Hello there folks.
In many ways I feel like I am standing at the edge of a cliff, with the vastness of the unknown stretching out before me, I can feel my heart racing like it has never before. It’s a place where fear and excitement collide, almost as though they are in a battle with one another, where the familiar ground ends and the possibility of flight emerges. These are moments where I hold my breath. In the past I have let fear sit with me and become my constant companion and still jump or freeze. Excitement is an emotion that is foreign to me. I am learning to get to know it and embrace it’s nuances as I would learn to get to know a friend.
At times, life demands that we take a leap of faith, that we gather our courage and trust in something greater than ourselves. It’s in these moments of uncertainty that our true strength and resilience are tested. I have never known what is next even when I have plotted the way, there have always been deviations.
As I prepare to take that leap now , I connect with the depths of my soul. I listen to the whispers of my heart, and I’m reminded that the biggest growth often lies on the other side of fear. It’s in the unknown that we discover our untapped potential, our hidden talents, and our capacity for greatness.
While the edge of a cliff may seem daunting, it also holds the promise of transformation and liberation. It’s an invitation to embrace the exhilaration of soaring freely through life, unencumbered by self-doubt and limiting beliefs irrespective of what the circumstances. The meaning we make of the world around us is subjective.
So, if you too find yourself standing on the edge of a cliff, take a deep breath, summon your inner strength, and take that leap into the unknown. Trust that the universe will catch you, and know that you are capable of reaching new heights. Embrace the adventure that awaits and allow yourself to soar.
From my heart as always
Marléne
From my heart to yours.
Much Love, as always.
Marléne
https://talkingfromtheheart.com/
https://www.selfandmore.co.za/
https://calendly.com/self-and-more-integrative-coaching
#LeapOfFaith #CourageToJump #EmbracingUncertainty#ComfortZone
Hello there folks.
Cold water immersion, also known as cold water therapy, is immersing oneself in cold water for a set period. It has been gaining popularity recently due to its many benefits, such as reducing inflammation, boosting the immune system, and increasing circulation. Search Wim Hof for his work on the benefits. This is my experience.
I am privileged to live close to the ocean, so swimming was where I landed in a way.
As a novice and weak swimmer since my school days, partly because I had no access to pools or open water, and as I grew up in a concrete jungle, I never thought that open water swimming in low temperatures was something that I would ever try. I get cold very quickly. My Mom did take me for lessons as a small child so I was able to get by for the casual dips and lengths in the pool and dunks in the ocean; from time to time in my life, never did I think that swimming would become a “thing” in my life. However, when a friend suggested it to me as a way to improve my mental and emotional resilience, meet new people, add to my fitness routine which was initially the drawing card for me, and improve my swimming skills by swimming, I eventually decided to give it a try seven months ago.
I was overcome with fear and anxiety the first time I stepped into the cold water. The shock of the cold water was almost unbearable, and I felt like my body was shutting down. But as I started to acclimate to the water, I began to feel a sense of calm and focus that I had never experienced before.
Over time, I noticed improvements in my swimming skills and so much more. I could hold my breath for extended periods, my strokes became more efficient, and I could swim longer without getting tired. But more than that, I realized that cold water immersion in the morning taught me essential life lessons. By pushing myself past my comfort zone and embracing the discomfort of the cold water without judging my performance as a swimmer, I was learning to overcome my fears and develop mental resilience. I realized that I was capable of more than I ever thought possible and that anything is achievable with hard work and dedication. I knew this already, didn’t I? I think we all do to some degree. The trick is allowing ourselves to experience it by breaking out of our comfort zone. This first-hand experience and opportunity popped up on my radar, and I rose to the challenge.
Whether you rate your journey as successful or not is irrelevant. Isn’t it more about breaking out of your comfort zone and learning something new about yourself and others?
My journey with cold open water swimming has inspired me to encourage others to step outside their comfort zones and try new things. There is always another comfort zone to step out of. Every time is an opportunity to experience something new/ Whether trying a new hobby, taking on a new challenge, or facing a fear head-on, we all can do more than we think we can. It takes us to believe in ourselves and get some help from friends.
In a world that often values comfort and convenience over personal growth and progress, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut and resist change. But by embracing discomfort and allowing ourselves to move through our perceived limits, we open ourselves up to new opportunities and experiences that can transform our lives.
