Sunday

 

There’s no rush on a Sunday

It’s your day to simply be

I love every day of the week

But Sunday is just for me

 

You can waste time on a Sunday

You can slowdown totally

Take your time on a Sunday

There’s nowhere you need to be

 

No pressure to be anything

Other than your relaxed self

Watch a movie or see a friend

Pull that book out from the shelf

 

It’s all ok on a Sunday

No matter what you choose to do

Whether active or sloth-like

Whatever works for you

 

Another day will roll around

In time Monday will come

But for now it’s a Sunday

So why not have some fun!!

 

Emily Sat On The Wall

Like humpty I fell off the wall

And couldn’t get back up

I tried and tried but still I’d fall

Built up by buttercup

I went in for a brain transplant

The one I had was bad

They told me there is always hope

To fix the one I had

But I told them it’s no use

It was broken up in pieces

I need a new one now I said

Before this pain increases

I was taking meds and talking

It worked no longer more

I’d hoped that they’d believe me

And not send me out the door

They had no beds the first day

The second or the third

But they promised they would help me

I felt like I was heard

A week went by

And then another

Overstaying my welcome

With my father and my mother

There were too many sick to take

A bed would not be free

That was the harsh reality

At least, it was for me

I got word of a special place

Where they teach recovery

For adults with mental health issues

Adults just like you and me

I went to school

But not to learn a trade

To gain skills to manage mood

That my illness currently forbade

My lunch packed up

And my shoes tied tight

Ready to learn

And to see the light

I had no tools, I told them

They said we have them here

You can take them home with you to use

When things again get hard to bear

Magical Moments

Not bad Mother Nature, not bad at all...

When you're looking at how far you have left to go, look back at just how far you've already come

When your week starts like this, you know it's going to be a good one...

Without the rain, there would be no rainbow ~ Gilbert Chesterton

Things may appear gloomy ahead, and you may feel like giving up, but you never 

know what's just around the corner. It could be nothing, or it could be everything. 

Pausing allows you to take a beat to take a breath in your life. As everybody else is 

rushing around like a lunatic out there, I dare you to do the opposite ~ Maria Shriver

Morning Serenity on Lake G

Synchronized Swan Silhouette

Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist ~ Pablo Picasso

Sunset In Suburbia

Sunrise Is The New Sunset: Out-Running The Black Dog

I did a thing and signed up to run the YMCA Canberra Half Marathon. Over the next 12 weeks, I will be in training which means early mornings, meeting new people and a good reason to get out of bed.

I have a black dog. The black dog is lazy and would rather I lie in bed and feel sorry for myself. Right now The Black Dog is faster than me, but if I keep running I'll eventually catch up ;)

Week 1 of 12: Sunrise Is The New Sunset

Week 2 of 12: Symmetry & Serenity

Week 3 of 12: When one Canberra landmark just isn't enough...

Week 4 of 12: Light Within The Darkness

Week 5 of 12: Peace In The Park

 Week 6 of 12: Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow

Week 7 of 12: Good things come to those who get up early

Week 8 of 12: Reflect & Reset

 Week 9 of 12: Expect The Unexpected

 Week 10 of 12: Follow Your Own Path

Week 11 of 12: Two steps forward, one step back. never mind though, you're still on track

Week 12 of 12: The Fog Is Lifting

'Bed of Roses' Creative Colouring PDF Download

 

Click HERE to download my free 'Bed of Roses' Creative Colouring PDF

 

Spread your wings to make you fly

Lay a bed of roses to rest your head at night

 

 

Get Remarkably Organised: The Perfect Week

As a business owner, no two weeks are ever the same. I think I had embraced this point a little too much, and realised I had to have more control of my weeks.

 

After reading the Get Remarkably Organised book earlier this year I realised that my lack of a weekly routine was causing chaos in my life. As a result I felt I always had work on mind, no matter which day of the week it was, no matter what time of day. The house was a mess, I was spending $20+ a week on a gym membership I no longer used and unfinished personal creative projects were piling up (or were never even started in the first place).

The simple fact was I was allowing other people to fill my schedule for me, without giving any thought to when the best time of the week to do certain tasks and activities actually was. What is the point of working for yourself when you are still allowing others to choose when you work anyway?

