Life got real bumpy....

As I sit here typing at my kitchen table in our cottage high up on Bodmin Moor it is the start of Summer, and possibly the hottest day of the year I feel blessed. The backdoor is open, the cats are dozing on the patio, our long garden leads down to the veg patch, and beyond that horses are grazing in the field. Past that is nothing but moors, vast and so very endless.

For those that know my family’s journey over the last 8 months feeling blessed might sound wildly positive, though if there is one thing 2024 has taught me it is that beauty, blessings, goodness and positivity can be found even in the darkest of days.

Without going into too much detail towards the back end of last year, tests revealed some pretty nasty (un)health stuff going on, including the big C for a significant member of my family, followed by a diagnosis of multiple Autoimmune diseases for me.

I’ve known stress in my life, on so many levels, though now I have a little breathing space to reflect and we are on a journey of recovery and significant life adjustments, it is fair to say nothing has been as quite so tough as this.

For most of my adult life one of my favourite quotes has been:?

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.” By Anais Nin

I had always applied this to my career as motivation to ‘take the leap’, push for more, run the risk, never be fearless to go where people had not gone before, be disruptive, be bold, be big, be loud and so on.?

And yet I think maybe it is also true in a quieter sense too.

This post isn’t to elicit sympathy, it is to simply share some of the things I’ve learnt in a kind of “Wear Sunscreen’ vibe (which incidentally was credited to both Baz Luhrmann and Kurt Vonnegut, though it was actually Mary Schmih a columnist for the Chicago Tribune).

• Your whole world stutters, and nothing else matters except making it through as best you can. And it’s messy, full of emotions, it’s a rollercoaster from minute to minute and there is no right or wrong way to feel.

• When you get news like we have had, you don’t want to tell anyone.?

For me it was because I didn’t want to pass on the emotional burden, or spread such difficult news. I didn’t want to ‘tarnish’ other people’s day with such devastating news.

• It feels like it is harder for people to hear the news than it is living through it. I can only attribute this to the ‘drip drip’ effect.?

• You need time and privacy to process as a family. We were coming to terms with our news around the same time as Princess Katherine was pushed to make her announcement on a global stage. How she held it together I have no idea.

I was so ashamed of the media and lack of humanity shown in the lead up to it. Yes they are public figures but my goodness people’s lack of empathy or common sense floored me.?

• You end up having to tell more people and sooner than you want to, mostly because you go off radar. And yes it is no one else's business, but as someone who’s literal job it is to engage I am everywhere, all the time.?

I’m available on email, face to face, on the phone, on whatsapp, social media, LinkedIn so when you need to go AWOL for at least a few months it is inevitable.

• Well meaning people make how you want to deal with it about how they think you should deal with it, despite you trying to tell them otherwise. And you go with it because it is easier than fighting them, but it is unfair.

• Despite being a massive subscriber to the ‘hustle culture’ I became resentful of it. I ended up unfollowing scores of people and accounts on social media, unfollowing emailers, podcasts and channels.

• You gain a perspective that you never thought existed. And your priorities fall back into their right place.

• You crave the mundane, the boring, the ‘normal’.

• If you are brave enough you clear the deck of new projects, pipeline projects, and anything not already established. You streamline EVERYTHING. This was the hardest thing for me, because I knew it wouldn't be temporary.?

Autoimmune disease is serious, it is for life, and unless you make radical changes to your lifestyle, work, diet and take medication you will never push it into remission.

• You need to find coping mechanisms, for me this is hiking and photography. I think it is fair to say I have mapped a fair chunk of Bodmin Moor in the last 8 months!

• You figure out how strong your family unit is, turns out ours is bloody solid.

• And finally life is never the same afterwards, nor should it be.

Despite all we have been through I am actually excited to see what this new perspective brings. I am at the start of a lifelong journey of figuring out what having Autoimmune Disease means, and I am determined to not slip back into old habits. I am committed to keeping the decks cleared for the things that spark my passion (writing, photography, design, cooking, attempting to grow veg), I am grateful for this opportunity to slow down, and realise what so many don’t until it is too late.

Lastly….due to ‘clearing the decks’ I have capacity for 2 new clients on a very low intervention basis. This would be up to a maximum of 3 days a month.??

My role as a freelancer is to help others engage with new or existing clients, opportunities, market places etc. That could be through social media marketing, content writing, photography, design or sales. I am both a practitioner and consultant, so whether you need advice, strategy creation or someone to do the actual doing I can help.

Drop me a line and we can set up a call.