Christmas overwhelm is a real thing. Ever found yourself hiding the bathroom for a moment’s peace? Or pretended to slip outside to take a phone call just so you could escape for a while? It’s okay to want to escape, to need time on your own. It’s normal to need this and you don’t have to feel guilty about it. Since learning I have ADHD, I found the words to understand and express this to myself and others. A blog about emotional self-regulation and managing your energy during the busy Christmas holiday festive season.
Read moreMy Top 10 Winter Book Reads
Winter is my favourite season in which to read. Enjoy my top ten winter book recommendations. A mix of memoir, fiction and non-fiction and heart-warming tales, perfect for seasonal escapism. Enjoy on cozy winter evenings and nights by the fireside, or for rainy days curled up on the couch. Listen as audio books on winter walks, nestled on the sofa or tucked up in bed to help you fall asleep. Add them to your seasonal reading list, your winter book club recommendations and save to your favourites.
Read moreIt started with a promise to my dog
It started with a promise to my dog….
I promised my beautiful dog Molly, that she would be able to run free. I breathed my dreams into her velvet soft ears that one day when we had more space, she would have a brother or sister dog to keep her company. I swore I’d have more time for longer walks, that I’d choose to play ball over answering emails. That we would have a different life, one in which we wouldn’t feel like this was all there was.
Read moreHow to mark the Summer Solstice in Ireland
Summer bonfire: Unsplash: Kimson Doan
The Summer Solstice on 21st June heralds the annual zenith of the Sun and there are the most hours of daylight and least hours of darkness of any day in the year. This is one of the power gates of the Wheel of the Year. It’s also the International Day of Yoga. Here are some ideas on how to celebrate and honour the Summer Solstice here in Ireland.
Read moreWalk the fire break or burn-out...
The Power of Retreat: Do you ever feel the need to get away? To just go, escape, take a trip, get away from your busy life of demands for a while? I get this wanderlust urge a lot! I love the sense of escape and adventure going on holidays or taking a break if only for a weekend away.
It’s only in the last few years of working for myself and learning alot more about wellbeing and how vital it is to take care or myself that I really embraced retreating. A blog about the power of retreat and my upcoming yoga & journaling retreat in Tralee, Co. Kerry this spring.
Read moreA New York Minute Memory on Valentine's Day
I am reminded it is Valentines Day by the eye-catching red cards in shiny plastic wrapping at the local Lidl. I avert my gaze to my shopping list that guides me down the aisle to the safety of the green beans. I have neither made nor hoped for a fuss on February 14th of any given year, yet it’s often left me feeling disappointed. And perhaps this year, I am feeling a little more prickly about it. Love is not easily defined nor confined to the realms of romance. It’s the warm glow between old friends who know unspoken things that no one else knows. Love is in the effortless resumption of a conversation, as though time nor distance has not passed between. Today it is this love I nurture and share with you.
Read moreJourney to the Heartwood - my story of buying my first home
Journey to the Heartwood
2022 was the year I bought my first home.
This is a tale of my journey to find a place I could call Home. And it’s evolved into a solo journey, because we chose not to buy a house together as a couple for reasons as tangled as a delicate gold chain tucked away for safe keeping at the bottom of a jewellery box. Precious enough to keep, too intricate and complicated to unravel at the time. That single, silver, jagged key to the front door finally rested in the palm of my hand some two years later than planned, but at exactly the right time.
Read moreThe Two Faces of January: Resolutions Vs. Rest
The Two Faces of January: Resolutions Vs. Rest
This week I feel like I’m in a tug of war, being pulled over and back. Some days I hold my ground, strong and steady. Then I’m yanked towards the line and in danger of falling flat on my face. Next I’m inching backwards, fighting with all my might, heels dug down, teeth gritted. This pull and push, back and forth, effortful, tiring, ah yes, I know for sure I’m in January. A blog about the dualing energies where new years resolutions battle it out with rest.
Read moreMy 2022 reflections and into a new year
Perhaps it’s this sense of comfort and openness or the wide expanse of countryside and the wild, rugged coastline of Co. Clare that has given me the headspace to finally sit and pen a few words about 2022, my reflections on the year that was. I feel like I did nothing! My reflections on the year that was in 2022 and the magnitude of buying my first home. My battles with not feeling enough and the ups and downs of self-employment, the pain of loss and heart break. I share my highlights and look ahead to goal setting for 2023 and how I believe January is not a time for new year's resolutions.
Read moreMy Favourite Winter Books, Poems & Podcasts
Image credit: Manon
Reading is such a wintertime activity, and adapting to that energy is what seasonal living is all about! Rather than fight it, flow with it and get cozy! To help you pass the languid days over the festive holiday season, I’ve gathered my favourite Winter books, poems, reflections and podcasts to share with you. Perfect books for Christmas, a gift or to treat yourself as a little act of self-care this Winter. I hope they help you feel very hygge!
Read moreStuck or Still? Reflections from icy winter days
With subzero temperatures creating an icy wonderland all around us here in December, I've been stuck at home for the last 2 days here on the hill. Stuck, that's the word that popped into my head today. Being stuck at home can feel frustrating, an inconvenience even or can we perhaps reframe it?....Am I stuck or can I embrace being still? A blog about slow & seasonal living.
Read moreFrom ordinary to note-worthy, why intention matters
From the ordinary to the note-worthy - why intention matters
When we decide to do something, focus on it and set a purpose or intent behind it, it elevates the ordinary to the note-worthy. Humdrum actions into little acts of self-care or kindness and contentment.
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