When I got back from a recent overseas trip, I knew it was time to actually do something about it. Travel never fails to allow me the opportunity to reassess what is and isn't working in my life at the time. The weeks went by while I struggled to get back into a routine. This was mainly because I didn't actually have one to begin with!

Around this time I saw that Lorraine Murphy was doing a workshop about to the techniques and tricks. The timing couldn't be more perfect!

First things first, I needed to claim back the weekend. As a photographer who understands I need to provide some weekend availability to my clients, I decided I would continue to work Saturdays and allow Sundays and Mondays to be my days off. Before I rarely had two days off in a row, so this was a huge deal for me. I realised the importance of having a proper two-day weekend, not just two days off  each week.

I was also considering hiring a cleaner, as I felt I never had the time in my week to focus my attention in this area. But after claiming back my weekend I realised I actually did have time to clean, I just never had a specific time blocked out in which to get it done. This would also mean saving the $80+ a week I realistically didn't actually have to be spending on a cleaner.

Monday is now my favourite day of the week. That's a sentence I never thought I'd say! Not only because it's now one of my days off, but because it sets me up to have the best working week I possibly can. By the end of Monday my house including my office and home studio is clean, ready to have clients over for meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday. I've had the chance to get to the gym (Body Balance and Zumba are my classes of choice), meaning my head is clear for the week to come. The mental clarity I now have is a game-changer!

I also now book photoshoots back-to-back on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays only and very rarely make a special exception to this, so that I'm travelling to and from locations less often (saving money on petrol) and using my time more efficiently.

You can download the My Perfect Week worksheet to design your own!

The Weight of the World

 

This is the most difficult post I have ever written, as it is deeply personal. 

 

 

In early 2014, completely out of the blue and with no clear indication of what was causing them, I started experiencing terrifying vivid dreams almost every night. The nightmares are extremely traumatic to experience, with highly graphic and disturbing content. They are often very violent and threatening in nature. They are very difficult to shake upon waking due to the intensity and frequency of them.  I feel like I've been watching scary movies for 8 hours every time I wake up. Almost every time I sleep, even daytime naps, no matter what the duration. I am tired ALL. THE. TIME. For me, a proper restful sleep is nothing but a memory.

I also suffer from Excessive Daytime Sleepiness and occasional hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations as well (which occur during the transition from wakefulness to sleep just after you head hits the pillow, or during the waking-up process. People report hearing voices, feeling phantom sensations and seeing people or strange objects in their rooms).

After much time spent desperately searching for answers and self-investigating due to clueless and/or unhelpful General Practitioners telling me there was nothing wrong (GRR!), I was eventually diagnosed with Nightmare Disorder by the team at The Sleep Clinic. I had undergone an overnight sleep study which eliminated all other possibilities. 

 

I have to accept that there may be no cure for Nightmare Disorder yet, but I am still searching for ways in which to manage it. Again through time spent self-investigating, I came across the concept of weighted blankets as a treatment for sleep disorders. Despite what the www.neptuneblanket.com.au website promises, I knew there was no real guarantee it would work for me at all – but it was worth a try. 

After all, I’d tried almost everything else: seeing a sleep psychologist (recommended by The Sleep Clinic), yoga, more exercise, a sleep restriction technique, meditation, Image Reversal Therapy, hypnotism, medication, white tea, a red light, blackout curtains, dream catchers, minimising the content of TV and movies I watch... and the list goes on... without any success whatsoever. I have found the symptoms of Nightmare Disorder to be extremely consistent and persistent, occurring every night and causing me much distress. 

Weighted blankets aren’t cheap, but for me even the chance of being able to wake up in the morning and say ‘I had a good night sleep’ was priceless. I wish I could say I no longer wake up feel the weight of the world on my shoulders... but that would be a lie. The blanket has not reduced the frequency of my nightmares, but it has ever so slightly reduced the intensity in which I feel them. The blanket limits my movement, which means less thrashing around and less screaming out. It moulds to my body and mimics a hug, which I’ve found can be a little comforting. 


Although I still feel the weight of the world on my shoulders during and after sleep, I also feel the weight of my blanket... and so far that’s been more beneficial than any other suggested treatment option I’ve had from a health professional for my sleep disorder.