I have been a bit quiet recently. But just on the blogging and newsletter front. You see there are huge, huge changes going on in my life right now, so there have been other priorities in my head. I would really like to share these exciting experiences just because I am learning so so much from them and my developments are just a living proof that with the right knowledge and support we can emerge from something potentially crushing simply shining, empowered and hugely excited about life.

Before I start, I would like give myself a little high-five for being so publicly open about my personal life in this post. A few years ago, I was too shy to even register on a forum let alone leave a comment, or write a blog post or anything like that. I’ve not always been this brave, but boy, is life fun when you start pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone!

Basically my whole life has gone upside down, inside out, side-step, tango, waltz, fox-trot and jitterbug.

Since April I have done the following:

- amicably ended a very lovely 8.5 year relationship

- changed my ‘day job’ (I quit an unfulfilling job in finance and now work part-time in Business Development for an inspiring company that works with personal development and leadership training and I will soon go on to facilitate workshops and coach individuals)

- finished renovating my house in order to put it on the market

- thought long, long, long and hard about where I want to live in this world (I’ll keep you posted on my decision!)

- re-homed my beautiful dog (heart-break city!) as I wont be able to give her the attention and time she needs to thrive after my house is sold

- started doing fun but brave things such as Dj:ing

- expanded my social life in Sweden and UK by about a million % (which takes quite a bit of coordinating actually!)

And at the same time making exciting progress with my company:

- qualified as a Vegetarian and Vegan Nutrition Consultant

- launched my coaching services and seen some amazing results with a fabulous client!

- joined up with 2 lovely girls to plan a fab High Energy workshop in London in November 2011 (read all about it here)

When writing this it just feels like a list of things, but it when you are actually in it and living it, it really is incredibly intense and challenging. And I am sure that if you have ever done any of these things you will appreciate just how much they can impact your life…let alone when all happening at the same time in the space of a few months!

The most amazing thing I have experienced is that by applying all the things I learned over the years, I have not only managed to survive this incredibly turbulent time, but I feel that I am leaping from it full of love and life and zest for new exciting things.

Here is what has been the key to keeping me sane, happy and healthy:

1. Raw Food
I have been really motivated to keep as high-raw as possible simply because I immediately notice the positive effects. Cooked food does not give me the clear mind and the super high energy that I have needed for this period. Having a clear mind means that I am able to analyse my feelings much better and make sensible decisions. It has also prevented me from comfort eating and numbing any pain with things like refined sugar or heavy comfort food like toast! Working through these feelings is far more progressive and healing I find!

2. Avoiding stimulants
Staying clear of coffee, refined sugar and alcohol has also reduced the risk of feeling any extra anxiety and keeps my blood sugar stable. If I feel I need pepping up then I will either go for a run, or have a little nibble on some raw chocolate instead, which does not shock my body like coffee does. If I need the relaxing effects that alcohol can give, I do some yoga or exercise and make sure I take a few deep deep breaths. I have also been very kind to myself and when I do really feel I need time out, I will take it. Sometimes that means saying no to some people and commitments, but in the long run this ’selfish act’ is a great investment and actually makes me a nicer person to be around!

3. Exercise
This has really been a saviour. Exercise relieves stress tremendously and there is nothing like a good work out to release mood-elevating endorphins. I am also finding it really fun to set myself physical goals and challenges which offers a great respite from the emotional ones I have been experiencing!

I have also found that I have stayed away from comfort eating rubbish food or binging on booze (like I have done in previous years when facing a challenging time) because moderate exercise makes me feel a lot better. And since I know how good working-out makes me feel, it means that I don’t want to feel hungover or sluggish from comfort eating and therefore refrain from eating and drinking naughtiness.

4. Positive supportive and inspiring people
I am so in love with the people that I have in my life these days! I find I tend to stay away from people who deal with their unhappiness by trying to bring others down with negative remarks and energy. At a time when you need to be really brave, you need people who support you. Even if you don’t personally know people like this, reading inspiring books and blogs, or connecting with others on the internet or by attending inspiring events is a true gift!

5. Coaching
I draw on the wisdom I get from my coach and from my own knowledge of coaching. This is such a powerful tool for personal growth and bursting through challenging times. Becoming aware of why we think and act in certain ways is hugely empowering, and mastering the skills of breaking things down into small achievable steps is so useful . Oh, I could go on and on about this, but I wont. But it really has made the difference between crumbling into a heap of despair and rising out the ashes like a glorious, sassy phoenix!

So, dear friend, that is what my life has been the past few months. There are lots of exciting and challenging times ahead, but I am learning so much and am actually feeling pretty bloomin’ spectacular.

