Welcome to The Return - a place to learn deep rest, unravel old patterns, trust your intuition, and connect authentically with a community of women also treading the path home to themselves. Reflect on something new every Friday and be in the know about my upcoming offerings, including women's circles, workshop series and retreats.
Good stress is still stress (and why "savouring the moment" isn't always the answer)
Published about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader,
It has been a little while since I last landed in your inbox with my regular Friday night reflection. Life over here has been uncharacteristically full.
Even before spring officially arrived, the speed of everyday life seemed to ramp up a gear. My mind has been in a constant state of creating to-do lists, planning, organising, and execution.
Thankfully, almost everything filling my days is genuinely good. It is work and life aligned with my values—the kind of rich, enjoyable activity that makes life meaningful and fun.
Yet, it has still been a lot. And it’s been a sharp reminder of a biological fact we often forget: good stress is still stress to the nervous system.
Your body does not run two separate ledgers for "stress from things I love" and "stress from things I dread." The physiological load is real either way.
A beautiful scene camping last weekend, although I really just needed my own bed!
Recently, I admitted to a friend just how deeply exhausted I was and how much I was looking forward to when things finally quieten down. With genuine warmth and the best intentions, she gently encouraged me to try to stay in the moment and savour it all.
It was lovely, thoughtful advice—the kind of reminder we often give to people we care about to help pull them out of a spinning head. And yes, I had been in my head a bit too much!
Yet as I sat with her words, it highlighted a subtle trap so many of us fall into.
We talk constantly about "being in the moment," but we almost always define that outwardly: savouring the sunshine, soaking in the children's laughter, or engaging fully with our environment.
The problem is, when we focus entirely on being present with what is happening around us, we can easily bypass being present with ourselves.
In that exact moment, my external environment was full of wonderful things to savour. But internally? My nervous system was quietly craving stillness, silence, and rest. I was drifting right toward the outer edge of my Window of Tolerance.
If I forced myself to "savour" the outward rush, I would have been actively ignoring and suppressing my actual physiological state.
Being present outwardly keeps us grounded and engaged. But inward presence is what keeps us well. It is having the courage to notice that while the room might be vibrant and joyful, our own internal battery is blinking red.
Mindfulness isn't just about absorbing the beauty of life; it’s about listening to the body living it.
As we move deeper into the final quarter of the year—a season where calendars inevitably begin to overflow—I invite you to hold both sides of presence:
Am I savouring the moment at the expense of listening to my body?
What is my internal landscape asking for right now, underneath all the good things on my plate?
And dear friends, remember:
Enjoy the richness of your life, but don't lose track of yourself in the process.
Welcome to The Return - a place to learn deep rest, unravel old patterns, trust your intuition, and connect authentically with a community of women also treading the path home to themselves. Reflect on something new every Friday and be in the know about my upcoming offerings, including women's circles, workshop series and retreats.