Happy Friday dearest Reader!

I’ve been going through a major transformation in my personal life over the last 7 months and over the past few weeks it is all coming to a head.

It feels like any emotions, fears, or unhelpful beliefs that I’ve been holding onto to make it through have been coming to the surface in full force. Some days, like the day when I’m writing this, I get some spurts of creativity and productivity. And other days are just a total shit show.

When the shit show is at its strongest, all I can do it curl up on the couch and watch tv, take a bath, or go to sleep.

I’m grateful that through all of the work that I’ve done over the last 3 years, that I now know that it is totally okay for me to slow down and at times get absolutely nothing done.

I have to put on my own oxygen mask first and trust that the universe has got my back.

Weirdly, the more I do this, the more it does!

Could it be that every aspect of what I’m going through has been divinely orchestrated so that I can learn to do less and trust more?

I’d say so.

If you are also going through a tough time, regardless of the cause, I want to share a few things that I’ve found are key to accepting rather than resisting the change that is before me.

Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Simplify (and shorten ) your to do list and your schedule.​
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   If you expect that you’ll be able to accomplish less, you can still feel (somewhat) accomplished and minimize the internal friction that can come from expecting too much when you really need time to take care of yourself.
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2. Lean on your community. ​
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   Over the past few months, I’ve been really cultivating my connections. A younger Natalie would have retreated and tried to figure everything out for herself and would have ended up feeling incredibly alone, magnifying the challenge at hand.
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   I’ve let my people know that I’m going through a rough time. It’s amazing how telling people that creates the space for them to check on you when maybe you don’t even know you need it. And if I call someone and they know what’s going on, they are more likely to answer or make plans to call me back.
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3. Honor your daily rituals and habits.​
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   If you don’t have any, create one. (Just one, it is so important not to overdo it.) And if you aren’t sure what to do or what might help, create a self-care menu. During your daily ritual, you can just pick one thing. Over time you’ll learn what will help and under which circumstances each practice is helpful.
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4. Listen to your body.
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   ​This is not the time to pressure yourself to be productive and get things done. In fact, pushing yourself to get work done may prolong whatever you are going through right now.​
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5. Shower yourself with self-love and compassion.
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   ​Your body can be the most powerful tuning fork to help you navigate what to do and not do. When to work and when to rest. (Click here to learn my body-centered decision making process)

Above all, know that you are loved. More than you could possibly know or imagine. I am wrapping my big energetic arms around you right now.

Much love,
Natalie
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