Are you happy in your skin?
It’s a question we hear a lot these days, or is it just an age thing, and we are just more aware of it? Were we being told about being happy in our skin at the age of 20? Probably not. We were all concerned over our cellulite and big thighs, which diet was the best and how many Jane Fonda step ups you needed to do to burn off your breakfast.
As we age, there is that realisation that we don’t have unlimited time on the planet. We are often aware that some people don’t get the chance to live to a ripe old age, while others have life-limiting illness or disability. We should be thankful for our own health. Apparently. However, other peoples stories may be food for thought, but those people aren’t you, and sometimes being made to think how lucky you are doesn’t really help your state of mind. Especially when you are challenged by your own thoughts, hormones and life issues.
Just because people say you should be happy in your skin, doesn’t mean you have to be.
I can only speak for women of a certain age when I write this, as I know many of those reading this will be facing the challenges that the menopause can bring. Just remember that every BODY is different. I just heard Noel Edmonds on I’m A Celebrity talking to a young actress about being ‘comfortable in your own skin’. She was nearly 30 and had decided to look after herself more, eat better and stop drinking. It doesn’t mean she will be happier in her skin. She will just look after the skin she is in with a little more respect. That is they key.
This isn’t a post about healthy eating, alcohol abuse and the need for mindfulness, it’s about a terminology and how we get through. Do we ever get through? Lives ebb and flow, with signposts and markers popping up to guide us along the way – IF we are open enough to notice them.
My signposts have been amazing!
For me, so much has happened since my non-holiday in March. I’m still adjusting to the sideways shift in my business. Who says the menopause is all doom and gloom? For me, I have entered an incredible new phase. Although the last couple of years were a bit rocky on the physical side. As, I am sure it is with many other people.
For the last three years, I have visited The Scarlet at Mawgan Porth in Cornwall for a couple of nights during the springtime, where I have experienced the most incredible Ayurvedic based therapies. I have no doubt that these treatments have really helped me with the rollercoaster energies created by transitioning into my 50s.
It really was a journey!
On my first visit I had booked a ‘Full Journey’ on the recommendation from a client of mine. I had no idea what to expect, and literally just went with it. Ayurveda is a huge subject, and one that I know a little about, but it is not my specialty. When I visit Spas, I tend to have treatments that I don’t offer myself, so that it’s impossible have any preconceived ideas of how they should be done. My first experience was just amazing. I was so blown away by it, that I booked for the following year.
My annual pilgrimage had begun!
Making sure I was able to be treated by the same therapist each time, I was able to have real continuity. Lorena was incredible, with the most in-depth understanding of her subject, and compassion for the menopausal woman. During the past three years, I had a different treatment each time, tailor made to balance my energies as they were at the time. The first was more about elimination, as I had digestive issues. My second stay was much more for the emotional menopausal ageing woman! I was not comfortable in my skin at all. I was fast approaching 50 and not taking it well, and I certainly didn’t like being told by friends that I should be grateful to be here at all.
Then I began to look at it a different way and accept that every body is different. This was me. I wasn’t happy, but I was going to fix it. My ‘Journey’ this time was an experience that was pretty amazing. Using sound therapy, and nurturing massage, I emerged ready for the next phase of my little trip through the menopause. It is a time of transition.
Earlier this year, I had a real epiphany.
Many of you will know that I have been nudged for quite a while, by a few intuitive artist friends, to start painting. I used to paint in watercolours about 20 years ago, before I had two salons to run and no time for hobbies. Living in the flat above one of the salons didn’t really give me much space to paint either. Everything got put away and time marched on.
I’m a firm believer in sign posts and markers in your life. You just need to see them!
Some people are in your life for a Reason, a Season or sometimes a Lifetime.
Some people dip in and out of your life, and others remain a constant. For me, Lorena was in my life for a reason, and then a season. During my third visit, I was surprised that all my energies were perfectly balanced. She explained, that as you reach menopause, you lose an exit for your energy, causing it to build up within the body, causing imbalance. That’s what I had been experiencing over the last few years. I needed an ‘out’, and that out, was the art! But you know me, this isn’t just hobby painting, it’s pure full on energy art. Art that runs alongside my other work as a therapist, embedded with healing energies, colour and vibrancy.
Exciting times ahead.
I could say it’s funny how the universe works… but we all know I love a bit of woo woo! The Spa Manager from The Scarlet has been in touch. My healing energy art is going in to the spa! The universe does work in mysterious ways.
I’m now 51 and I still don’t like my bum/thighs, but I’ve always been a bottom heavy pear. I do however, feel empowered to be on the new phase. Life is not over just because you reach 50. Life is a transition. You have to go with it and find a way through.
One of the latest pieces – check the website and instagram for emerging pieces. Waysideart.co.uk
I have an exhibition planned for mid 2019 and I am open for commissions during the winter.
