Finding sanity amongst the chaos!
I, like many others around me am crazily trying to achieve some kind of sustainable equilibrium between life and work while juggling the various roles of carer, mother, lover, manager, colleague, taxi driver, maintenance person, counsellor etc etc.
I want to use this blog to explore the needs of women aged 35 to 50 who, like myself, are in the midst of making major life changes. I believe that we are a group who have worked hard at school and college, at our careers, at building our families and communities, tackling huge issues along the way like improving the quality of our relationships, finding life / work balance. However we find ourselves struggling to build into our lives, space for fun, creativity and even just quiet contemplation. I feel that the various roles that women play mean that we can end up feeling psychically disintegrated pulled in so many directions by the needs of all those that we serve or care for and unsure where to find self fulfilment, and even of what our own needs actually are! Some of us go on heroically until circumstances change which allow us to get in touch with our true desires. For others though, the calling to attend to our own life force and creativity become deafening, requiring urgent attention.
Circumstances mean that it is not always possible to go away on a retreat elsewhere. I want to help women (including myself) to find ways of finding their space in their own environments, at home, and in their community. I want to help individuals to make changes that are sustainable within their own lives and do not necessarily entail a total overhaul (unless that is what a person really desires and needs!)
I would love this blog to become a kind of oasis which explores ways in which women can
- Find ‘space’ in their lives whether that be mental or physical – for contemplation, reflection, evaluation, envisioning.
- Unlock their own motivations, direction and source of personal power
- Access the mutual support of a community of women working towards personal and common goals
- Find practical tools to support major life decisions, transition and changes.
- Rely on ongoing support to enable them to sustain their journeys towards a more ‘whole’ and authentic self
- Health, self image and natural beauty
- Being present in nature - getting fit, running, walking, climbing, mountaineering, sailing
- Finding your focus - meditation, yoga, tai chi
- Giving voice to creativity - craft, writing, music, singing, drama, art, film and photography
- Nurturing body and soul - reviewing alternative therapies
- Clearing mental and physical space - decluttering, finding ways of organising life effectively
- Parenting - dealing with the issues of parenthood
- Becoming an active member of your community – having impact.
- Are there any particular themes that interest you?
- How do you find the space in the hurly burly of everyday life to reflect, to evaluate and create your vision of the future?
- Have you experienced any kind of mid life crisis - and how did you deal with the issues that arose for you?
I'd be really interested to find out what you think of my first post. Do post your reaction to this fledgling blog.
Such a great topic and timely. I recently finished reading I Don't Know How She Does It (which has also been made into a film) which is about exactly this: how does a woman 'do it all' AND have space?
ReplyDeleteI also know it's one of the key challenges my clients grapple with, many of whom are self-employed and mothers.
To answer your first two questions:
- The theme of space, decluttering, organizing and also the theme of having some kind of daily practice, be that in nature or meditation
- I have three daily Connection practices which are (mostly!) non-negotiable: a 20-minute meditation/prayer time, a 20-30 minute walk in nature, and an hour spent writing and working on my book. I put them as early in the day as possible so they don't get swept aside.
I look forward to reading future posts!
Corrina