Helen Luxford

𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙.

You’re still the one everyone relies on.
Still getting it done.
Still capable.

But somewhere along the way, you stopped saying what you actually think.

You learnt to adapt, accommodate, keep the peace.

And now?
You’re not even sure what you want anymore.

If this feels familiar, you’re not alone in it.

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝘁

We all have our natural talents... and then we have sewing 😂

Let's just say crafting is definitely NOT in my "good at" bucket.

But that didn't stop me from diving into a weekend project with the little ones in our life, making a pink pony.

What should have been "quite simple" turned into an adventure of sewing, unsewing, re-sewing, and a whole lot of giggles.

Mistakes? Oh, we made plenty.
Perfection? Nowhere to be found.

But here's what we DID create:
✨ Pure joy in the imperfection
✨ Memories stitched with love and laughter
✨ A "beautiful pink pony" (her words, not mine!)
✨ Moments of pure presence

The truth is, it was never about the pony. It was about being fully present, focusing on each other, and embracing the beautiful mess of learning together.

We had the most wonderful time this weekend creating this pony and making play dough, going for walks, reading books, having chats, listening to the 18 month old repeat words after me, loving her cheeky grin and smile and everything about engaging with both of them . . . Even cleaning the poo off the bottom of their shoes.

I just thoroughly love every moment I spend with the little ones in our lives.

Sometimes the most rewarding experiences come when we just allow ourselves to be fully present in the moment – no expectations to create a perfect moment, no worrying about other things or rushing to do the next task, just being fully present, letting go of perceived ideas or striving for perfection, just simply showing up with love.

What brought you joy this weekend?
What imperfect moment turned into something beautiful?

That feeling when you're exhausted but can't sleep. 😴

When small things send you into a rage. 😤

When you can't remember what actually brings you joy. 💭

Your body isn't broken. It's talking.

Every headache.
Every sleepless night.
Every moment you snap at someone you love.

These aren't failures. They're messages.

🎧 Ready to listen?
Link in bio for your free 2-minute Body Wisdom Check-In + companion guide.

Your body has been waiting for you to pay attention, give yourself 2 minutes today to slow down and listen.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 20-𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙚 𝙄 𝘼𝙡𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝘽𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙙
This morning I had a lot on before work and I completed what I wanted to.

But, as I stepped into the shower, I caught that old familiar thought whispering…
“𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆.”

And for a moment, I believed it!
My chest tightened. My mind sped up
But then I paused

And I remember to come back home to myself and I did something I teach my clients all the time:

𝐎𝐂𝐂𝐄: 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞. 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡. 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐥. 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞.
🌀 I Observed the thought
💡 I Caught it before it ran the show
🚫 I Cancelled it by questioning it (is this really true?)
🧠 I Engaged differently (because it wasn't true!)

Was I really late?
Nope.

I’d just expected to be in the shower 20 minutes earlier.

But I still had time. I wasn’t actually running late — I was just running a story.

This is how those sneaky old patterns show up. Quiet. Familiar. Automatic.

And here’s the truth:
Awareness creates choice.
And choice creates change.

So this weekend I invite you to do something for yourself . . .

Start watching your thoughts.
Catch them mid-sentence.
Ask yourself: Is this true? Or just a habit?

Because every time you observe, catch, cancel, and engage differently…
You reclaim a little more of your peace.

✨ Try it. Let me know what you discover.

And if you'd like to know more about the OCCE - listen to 𝑬𝒑𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒅𝒆 29 "𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌" of the 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒑𝒐𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒕.

🌟 What truly matters to you? 🌟

Take a moment, dig deep, and listen to your heart.
Listen for those little whispers - they’re telling you something.

Notice them and be brave enough to shape your life around what’s true for you.

What’s one thing you can do for you this week?

Drop a 👍 if you agree

❤️

Always "fine" whenever anyone asks, but inside you know you're not fine . . .
Many years ago that was me

On the outside? I was absolutely fine
Successful career ✓
Beautiful family ✓
Social commitments ✓
Always saying "I'm good!" when anyone asked

But inside? I was drowning

I'd become an expert at pushing through
Ignoring the tension headaches
Dismissing the exhaustion
Overriding every signal my body was sending me because "that's what strong women do," right?

𝙒𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜!

The burnout hit like a freight train - and when that "moment" happened, ALL the emotions came with it, but again, I hid them and held it together until I'd resigned and left the building - that's when I finally fell in a heap

I can look back on it now with a new understanding of what was happening

What started as "just being tired" became complete emotional and physical collapse. My body finally said "ENOUGH" in a way I couldn't ignore anymore

Here's what I wish someone had told me then:
💫 Those "small" symptoms aren't small - they're your early warning system
💫 Your body isn't betraying you - it's protecting you
💫 Saying "I'm fine" when you're not is the fastest route to burnout
💫 You don't have to wait for a crisis to start listening

If you're reading this thinking "this sounds like me" - please don't wait like I did

Please don't continue to 'push through' just because you can

Please listen to those signs and take stock before burnout takes over

🎧 I've created a 2-minute audio, the Body Wisdom Check-In to help you tune in before the crash
📖 Plus the FREE PDF companion guide: "5 Signs Your Body Is Asking You to Slow Down"

Because you deserve to thrive, not just survive

Both free at the link in my bio👆

Your future self will thank you for listening now

"Like" if you can relate to any of this

THINKING TOO MUCH?
You’re not alone. When overwhelm hits, our minds go into overdrive—spinning through tasks, replaying conversations, worrying about what we haven't done, the shoulda, coulda, woulda's or what’s next.

When that happens we need to GET OUT OF OUR HEAD and INTO OUR BODY.

Because, when we stay stuck in our head, and overthink things, or spiral into the "what if . . . . worst case scenarios", our brain goes into overdrive and we get on a loop that isn't helping us think rationally to be able to solve our dilemma, challenge or problem.

So next time you're feeling overwhelmed, tired or stuck give this a go:
🌬️ Take one slow deep breath in.
👣 Feel your feet on the floor.
🫶 Notice your shoulders, your chest, your belly.
💨Feel the temperature around you
👀Look around you and notice an object you haven't seen before (or noticed in a while) and focus on it. What does it look like, what makes it unique, what drew you to look at that ONE thing?

And when you've done that, just notice how different you feel.

Your body is your anchor—it’s where presence lives.

When you pause to feel instead of fix, you give yourself a moment of calm in the chaos.

Drop a 🫶below if this resonated with you and share or save this post to come back to next time your thoughts won’t slow down.