Resilience in stressful times

Collective Heartbreak – coping strategies

This collective heartbreak is real. Even if we are not directly affected, if our community is dealing with a wildfire, the residual effects of a pandemic and a mass shooting, or all three, we are all feeling stress, uncertainty and a sense of helplessness. It can be difficult to concentrate, we can have trouble sleeping….

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Hand hooked mat. Abstract woman standing in yoga tree pose, with her hair to the side and down like willow branches. Hooked in the chakra colours with a white background.

Resilience – which camp are you in?

In a recent corporate creative journaling workshop I delivered to two groups I had a strange experience. When we got to the creative writing/sketching prompt about resilience each group had a different reaction to this word. One group dove into the exercise (which was to describe a person whose resilience you admire). The other group…

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My stuff, your stuff, their stuff

Do you find yourself getting drawn into other people’s drama? Does doing this knock you off of your course, send you into a tailspin? Sometimes this happens to me. We all have our own patterns and habitual ways of behaving, and getting knocked off course by other people’s life issues is a pattern I’m working…

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Hand spun yarns in blues, greens, red, lilac

Listening to fear – push through or stop?

How do you decide when to push through fear and when to take it as a sign to stop, delay or postpone? Maybe this scenario is familiar. You are planning a bold new step in your business or personal life. You feel the fear. What is the fear telling you? Is this a bad decision?…

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Hand hooked rug in white, red, blue, orange, yellow, violet, pink and yellow

On a more personal note

This January has been a big month for me. Two big milestones. If you’ve been a reader of Heart Notes for a while, you may recall this post called Heart Opening from October 2018. In this post I shared my pain as my youngest son left to serve time in a federal prison. I also…

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Hand spun yarns in blues, greens, red, lilac

Cozy – a word, feeling and intention

Have you chosen a word for 2022? A word that sets your intention for yourself and maybe your business? Last year my word was IMAGINE and the year before it was OPEN. (I shared this word with my friend and mentor Mary Jane Copps). This year my word, which is an intention and also a…

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The process of hand blending and spinning yarn. Orange base with the chakra colours added.

Creating the Cozy Within

What comes to mind when you hear the word cozy? I envision lots of soft fabrics, candles, nice essential oil scents, a glass of good wine or mug of tea, a good book, some beautiful yarns and fabrics to work with. Don’t you feel more relaxed just reading this list? Many of us are pretty…

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Heart shaped grey rock leaning against a tree trunk. Green grass with some red, fall leaves.

Soften & get curious

When life is not unfolding exactly as you expect it to, instead of resisting mightily, getting angry and frustrated, can you soften into it? Can you use your curiosity to understand the wisdom and the hidden gifts of where you are at the moment? This fall I expected to be doing lots of hands on,…

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White mug with a heart and sole design on a wooden deck table. Stash t-bag on the handle of the mug. Blue pen to the side.

Self care for uncertain times – my top 4 tips

Last week for the first time in five years I didn’t get my newsletter out on time. There was too much going on (all good) and I made the decision to follow my own advice and choose self compassion. Do you remember when I wrote about how things might fall apart when restrictions ease and…

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White mug with a heart and sole design on a wooden deck table. Stash t-bag on the handle of the mug. Blue pen to the side.

Hitting re-set

4 tips for hitting pause and re-set It’s okay to feel whatever you are feeling. Whether that’s overwhelmed, uncertain, restless, burnt-out or all of the above. We are all tired of the pandemic. It has been going on far longer than we anticipated, and some days … If you find yourself going down the rabbit…

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Woman's hands spinning red curly locks on a spinning wheel.

Distracted

– 3 tips for grounding yourself when feeling distracted and ‘off your game’ Are you feeling more distracted lately? With our latest lockdown I’ve been feeling like I’m going a mile a minute and nowhere at the same time. Sound familiar? A case in point – last week I sent out an extra newsletter. Apparently…

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3 tips for Heart Lightening

In my recent work with corporate clients and their teams, and in my own personal experience, my observation is our hearts are heavy. Regardless of where we are in the world we are feeling the impact of the ongoing pandemic. We all are needing to feel a little lighter. What can we do when our…

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