Breaking Free From Blah

Sometimes you have to reflect on what has been.

I have a friend who has a “word” for the year.  I must admit it is something I have not done before and to be honest I am not sure if I have the attention span for a whole year. In her case it is always a positive, a word that she will strive to receive or provide in service for that year.Thinking about having a “word” it prompted me to look back. Moi? Looking back, it’s not something I do very often.  I am very much a live for today type of person. That is finished move on. No point in dwelling no point at all.  But look back I did to get some perspective and I began to think.

Let the navel-gazing commence.

So should I tell you this as a coach? Aren’t I supposed to be happy, smiley, bright and breezy, the cheerleader to keep you on your toes and confirm that you can do it?  Well yes I am, but I’m also human and honest.
So my word has been Blah.
Yep Blah.  And note I said Has Been!

Not that I haven’t had some fantastic times I so have. My sister got married on a beautiful summer’s day to her long term partner.  Most couples wait until the kids grow up to divorce they waited for the kids to grow up before getting married!

We also celebrated our silver wedding anniversary and my husband and I enjoyed a two night break at a beautiful county house hotel on the east coast. It was a time I will treasure our first break as a couple in over a decade. As a family we enjoyed a holiday at Centre Parcs one of our favourite destinations and the best thing was keeping it a surprise from the kids. We relaxed and had family time. Family has been a big theme for me always has been always will be and is probably my most consistent word.  The family times I wouldn’t change for the world making memories with my kids – It has not been about spending lots of money or having materialistic things but the time we have spent together at Country Parks, Castles, Walking in the woods, going to the cinema, playing games and sharing picnics. All times I have cherished and wouldn’t want to give up.

But then the Blah comes in. I messed up didn’t take note of my own teachings, beliefs and advice. .

I had lots of plans in action and many balls to juggle.  Personally I was looking forward to time with my family, building business and presenting lots of workshops and seminars to mums and women who wanted to find empowerment within. I was also so looking forward to sharing my Calm in the Class workshops in schools.

Then my mum was taken seriously ill and needed lots of help and care. Then totally out of the blue a friend of mine died suddenly. That hit me hard, We were the same age, had the same interests, our boy is the same age as her daughter, we had virtually the same career path.

On a hot summer afternoon when I should have been texting her or chatting via social media as we did, I was attending her funeral. That is almost a year ago time flies when you are having fun, well it sort of just goes on when Blah is present.

My meditations became few and far between, My energy levels plummeted and I stopped running, So I got flabby(er) Ta Dah there’s the Blah.

I stopped caring. Not for others of course I am really really good at that ask my friends and family.

I just stopped caring for myself didn’t have the time, energy or simply couldn’t be ar**d  as I perhaps felt so much of my energy was going into others.

I will tell people to think about the instructions on an aeroplane should disaster strike and you need to use the oxygen masks always take care of your oxygen first before attending to anyone else as without your ability to breathe you are no use to anyone.
Warning Warning – Failure to carry out this advice can lead to feelings of Blah,
Blah = low energy, procrastination and apathy.

Not only that but the family you love so much and care for so much can start to grate and what you may have found endearing and funny before the Blah, becomes irritating and tedious.

The Blah is manifested as snappy, mardy and tiresome. Not only that but physical ailments manifest too, bloated, tummy troubles, blotchy skin and tiredness. How fantastic are our bodies?? Don’t take proper care of it (rest, relaxation, exercise and healthy eating) and it will put the odd spot in the middle of the face, make your wobbly bits wobble, your hair looks lank and your nails start to peel. These side effects of Blah prompt questions from others that such as. Are you tied? Did you have a rough night? Have you got a hangover? Are you unwell? And my favourite (not) When are you due? Woah I’m way too old for that malarkey thank you very much.

So what to do to banish the Blah?

Get back to basics; practice what you preach and remind yourself preferably with a French accent as per David Ginola “you are worth it”

Side effect of Blah = Apathy

Apathy is responsible for a lack of personal challenges and growth, usually I have a few physical and emotional challenges to facilitate growth but I have realised I had not carried out any such challenges.

First challenge ahead. I have signed up to a 30 day blogging challenge.  This is day one! It is a little bit of a cheat as this is a post I wrote at the beginning of the year when I was wanting to blog but I didn’t get round to it. So I’ve done a couple of tweaks and feel it is apt for a starter.

There you have it my time residing with the Blah. It’s not that bad, it could have been worse,  any longer, I probably would have been walking down the path with the black dog of depression. Thankfully I didn’t have the worst time ever.

But the key thing was I wasn’t following my true path. I wasn’t going with my flow and I was ignoring the whispers of my soul.

Now I’ve dusted off my soul shoes, to walk that path and am listening to my soul. Time to embrace the journey once more.

It is such a journey why wouldn’t I want to embrace it?