Doing Things Differently
What a whirlwind! Life has been pretty intense lately… All the traveling, staying in different places, prepping for our upcoming move… It’s a lot.
My body was definitely telling me to slow down and take better care of myself. My face broke out, my back ached, my head hurt, I had no energy, and was an emotional wreck. Not good.
Cancer loves broken down, stressed out bodies. And I wasn’t eating healthy. I wasn’t exercising. No time for meditation. No more supplements (which were temporarily put on hold while my Naturopath adjusted dosages because of the blood thinners). Exhaustion. And a whole hell of a lotta stress! Not good at all.
But now i’m back in NYC… My body is always happy here. I’ve handed over the reigns on the house hunting to hubby (who is currently living in a hotel in Connecticut and loving his new job) and am enjoying a few days with the fabulous Auntie ‘Cole who happens to be in town from Vancouver. Suddenly life is good again. Enjoying the time to shake off the stress & have some fun. The perfect prelude to packing up our life in Ohio (Miss M and I fly back tomorrow).
I remember my therapist asking me, “When life gets stressful again, what will you do differently?” Because it’s not a matter of IF life gets stressful, it’s WHEN life gets stressful. And the last time my life got super stressful I didn’t know what to do.
Last week, amidst all the stress, I resorted to many of my old unhealthy patterns. But then my therapist’s voice rang in my ears… Ok, life is stressful again & I’m starting to feel like shit. So what am I gonna do differently? I can’t go down this road again. I need to stay strong and healthy. I can’t give the cancer any bait.
So mid-week I finally got my ass into the gym at the hotel and squeezed in some exercise. I tried to eat healthier. Loaded my body with green juice, smoothies, & veggies. Stopped drinking the morning caffeine again. Found time to just relax and enjoy nature, be with family, de-stress and celebrate life.
And I’m feeling a lot better.
One of the things I’m really excited about is actively taking more time to pursue my passions. These last few days in NY, Cousin J, Auntie ‘Cole and I decided to make a pact to take regular steps toward discovering our ideal careers… Pursuing our passions… Honoring our truths… All three of us are at a crossroads in our life and need this extra push to move us in the right direction. To make sure we actually do what we say we’re gonnna do, we’ve agreed to document and share the actions we take. We plan to start a separate blog (to keep us accountable) and take turns posting about our different journeys. [I’ll share the link here in the near future for those that are interested].
The last week & a half brought me back to so many of the lessons I know I’m here to learn. Reminded me of how my unique self and the circumstances of my life are not coincidence. We’re here for a reason. Each one of our lives has meaning and purpose. Staying open to the lessons in our particular journeys and responding with courage to honour our true selves brings us closer to living the life we are meant to live.
For me, the lessons are a matter of life or death. And I’m not looking to die anytime soon! So I gotta keep learning. Keep growing. Keep striving. Keep flexing those muscles. And keep believing that anything is possible… It is, right??
Peace. -T
so super to hear terri.. we have moved back to bowen 2 days ago and life has been such a rush and manic crazy time for a while now as this move is huge and to do it alone whilst keeping hugo happy has been hard.. but we have done it.. people want to rush me back but im not.. im slowing it down as that is the reason we have moved back.. and you blogs and inspiration have helped so much.. you look amazing and im so happy for you guys. good luck with the house hunting- you will get tehre. take care and take it slow.. tons of love xx
OMG Michelle!! Back to Bowen?!?? How cool! Good for you guys. I think we all need to slow down a bit. It’s hard for me – but I’m trying 🙂 I’m so excited that I’ll get to see you when I come out to Bowen later this year. Hooray! Take care of yourself & your little guy… I’ll keep you posted on our travel plans. Lots of love. – T
Righteo! Anything is possible, for sure. And you yourself are proof. And putting to use all your hard work – thumbs up! Hmm. I believe I’ll get off my overlarge bottom and follow your example. 😉
LOL! Thanks for the chuckle Elizabeth! xoxo
Try to practice what Mom always said: “Don’t just do something: sit there.”
Eagerly anticipating the new blog!
Yes, life stress is inevitable but I can clearly hear your voice speaking loud and clear- all you have to do is listen which is exactly what you are doing.
Love you to pieces and counting the days till your arrival home… Just remember to listen to that voice in the weeks ahead.
Love, Auntie L
It’s always important to listen to what your body/mind/spirit tells you and actually pay attention and follow up. Using a blog for accountability rather than just an account is a great idea. *hug*
Thinking of you and sending much love as you resettle — John
[…] quote above is my comment to Terri’s most recent blog post. I don’t know Terri well, just from her blog and from things her mom and dad said about her, […]
Hey! Congratulations! Realizing that you’re slipping into old patterns, interrupting them, and reworking on your new ones can be a big step. I don’t like to think how many times *I* do something like “yeah, I know how to handle stress now” and then don’t put that knowledge into practice!
Thanks! I just processed this with my therapist today & we agreed I should be pretty proud of myself for not staying in the ‘bad place’ for too long. It’s a work in progress but I keep trying!!! What more can you do?
Nod. And trying is good and powerful and wonderful – don’t let your brain tell you different! I know mine likes to hit me with the sneaky one – that I have to try so often and work so hard proves that I’m weak, unworthy, whatever.
No, that I have to keep trying proves that there’s hard work to do, and injuries to heal. That’s normal in any human endeavor. You start, you work at it, you get better. If you have to keep working hard, that means it’s *really* hard work. Maybe it’s not that hard for everybody, but I’m not everybody, which is good, because if I was, I’d be awfully confused about the sex I was having.