This will no doubt happen a lot on my travels (if I ever get there!)

This is where the stop bit comes in – the process is on hold until another aspect of my life changes, and its frustrating!  But I also realise that whilst I am travelling I will need to rely on other people (!!!) and public transport (?!?!?!??! arggh!) so I better get used to some delays!  (However I do believe that in some European countries at least, timings of public transport are perfect unlike ours in the UK that we have almost grown used and accepted).

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So I am learning.  Learning to slow down a little, which I have done over recent months anyway that helped my stress levels balance out more; learning to accept what I cannot change (not ever an easy one for many of us!); and learning that other people can only be influenced by us but not changed by us.   We can only change ourselves and this is a reminder of that – how we respond to an event or situation is our choice and the only choice we have.    We can hope and expect others to comply and meet our needs, but we cannot demand it.    (Even at work, when the boss wants ….and at home with the children, partners or parents, the demands placed on us create stress because for one reason or another we cannot meet those demands).

So, close your eyes brefily.   Breathe – take a deep breath.   I now raise my hands chest high and push down slowly I’ve noticed, in that I am pushing down the anxiety back to a manageable level I guess!   I don’t actually know where this came from or how it stared, but I do know I do it physically sometimes, as well as in my head!

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“Chill out”, “Relax” and slow down are things I have learned I too can do.   From a hectic parenthood of two children as a working mum, I have, as they’ve grown up and are more independent, found my own time, my space and work/live at my own pace more now.

The stress is reduced and even ‘gone’ (I do get anxious, a little stress but more easily recongised and therefore managed now) and I can manage myself more effectively now.

So the stops are expected, and the starts – or re-starts – will have to come too (so there isn’t a full stop!).   I won’t be sitting around on a deck chair for a year, I will be working on my business and I will be thinking a lot, growing, learning and changing but that’s going to be the fun of it all!

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