I really hope this post inspires you to see any challenging period you experience as an opportunity to grow and do brave things. It really is quite amazing!

Did you enjoy this article and recipe? Sign up here >> to receive email notifications of new articles that I publish!

Feel free to share this article with others. Please just remember to include the following credit: © 2011 Johanna Best www.miss-best.com

Share on Facebook

There once was an old man. In his youth he was blessed with a gifted craft. He made beautiful furniture from the wood he found on his daily walks through the forest. His craft gave him immense joy and he spent all of his free time creating gorgeous pieces with wonderful intricate decorations. His home was full of the fruits of his talent, and anyone who came to visit looked in awe at the chairs, tables, shelves, large bowls and even child size benches. ‘You must make me a chair’ they would say. Some even suggested he rent that workshop which had recently become vacant in the market square. ‘People would come from far and wide to buy your furniture’ they would exclaim ‘for they truly are the most exquisite pieces’.

But the then young man would brush off their sincere compliments with a wave of his hand. ‘Bah’ he would say. ‘I am no trained craftsman- anyone could make these things if they tried’. But not everyone could do so – no matter how hard they wanted, as not everyone possessed this wonderful gift. Other gifts they would indeed have, but not the gift that he had. His cumulative knowledge of the local wood, and the possibilities certain tools provided him with together with his limitless imagination meant that his gifts were unique.

To earn his bread, the man worked in a coal mine. He did not like his work. The physical conditions were harsh. The darkness dampened his mood and could on occasion quash his creativity. The pay was poor and his boss did not appreciate the effort that was put in every day by his workers.

‘But you could earn so much more money selling your furniture’ his friends would say when Christmas came and the man hung his head in shame at turning up and the village celebrations empty handed because of his empty pockets. Every year the reply was the same: ‘But what if no one bought my furniture. What if …’

Family and friends of this talented man could see his spirits become diluted with every year that passed chipping away at the dark, hard coal. The difference between the man on a work day and one a free day was like night and day. In his home workshop he was alive. His wood spoke to him, every knot had a life. With every piece he created his talent blossomed further. ‘Why don’t you leave your work in the mines and sell your furniture instead?’ they questioned. ‘It is a tragic loss that your house is full of these beautiful pieces and no one except you gets to appreciate them.’ ‘People need heat. People need coal. If I don’t help give them coal then, why, they may as well burn my furniture to warm their houses’ was his reply. ‘But what about their souls? Will your gifts not warm them as much?’ But every time he would cut short the conversation with a gruff ‘bah!’.

As the years drifted on, so did his friends. No longer could they stand the dark moods, the refusal of invitations so that he could spend his free time doing the one thing that brought light in to his world. And so by the time the man was old and retired from the coal mine, he was alone. Finally he had all the time he needed to work on his furniture. Time that was now essential since he had to build a large barn to accommodate all the pieces he made and hid away from others.

One year, upon hearing of these lovingly crafted pieces, the king had sent for him. ‘Bah!’ grunted the man to the messenger ‘if my chairs are not fit enough for the cobbler, the baker, or even the priest, they are not fit for the rear of his Highness’. ‘But his Highness wants one of your chairs. His Highness thinks that your chairs are good enough for him’. ‘Bah…’

And so as the man spent his retired years making and staring at his furniture, bent double thanks to decades of chipping away in the dark mines, his soul began to dissolve. For while he had spent his life underground, his soul had gradually been chipped away, turning from light to darkness. And soon the old man could no longer love even his craft.

The one thing he had left – and which he had to continue with if he was to eat – was gardening. He planted the seeds with the tiniest piece of joy that he had rationed himself and almost half smiled as he watched them grow, but when it came to harvest time he waited and waited, just a few days more, ‘perhaps then they will be bigger, juicer, guaranteed to be ripe’; until the breeze brought the first signs of autumn. A slight chill in the air. A small shift from green to orange.

It was then he was forced to harvest the fruits of his labour. In his youth his favorite was rocket – a green plant known as arugula or ruccula in other lands. He carefully snipped away at the delicate green leaves and prepared a large plate of his garden’s gifts. He almost felt a tingle of pleasure as he lifted a handful of rocket to his mouth. But the rocket was now too old. It had past its best. It looked alive but it was bitter as hell.

For the first time in his adult life the man cried realizing that he had wasted his life in the mines while his home was full of furniture that was the real manifestation of his love. With the wisdom the years bring he could see that his ’sacrifice’ was not even worth it. The coal he mined was now burned and forgotten. His gifts, however, would have lasted an eternity.

Share on Facebook