Mental health reflections on turning 40:
The lovely lessons I’m taking with me into this new decade…
What a year it’s been - what a decade it’s been.
I’m just popping on here to share my reflections on saying goodbye to my 30’s and facing into the next chapter of my life as I venture into new territory - my 40’s.
The biggest lessons I’ve learned in my 30’s are as follows:
Never ever give up on yourself, especially if you are struggling with mental illness. I went to the lowest of low places a human could go to and I managed to find my at back to the light again. This proves that if I can recover then anybody can. I truly believe that!
Feel the fear and do it anyway, in particular when it comes to your dreams, the whispers in your heart which are guiding you towards your deepest wishes, follow them like your life and happiness depends on them. They will lead you to your souls fulfilment and higher purpose in this life.
Take one small step at a time, one day a a time one moment at a time, be consistent and persistent and over time you will see results and grow.
Be so patient with yourself, recovery takes time, learning new skills takes time, building confidence takes time, healing your trauma takes time, learning to love and yourself takes time!
Creating your dreams takes time. Start today and stake small consistent baby steps. Sculpt each day around how you want to live your life, your intentions and hearts true desires and take small manageable steps. Commit to yourself . The magic will unfold in the right time for you. Patience and persistence are key to transforming your life.
Romantic relationships also take patience and time to grow into something healthy and meaningful. As you heal yourself your relationships will also heal.
Mistakes and failures are all a normal healthy part of life. Embrace them on your journey and go easy on yourself nobody gets anywhere in life without failing and making mistakes!
Life is full of ups and downs - this is inevitable, learn to ride the waves like a dolphin accepting that both the ups and downs are a natural part of life. Embrace and lean into both! Resistance creates suffering.
Everybody is different. Everybody’s journey is unique. People’s lives blossom at different stages. Never ever compare yourself to anyone else, just do your best with what you have and where you are at and let your life flow in your own unique way. I really only started to align to creating my dream life towards my late thirties. Up until then I was solely working hard on surviving and recovering from mental illness.
Prioritise your mental well-being over everything. It is just as important as your physical health.
Do things you really want to do or are curious about but too afraid to try - the only way to overcome the fear is by practicing and doing these things and trust that you will be okay.. mistakes and failure are all part of the process - it’s perfectly okay to falter at the beginning stages.
Remember - when you operate from pure intentions in all that you are doing then only good can come of that. Do your best each day and leave the details up to your higher power to work out ( that can look different for everyone - you get to decide what that means to you. )
It’s been a year of learning tough lessons and growing, making mistakes, dusting myself down, getting up on the horse again. Overall I’m so happy with my progress and how much I’ve grown. A year ago, I wouldn’t have dreamed I’d be able to give Mental Health talks in front of a room of people or get up and perform poetry. Now doing these things seems very natural to me! I pushed myself to leave my comfort zone, felt the fear and did it anyway and this feels really fulfilling.
Most people dread ‘getting older’ but I’m the opposite - I’m more excited about the decade ahead of me than ever. I feel much freer ,lighter and aligned with my true creative path. I’ve struggled terribly in my 20’s and 30’s swith mental illness so I am welcoming my 40’s with open arms - knowing in my heart there is so much joy freedom and abundance to experience and share with the world. And of course, inevitably there will be some tears too, but thats okay. I know I can get through anything now and that’s made all the difference to my confidence.