LifeWalker

No explanation needed!

Living my whole life as someone who's ultra-ly sensitive, I deeply resonate with Hannah on this one. And I love that she can make the point with humour!
🤷‍♀️What level of sensitivity is just right? 🤷‍♀️
Too sensitive?
Not sensitive enough?

And now that I work with sensitive young people (including our ND community), I see regularly the impacts of our schooling system on their super sensitive sensory and nervous systems.

So let me give you a word picture of what it can be like!!

Imagine you were trying to focus on a very challenging work task, which your boss just gave you, rapidly explained to the whole team and sent you off with half an hour to have it completed. There you are with 24 co-workers, in a small office space with you, all trying to complete the same task, even though some of you already know how to do it and this is your first time. You know that at the end of the 30 minutes, your boss is going to call everyone back together and highlight the best work.
While you're trying to focus, someone has a megaphone and is running around the room yelling in different people's ears.

Imagine you started to get a bit stressed and agitated and tried to put in your earbuds or get up and move to a different place or begin nervously and unconsciously clicking you pen in and out. Your boss tells you to stop doing it, you're interrupting your colleauges. Your boss confiscates your earbuds because they've been disallowed. They take your computer from you saying "because you seem to be having difficulty doing the task on the computer you can do it on paper instead."

Today I want to share that it's International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) because it's personal. It was a couple of years ago, on this day, that I realised for the first time that one of my chronic illnesses was described as a hidden disability. The thought that I could claim that label, felt radical.
And since then I've learnt soooo much about disability, the ableist world we live in, and this year have begun to understand my quirks and struggles to fit in, because I have a neurodivergent brain (and way of being).
I've spent so much of my life working with the internal voices of judgement and shame for being broken or wrong in the way I function. Now, I'm adding a neuro-affirming lens to the puzzle of me.
How about you?
What messy parts of you need your compassion and acceptance?

In case you need reminding today!

This weekend I am taking the time to re-member 1 August 2012.
Content Warning: Stillbirth

1 August 2012 - The birthday of my precious 2nd child, Harry, stillborn.

It continues to feel hard to share of his death, in a death phobic culture. And yet I feel compelled to keep sharing my story as "that mum" and how Harry's precious little life led me along the road less travelled.

I have written Harry's story and would be honoured to share it with you. If you would like to read it, please just message me and I'll send you the PDF.

Here's a small excerpt of my story:

During the birthing journey at the hospital, many staff would come to offer me an easier way out. Drugs to take away the pain of labour and birth. Things to speed up the process. Curtains drawn and doors shut to protect me from the sounds and sights of birthing women and newborns everywhere (after all, it is a women’s hospital). All well intentioned offers made by caring and compassionate people.

But something deep within compelled me to take the path less travelled, inspired by the words of Nic, my midwife, which were along these lines. Many believe that a mother birthing a still baby is suffering enough already with the emotional pain, so we take away as much of the physical pain and emotional triggers as possible. Others believe that experiencing the full, intense range of physical and emotional pain IS part of the journey; part of the acceptance and embracing of this devastating reality. By opening yourself to it, you have the chance to move WITH grief, moment to moment, rather than pushing it down, suppressing it, and locking it up until the internal pressure blasts out in emotional overwhelm, at the worst possible time.

I am that mother who chose a path of presence and power, in birthing and beyond. And my life’s journey has been transformed by this being WITH life, birth and death.

Image Description: A hand drawn/written bright red prayer flag with two connected spirals. Words following the outside of the spiral read: not here but surrounded by us & connected forever.

Learning coaching this week included multi-sensory learning. We made our names with playdough. A fun and very non-threatening way to explore writing letters for a little person who is already saying "I'm no good at writing".

"It’s a rule of the brain that, if the brain is not engaged, it’s not paying attention."

That's why, when I'm working with young people, you'll often find me wearing silly clothes, making silly faces, reading under the table or upside down, pretending there's magic in my "wand".... and any other craziness I can think up in the moment

Found this powerful quote here. Don't know if it's original or copied from somewhere: https://www.helpmychildlearn.org/2019/11/21/form-drawing-to-teach-handwriting/

Last call for 8-12 year olds wanting to unleash their creativity (and maybe their pent up wet weather frustrations 😅🫣🤭) with some needle felting (aka stabbing!)!!

This Friday - Fairfield - Just a couple of spots left...

And a world of imagination awaits!

Any questions PM me.

I'd really appreciate you sharing with any young folks you think could need a last little burst of creative fun these hols!!
Booking link in the comments.

Back by popular demand!

I was agonising over whether to just hibernate these schools hols... until one of the lovely parents from last hols felting workshops reached out and said, "I've got 5 kids keen to come. Are you going to do it again?". So here we go!!!
A ONE OFF - these holidays - for 8-12yo crafty kids in Fairfield.

Half the spots have already been taken. Thanks awesome mum supporters, spreading the word!!!

And I'd love to bring joy to a few more young people. So could you please help me by commenting and sharing this post?

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/lifewalker/1300570

Any questions? Feel free to comment or PM me and when I'm back from the wilds Thursday next week, I'll be in touch!