that conditioning goes so bloody deep. But I swore to myself that day, I would never forget, again. 

And do you know what happened when I got back? Take a guess. Do you think it all fell apart because I walked out on it all for 2 hours? Do you think my business failed? My family decided they hated me and wanted nothing to do with me, ever again? That we lost our house or bailiffs came knocking on the door? Though, I’m pretty sure I did a fantastic job of convincing myself of all of this before, in fact, no. 

What happened was I came back feeling refreshed and inspired. Nourished and held. Loved. Like I mattered and deserved to take time for myself. I had found the space that I had been needing. And in that space, I even found some of the answers that had been hiding from me amongst all the chaos. So, I implemented them when I got home. 

I started to do this more and more for myself and life got easier, each time I did it.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, I still had to convince that wobbly part of myself that constantly tried to convince me I would be much safer if I just did everything I was supposed to do. But, eventually, even she learned that actually, we are much safer and happier, when I put my own oxygen mask on first and get my foot out of the door. And actually, the whole family were able to breathe better, then, too. 

As for my business, it’s never been better! 

I guess the point of my message, today, is how, when we need rescuing, it’s always worth remembering not only ourselves but our connection to the wild places that exist outside. And they may not always look like hills and trees. They might simply be a hedgerow path, a field, or a patch of flowers in your local green space. It might even be as simple as a herbal tea in the bag garden. The point is, Mother Nature always has your back. She’s always waiting there, with her lungs, ready to breathe new life into us, when we need it. And I hope you can remember to seek her out, too, every time you need her.