a winter retreat
on my mind
winter is here and i’ve been ahead of it by hibernating for the last few months. we’re nearly two years into the pandemic and i’m once again at a place of feeling like i want to both hide and connect, to reinvent myself and get back to myself.
this has meant allowing myself to just be and get more in tune with my thoughts and emotions, lots of journaling for the self and less sharing with others. i am working on protecting time for myself and not just working all the time because it’s very easy to make that my entire personality as i desperately seek some semblance of control. i finally got prescription meds to deal with the return of my incredibly painful migraines, which has been life-changing. i’m working on taking more walks again and incorporating exercise and yoga back into my routine. i’m trying to say yes to more things and throw out plans and schedules that don’t serve me.
one of the cool things i did for myself this fall was invest in a coaching program called The Coaching Fellowship, geared towards women in social impact careers. i’d been aware of this program for years but wanted to wait until i felt like it was the right time for me. coaching is not the same as therapy (which i also go to), so i had to be clear about what i wanted out of it and if i was willing to put in the time for it. essentially i was tired of feeling uncomfortable, exhausted and confused, so i wanted to take action and do something about it. i’ve had 3 sessions so far and i’m really enjoying the accountability and support from my coach on cultivating my ideal self and best life.
i also just turned 31, which didn’t have the same level of pressure or narrative built around it as 30 did for me. it honestly just snuck up on me. instead of having expectations around what i want to achieve, i am instead making a list of how i want to invest in myself, understand what brings me joy and what i can do to better care for my health and nurture my creativity again.
but as much as all this time to myself has been helpful and soothing, i can’t help but think about all the ways i am losing, because of the lack of community and IRL relationship building. now that we are in danger of perhaps another lockdown because of the omicron variant, we are likely going to spend even more time on our own/virtual and that’s the very thing i wanted to change in 2022.
i’m curious how you are all doing these days, what is filling you up or anchoring you right now and what you are hopeful for in the new year.
if you’ve got anything you’re noting and would like to share, i’d love to compile your recommendations and reflections in january with the rest of the “noted by nesima” readers!
what i’m noting
Read: Atlas of the Heart
Read: The world as we know it is ending. Why are we still at work?
Read: What’s your curiosity profile? | a quiz shared by my coaching program
Watch: Selling Tampa | for escapism into the world of luxury real estate
Listen: Unswtnd & Unfiltrd | I particularly enjoyed these two episodes on spiritual awakening and how is your heart feeling
Listen: Cleo Sol, Yebba and Silk Sonic
Thanks for reading! If you like this newsletter, you can click the “heart” at the top of this post on Substack, share it on social media or forward to a friend — they can subscribe at notedbynesima.substack.com.
Remember, you can always hit reply to this email if you want to share what you’re noting or just say hi.
— Nesima