Come Home to Yourself
My Story
Choose You was created to recognise when you're running on empty. For the women holding it all together — the home, the work, the family, the lists — when caring for everyone else has become second nature and exhaustion has started to feel like the norm.
Like so many women, I'd built a life around being on the go from the second I woke up, prioritising everyone else's needs over my own, worrying about having to be somewhere, keep up with constant plans, the mental load of life — my children, my work, my home, my clients — and I mistook exhaustion for purpose.
I had somehow fell into a place where I believed the more I achieved the better I was. This wasn't sustainable and eventually I hit breaking point.
The Turning Point
After struggling all my life with an auto immune skin condition, years of living on adrenaline exacerbated it. Painful, visible skin flare ups were becoming more frequent. My patience and tolerance levels were minimal, exhaustion and general wellbeing emotionally hit an all time low.
I had been ignoring the signs, trying to fix the surface level with prescriptions when the real healing was in slowing down and choosing me.
Bit by bit, I started to listen. I began to rest. I reset myself, slowly choosing me in small ways and noticing the difference it made to my life, my health and to those around me.
I found time to walk and exercise, focused on what I was putting into my body, listened to my body when I felt stressed or tired in certain situations, finally learned how to set boundaries, stopped over giving, removed people from my life who were not supportive and let go of the guilt of choosing myself.
"You don't need to wait for breaking point or for permission for life to calm down. Give yourself permission to Choose You."
— Karen O'Connor