Suppose you’re looking for a way to build mental resilience, improve physical health, and challenge yourself in new ways. In that case, I encourage you to try that activity you always wanted to do but have allowed the fear to overwhelm you. Perhaps it is cold open water swimming, like me. Maybe it’s taking that step, making that call, reaching out. It may be uncomfortable initially, but the benefits of mastering something for yourself without competition are genuinely remarkable.
The difficult things we overcome in life become the simple things. It’s the things we remember that pull us through the darker days.
From my heart to yours.
Much Love, as always.
Marléne
https://talkingfromtheheart.com/
https://www.selfandmore.co.za/
https://calendly.com/self-and-more-integrative-coaching
#ColdWaterImmersion #MentalResilience #PushingPastComfortZone #PersonalGrowth #NoviceSwimmer #ConcreteJungle #OvercomingFears #ChallengingYourself #NewOpportunities #TransformYourLife #TryNewThings
Hello there folks.
I have been focusing on my inner drive for freedom and independence now at this age and revisited some other stages in my life where these two values were just as important, however, for different reasons.
Firstly, why is it important to me? Perhaps you may want to ask yourself the same question and list what comes to mind.
Personally, my reasons are that I am not fond of complying with others’ rules and control; however, for a large part of my life, I was being controlled by somebody or an organization. I had to dress, act, perform, and work in a particular way to conform to society to better myself. Life had a ceiling and a pre-determined path as mapped out by social norms. I wouldn’t say I liked every moment and rebelled inwardly as much as possible. I almost destroyed myself and impacted many others’ lives negatively. I have done some deep inner work even to admit that publicly.
From where I sit now, observing my life over time and having the privilege to watch others through my work and the sharing within my circles, I have concluded that perhaps we don’t know another way to live.
From the day we are born, we are in a system of some kind. Suppose you were fortunate to be born into a family where freedom was a traditional value, and you were taught to be independent to enhance that freedom. In that case, you may also, at times, find difficulty in the system, like me. I was taught independence, though, as a primary value, with a bit of distortion in that the motivation was so that I never had to ask or receive anything from another. As it is in the giving that the ulterior motive lies. Which, as you can imagine, brought another subject to the fore. Independence from the perspective of having the freedom to look after all my needs from a position of mistrust of the rest of humanity. Any exchange that happened had to be equal. When I began working years back, I realized that equal exchange was often a myth. This filtered through into relationships and friendships. The people I most wanted to trust were those close to me, and yet I never could allow myself to. In retrospect, trust in me was needed from within. Freedom and independence are from within too. It is not about being freed externally. Do I give myself the freedom to think, be, and live the life I dream of, or am I the hugest obstacle? Every decision I make is an opportunity to step toward freedom and independence. It’s a change of perspective that is required. A loving relationship with myself is the key to freedom and independence. I finally figured out that irrespective of what steps are needed to get there, they will always be one step at a time, never more than I can handle. I allow myself to feel the feedback I receive from my inner self as the moments arrive and evaluate the next step.
How can I live a life of freedom and independence in everything I do and am? This is the question I will leave you to ponder for yourself.
That’s what I am unraveling for myself as my life moves forward. I am confident I am not alone in this quest.
Much Love, as always.
From my heart to yours.
Marléne
https://talkingfromtheheart.com/
https://www.selfandmore.co.za/
https://calendly.com/self-and-more-integrative-coaching
Hello. It’s been ages since I last wrote anything. There have been lots of thoughts and ideas tumbling around in my head. I have started many blogs, I even recorded a few sentences, and nothing inspired me enough to write about them. That seems to be a theme in my life now. So many great ideas, and yet they seem to dissolve into nothingness. Which got me inspired again to write this today. No-thing-ness. What does that even mean!?
I looked it up; that’s what we do right when we need to know what something means, relying on a digital source outside of ourselves, bizarre that. These are the meanings that stood out for me from my search.
the quality or state of being nothing: nonexistence, utter insignificance, death, valueless, voi
The question is am I alone in this feeling of No-thing-ness, in this void, this insignificance
Personally, I believe we all arrive at this point at various junctures in our life, those major turning points. It is a place I recognize, it feels familiar and yet different at the same time. I can now in hindsight pinpoint when and identify the events that led up to these periods where I reached the breaking point. I almost always felt so close to the point of giving up as I did not have the strength to continue along the path, or so it seemed, I lacked the energy to push through and make the breakthrough. So close and yet so far. Sometimes I had some divine intervention when I received a second breath and other times I would ignore the intervention and see it as meddling and interfering in my life. I would really give up, destroy or run away from love and relationships, hide from friends, and treat myself with no respect whatsoever. My work always carried me through. As I have moved further along my healing journey these bouts of self-destroying elements became less severe, as I have been able to recognize the need to run or hurt myself and accept the helping hand when it is reached out, it does not make it easier though does it?
