It is not evident when we focus on a certain goal in life, being personal or professional, that we want to see immediately the results and we try to speed up the process and so we forget about enjoying the journey. Sometimes we base our goals on what others expect from us; what about our own needs? our own passion? our own desire? We do not follow our instinct, our gut feelings, our body symptoms. If you feel you may be in this situation, I invite you to continue reading my blog about how I significantly changed my inner life and how I find myself in the here and now after taking one little step... That little paper Many years ago, I was doing groceries at the Bio Planet, my favorite supermarket. I was coming back from a very busy and hard day at work. I was always running and stressed; I even did not take the time to go to the toilet before leaving the office... I was actually ignoring my body symptoms and needs... While doing the groceries I needed to stop by the toilet and it was outside where I saw a board full of advertising and flyers. I came closer to have a look, even at that moment when I was in a hurry a small wisdom from pursuing a healthier life and balance came out and I decided to take a minute for myself; I read one of the flyers. It was an advertisement for a reflexologist. The explanation and benefits from having a session with her were what I was looking for: it relaxes and harmonizes the body, it reduces stress and tension, it has a relaxing effect and gives (new) energy, it stimulates the energy flow, removes blockages, it helps the body remove its waste products/ I did not hesitate and took one of those pre cut papers to take away with you. I put it back in my wallet and to be honest, stayed there for at least a year and a half. The trigger On a sunny but cold evening of the spring of 2018 I was attending an event from my previous job when it happened, my body said no. I remembered I went to breathe outside and couldn't come back in anymore. I called my husband and I told him I was more secure of myself than ever, I'm not coming back to that sick place anymore or I will have a health issue. The day after I had an appointment with my doctor and she told me I had a burnout. I was absolutely in schock!! I recalled saying to her: But this is not possible, I'm a very strong person!! I was not paying attention to my body symptoms, I did not know or understood why my whole body was in pain. I was happy in my marriage, I had a lovely 6 years old daughter, I was sleeping well, eating healthy, doing sports... I was checking all the good things to do, but still, my body did not feel in balance, did not feel well, did not want to follow the flow anymore, my cognition was not in charge anymore, my survival mechanism was activated and for the very first time I listened... My healing journey I came back home that day feeling confused, I had time to rest but I did not know how to do that. I had a post in my fridge that my doctor wrote for me: MY TIME... I had no idea what to do with my time... My time has been always for taking care of others, to clean and to have the house like a museum, tidy, clean, in order, my time was for cooking healthy to my daughter, to play with her, to call friends and family members and giving them support and advice when they were feeling down, my time was for organising dinners and get together with friends, my time was for working and trying to fit in some environments that I now realized that they were not the right fit for me; rather than laying in bed late in the evening and going to sleep, I had no idea how to rest, how to give to my body the permission to be quite, to be in the stillness of doing nothing and just recharging energy. I said to myself, you can't even think properly with the pain you are experiencing right now, so I had a kind of bulb light moment and went to look at my wallet; it was still there, the little paper with the contact details from the reflexologist I put in my wallet a couple of years ago. I had a look at the website and decided to give her a call and made an appointment. Katrien Hendrickx has her practice in Tienen (Xanthé), not far from where I live. I still remember entering her place, warm, with calm music, quiet and evoquing peace and wisdom. My first session was really intense, both for myself and for her as well I guess. I was there every other week and talking to her and having the reflexology were crucial for me and my body to start to be again a bit connected to my mind. I remembered her writing in her book, before the appointment we were discussing how I was feeling and my body symptoms, and if there was something I wanted her to work on. After the session she went back to her book to make some drawings and to give me some trigger points to exercise myself at home. I knew I was in great hands, I was able to feel how passionate she was about her job and she was also able to transfer her wisdom and expertise with a non judgemental and loving heart. Coming to her was the beginning of an amazing healing journey that brought me to my actual job and passion.
Transactional Analysis and embodied coaching
After a few months visiting Katrien regularly, we talked about reaching out to someone who would be able to guide me to reply to some big whys in my life, and so I got in contact with Linda Hoeben , near Katrien's place in Hoegaarden. My first appointment was just before starting my summer holidays, to be able to establish a plan to keep on working after the summer.
I got to know through my sessions with Linda, Transactional Analysis (TA), the method was unknown for me at that moment.
I discovered it in a profound and subtle way at the same time. TA taught me to have my feet on the ground again, to communicate better first with myself and then with others, not to judge or blame myself and consequently not to blame or judge others, and I knew how to appreciate peace more than ever; feeling safe helps people open up and develop secure and authentic relationships. Thanks to embodied coaching, I reconnected with my true self; I learned that compassion begins within oneself and radiates to others, to live in the here and now and to finally listen to the wisdom of my own body. I was able for the first time to embrace my shortcomings and discovered my drivers, which instead of sinking me as before, have made me walk the path of growth.
What's next for you? Almost 5 years separate me from that cold spring night; If someone had told me about everything I had to go through, everything I had to study, the hard internal processes that lay ahead, how I would manage to get down from a high level of stress and internal imbalance, to where I am now, in peace, balanced, without pain and without fear, I would not have been able to take the first step... Do you know why? Because something big is not done or thought of in an instant, not an hour, not a day, something big begins by taking a small step, and then another, and many times we have to stop to rest, and only when our body says "now", we must continue... Do you want to know how to walk towards your objectives and goals safely and taking care of yourself? I would love to guide you and share all my passion and knowledge to let you take the first tiny little step...
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