As the year begins...
It’s the first proper back to school and back to work week after the holidays. This morning, I sat down to begin and noticed my mind was already full. There was a sense of organising and planning for both my home life and work and alongside that, a familiar tightening in my body. I was noticing a subtle but unmistakable shift into tension and stress and I know this state well. When my nervous system moves into fight, flight or freeze, my body tightens, my breath shortens and my inner dialogue becomes harsh. I could feel it beginning to kick in, the pressure to get going, the sense of being behind and the creeping belief that I should already be doing more.
For a long time, I believed that if I wasn’t thriving, it must be because I wasn’t trying hard enough and that I wasn’t focused or disciplined enough. It must be because I wasn’t putting in sufficient effort. What I now see clearly through my own experience and my work with clients is that the real issue is almost never effort. It’s state.
As I sat at my desk this morning, I noticed the old unhelpful narratives starting to surface. For me it’s “you’re lazy, you’re failing and you should be doing more”. When I’m in this place, creativity shuts down almost instantly, my confidence wobbles, decisions feel unnecessarily difficult and no matter how hard I try to push myself forward, I can’t seem to create the life or business I want. I now know that the shift doesn’t come from trying harder. It comes from nervous system regulation.
I know that when my body feels safe, grounded and supported, something fundamentally changes and that’s when I move into flow state. From this place, my thinking becomes clearer, action feels aligned rather than forced and this is the state from which meaningful work, abundance and genuine fulfilment emerge.
So this morning, when I caught myself tipping into overwhelm, paralysis and then doing nothing, I made a different choice. Instead of forcing productivity as a reaction, I did what I often guide my clients to do and I worked with my body first.
I took a moment for myself, made a cup of tea and checked in. I realised that I needed to step away from my desk, took Rolo out for a walk, came home and did a hypnosis session and allowed myself the space to settle. From this place, clarity returned. This is the approach that sits at the heart of my work as a coach and the way I live my own life.
I know that trying to help people push through exhaustion or override themselves in the name of productivity doesn’t work. My work as a coach is about helping people come home to themselves so that they can create from their strongest, calmest and most confident state.
A regulated nervous system isn’t a luxury. It’s the foundation for everything we want to build and this is why I created Norrag. Our beautiful rest mats are designed as a physical place for the body to soften, rest and regulate so that the mind can follow. When the body feels held, the nervous system can finally let go and from that place, clarity, creativity and momentum return.
If you’re feeling stuck, scattered or behind, I invite you to gently ask yourself these coaching questions. You could sit down for ten minutes with a pen and paper and allow your mind to explore.
1) What state am I in right now and is this the state I do my best living and working from?
2) What is one simple thing I know helps my body feel safe and grounded and am I willing to do that first?
3) If I allowed myself to work from a regulated body today, what would naturally want to unfold next?
I really feel strongly that we don’t need more pressure or force to thrive. We need safety, support and space to settle and when we take care of our state first, everything else follows.
For me, getting into my best state so that I can do my best work and live my best life looks like walking or running, yin yoga, saunas, jumping in the sea, breath work or hypnosis, sound baths and listening to music/singing. When I consciously plan to come back into my body, everything else becomes easier. State is of utmost importance to me this year and I hope this inspires you to reflect on what helps you to feel most grounded, calm and wise.
If this resonates and you are feeling the call to work from a calmer, more supported place, you are very welcome to get in touch. I offer a free introductory call for coaching if you would like to explore what support might look like for you.
If deep rest is what your body is asking for right now, you can also explore our Norrag rest mats. They have been created for real comfort, support and regulation. No more lying on thin yoga mats when your nervous system needs to feel held.
0 comments