If you are feeling this way, I urge you to reach out to others and talk it out, find a professional or trauma practitioner like myself, to hold the space for you while the feelings move through you, write it, draw it, shout it in the wind, sit with it, and know that NOTHING is permanent, including no-thing-ness. That’s the joke our mind plays on us, we truly believe everything is permanent on the subconscious level and struggle our whole lives to accept that it isn’t.
There have been times when my behaviour may have looked as if I was running away from others, or more appropriately put, running away from myself, however, I felt totally in control of my no-thing-ness which always translated into aloneness, sadness, sadistic behaviour, self-loathing, resentment, grief, and isolation. They are synonymous with no-thingness in my opinion. It did not matter I was in control!
Today this no-thing-ness feels like I am preparing to go on a journey, another chosen opportunity, a soul nudge, to release and surrender more than I have already.
Surrender to what is rather than this obsessive need to control or change it out of fear. Fear has had the reigns long enough. A more truthful, heartfelt way to say that would be to finally stop running from me.
How? Well therein lies the opportunity for us all to find the individual creative outlet to do so. I personally am allowing myself the space to be and feel it through today, not to reach out just notice how that feels. Giving myself permission to receive when the gifts of healing present themselves. This is a gift from my soul saying “here you are let’s sit with how you are feeling”, acknowledge, embrace it and then surrender to the healing moment as the feeling becomes the no-thing-ness and releases.
May your journey be one of beauty and surrender. Find the space for yourselves to expand your energy and fill any spaces left open after the release with loving energy before the space can become anything less.
Much Love along your journey
From my heart to yours.
Marléne
https://talkingfromtheheart.com/
https://www.selfandmore.co.za/
https://calendly.com/self-and-more-integrative-coaching
Hi there! I hope this blog finds you well and happy. I’m enjoying the tail end of summer here in the Southern Hemisphere, although today it’s a little chilly where I am.
Usually, I love summer and all the energy and activities that come with it. However, this year has been challenging, and I’m sure I’m not alone. It feels like I’ve been in hibernation, waiting for something to change, and I’ve been struggling to understand what’s happening and doubting myself and my place in life.
I know many of us tend to focus on the negative, but I’ve learned that when we look for the negative, there is so much to dwell upon and get swallowed up by. It’s been a lifelong learning experience for me, and I want to share my inner turmoil with you in case you’re feeling the same way.
I’ve spent the past few years working with people facing many health and emotional challenges, and I’ve been a medium for them to make sense of it all for themselves. But recently, I’ve struggled with my energy levels and physical confusion. I’ve realized that for some reason I neglected to give to myself and lost contact with my own needs while I was busy helping others.
During my weeks of deliberation, I understood that now it’s time for me to learn how to keep my life force energy in balance, more than ever. I owe it to myself first, and then I can continue working with others. I have taken some simple steps to change things in my life, and I want to share some of the lessons I’ve learned to restore my life force.
Here are some tips that have worked for me:
- Find a daily practice that feeds your soul – this is an intimate space between you and you, without distractions. (Meditation, walking alone, dancing, swimming, singing, writing, painting) spend as much time as you can reconnect
- Keep this commitment to uphold this practice no matter what.
- Learn to be flexible. We hold onto old ways and habits of doing things.
- Most importantly, say NO to activities that drain you, and release toxic relationships
- Turn the thoughts around and understand how you created this situation.
- Change is tricky as there is an element of loss, ending, and closing doors. Energy works that way. We need to shift something out to allow something in.
- Rest and recuperate, have your boundaries to keep you restored.
- Have fun and spend time with those who lift your spirits.
- Maintain a healthy diet that suits you and is easy to adapt.
- Sleep when you can. Mini rests are helpful in a busy schedule.
I hope these tips can help you as much as they have helped me. Remember, taking care of yourself first, is essential and everything else will fall into place.
Don’t hesitate to share your struggle with putting yourself first, and let’s support each other in our journeys.
Remeber to use these hashtags when sharing.
#selfcare #balance #mentalhealth #spiritualhealth #wellness
Much love. Until we meet again. From my heart to yours.
Marléne
#TalkingFromTheHeart #selfcare #balance #mentalhealth #spiritualhealth #wellness
https://talkingfromtheheart.com/
https://www.selfandmore.co.za/
https://calendly.com/self-and-more-integrative-coaching
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