A week & a half ago after a trip to the ED, I was told I had viral pericarditis (inflammation of the sac around the heart) on top of the tonsillitis that our youngest kindly passed on… forcing me to REALLY slow down & rest my body. Whilst I’m frustrated that I can’t physically do what I want to at the moment, or what I would normally do, & things haven’t gone to plan (i.e. having to postpone the last 2 weeks of my Mandala Painting Workshop & clients), I have certainly received the message loud & clear that I need to look after myself.

Rather than focusing on what I’m not doing or what I maybe could have done to prevent it, I’m choosing to accept what is & I’m choosing to listen to what I’m learning in these moments 💛

I’m learning how important it is to nurture ourselves, & to receive, especially when we are often in the space of giving.

I’m learning that I need to be comfortable with saying no & to set more boundaries.

I’m learning that I need to ask for what I need & to accept help when it is offered.

I’m learning that I need to be more open to receiving.

I’m learning that matters of the heart take time to heal. It’s not as simple as taking a panadol (or using my amazing past tense roller) for a headache & ‘getting on with it’. When the heart is in need of healing, physically, emotionally & spiritually, we need to rest our bodies.

So, if you’ve experienced a trauma recently that is connected to your heart (not just in the physical sense), or you’re going through something that is affecting your heart at the moment (maybe you’re remembering the loss of a loved one like I am today), allow yourself time to rest & time to heal.

Go easy on yourself.

Let go of any frustrations that you may have around plans, abilities, or emotions.

Set boundaries & create the space you need to reflect & process.

Make time for the things that bring you joy.

Seek out the things that will make you deep belly laugh.

Be gentle with yourself.

You will bounce back when you’ve given yourself time to heal 💗

Sending lots of love xx

📷 Wearing my rose quartz & relaxing in my love heart nightie & looking after myself 💗