This email is part content that I have been enjoying this last week, and part sharing about mental health.
This hits deep:
Peace is this moment without judgment,
That is all.
This moment in the heart space where everything that is, is welcome.
Peace is this moment without thinking it should be some other way,
That you should feel some other thing,
That your life should unfold according to your plans.
Peace is this moment without judgment,
This moment in the heart space where everything that is, is welcome.
By Dorothy Hunt
This poem is recited in the below meditation by Tara Brach, and really encompasses my main focus at the moment; to be present with all that is.
This week is Mental Health Awareness…Week, which I feel offers us the perfect opportunity to reflect on our own relationship with our mental health, that of those around us and society as a whole.
I think my biggest learning has been to listen to myself, all parts of myself, with kindness and acceptance.
Listening to the parts I used to hate; the part that put so much worth into body image that I was stuck in a binge-restrict cycle for 7 years, the part that denied I felt anxiety and would push it down with food, the part that bullied itself with cruel words and the ‘never good enoughs’.
And I wasn’t aware of how I was speaking to/thinking about myself until the binge eating got too much, which led me to these life-changing 3 books (in this order):
Just Eat It by Laura Thomas: Laura introduced me to intuitive eating, and understanding that there was nothing wrong me; it was diet culture. It taught me that my body or the number on the scale didn’t dictate my worth, that exercise was about enjoyment not weight loss, and that food is also about enjoyment not calories, and that you should definitely not feel guilt or shame for enjoying it. It kickstarted my whole mind, body and soul healing journey.
Happy by Fearne Cotton: This is such a relatable and easy read, with practical exercises throughout. To feel like I could relate to someone who I grew up watching on TV really put things into perspective. This book introduced me to my own mental health, but face-to-face with kindness for the first time.
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle: You might be fed up of me talking about this book and this teacher, but I honestly get brought straight back to peace and presence when I consume any of Eckharts work. It’s a book about mindfulness and spirituality, which just totally clicked for me. But it takes dedicated practice. Listen to this podcast episode where I proclaim my love for this work.
And here is a little (ok kinda long) extract from the book:
Make it your practice to withdraw attention from past and future whenever they are not needed. Step out of time dimension as much as possible in everyday life. If you find it hard to enter the Now directly, start by observing the habitual tendency of your mind to want to escape from the Now. You will observe that the future is usually imagined as either better or worse than the present. If the imagined future is better, it gives you hope and pleasurable anticipation. If it is worse, it creates anxiety. Both are illusory.
Through self-observation, more presence comes into your life automatically. The moment you realise you are not present, you are present. Whenever you are able to observe your mind, you are no longer trapped in it. Another factor has come in, something that is not of the mind: the witnessing presence.
A song I never really listened to until it was played during a cacao ceremony I attended (I’m also being supported by so much cacao atm):
“I saw friend of mine the other day and he told me that my eyes were gleaming. I said I’d been away, and he knew, oh he knew the depths I was meaning”
Yes, I also love Tara, and this teaching was so timely and apt that I had to share. If you’re someone who feels stuck in habits that don’t feel good, then have a listen:
I hope that you find some of this supportive, and I would love to hear what has been working for you over the last week. If this resonates, feel free to reach out or comment below:
Love,
Becca xx
PS. I’ve started a ‘buy me a tea’ crowdfunder, which you can find more about here. It’s a way of providing a little support by donating a one-off amount (or more, up to you) similar to the cost of tea (you can give in £5 instalments, which would be astronomical for 1 tea, but you get the idea). And genuinely, this does go to tea for me as cafes are a main source of my inspiration. But, no pressure at all :) Thankyou so much everyone xx