Deepening Self Care by Counsellor and Empowerment Coach Carolyn Wood

I am always heartened when February finally comes around, one because this is my birthday month and two because it indicates that Winter is drawing to a close. As much as I love Winter, particularly walking in crisp crunchy snow bathed in warm sunlight, by this point in the year I am looking forward to the returning light in the mornings. 

It is also a good time to reflect on how we are feeling about ourselves and where we are at in our lives. Many of us have set New Year resolutions and this is a good time to check in and see how we are getting on with these, review how realistic these were and maybe even to throw them out and start afresh.

This is the first year I didn't set any New Year resolutions rather I am building on what I started to focus on last year. This is not just a New Year new start, this is about a fundamental shift in how I view myself. 

Last year I started my Apprenticeship with the School of Movement Medicine and my project for this apprenticeship is "To learn how to really take care of myself" 

Now I know some of you may be wondering, as a counsellor and coach,surely I already know how to do this, and yes to a degree I do know how to take care of myself and engage in various self care activities. I understand the importance of a good nights sleep, eating healthy foods, exercising, taking time to have fun, meditating and maintaining good work life balance. Much of the time I do these things

But I realised to really take care of myself I would really need to dive much deeper into what this really means for me. 

It's amazing when you open yourself up and say to the universe "I want this" watch out, as life presents us with the lessons we need to learn, not always what we think we want. I was provided with some very challenging and beautiful lessons last year and it was at the end of 2017 that I finally realised I had not been listening to my inner voice in certain areas of my life.

Yes, of course, in many aspects of my life I had been and this shows in my work life, being a mother and looking after my home, and although like everything these had their ups and downs, they were growing successfully - I had been nurturing these areas of my life.

But when I started to get honest with myself, really honest I could see that I had not been listening to my inner guidance. It's not that I hadn't heard, it was that I hadn't listened, I had been avoiding what was true , not because I was lazy but because the truth was painful

As a counsellor and coach , I am in a privileged position to facilitate other peoples personal development journeys. I am honoured to be able to support people to overcome their traumas, develop more compassion, reconnect with their true selves and live the life they truly want. 

It is a vital part of this therapeutic work that I too am working on my own journey with the support of others not only so I am effective at what I do but that I also deeply understand what it takes to do the work - to take the steps to heal all aspects of myself and fully live the truth.

I am incredibly grateful to where I am at in my life. My work  at Pure Potential is blossoming, I have a happy home life with my 16 year old son, some deep friendships and a deepening relationship with my parents. All this shows that when you are patient and nurture something, it will grow. 

But at the end of last year, after finally listening to that voice, I realised that I still had a lot to learn about taking deep care of myself.

And this is what 2018 for me is about. Getting really honest with myself and becoming willing to give all of myself the patience and nurturing I need and deserve. So welcome February 2018!

Feeling you want to dive deeper into taking care of yourself?

Would you like to start or continue the process of letting go of the past?

Do you know inside that there is a more fulfilling life waiting for you to grab it?

If you are answering yes to any of these, contact me for a free telephone consultation to talk through how you can best get started. I offer Counselling, Creative Therapy and Empowerment Coaching- find out what supports you best to achieve what you want

Carolyn 07904 758 180 or carolyn@purepotentialscotland.co.uk