Category: Personal Growth

Modern life encourages us to override our bodies. Healing asks us to listen to them.

Burnout Doesn’t Happen Overnight

Stress rarely arrives all at once. It accumulates quietly through rushed mornings, skipped meals, endless notifications, poor sleep, unresolved emotions, overwork, and the constant feeling that we’re somehow behind. Most of us don’t wake up one morning burnt out. We gradually drift further away from ourselves until our bodies insist that we stop. By then, it’s easy to mistake exhaustion for failure, anxiety for weakness, and rest for laziness.

I don’t believe healing begins with doing more. I think it begins by creating space to do less, slowing down enough to hear what our minds and bodies have been trying to tell us for months, sometimes years.

Creating a Different Rhythm

One of the greatest gifts we can offer ourselves is rhythm. Not rigid schedules or endless productivity hacks, but a gentle consistency that helps our nervous system feel safe again.

A nourishing day doesn’t have to be complicated. It might include:

• waking at a consistent time where possible
• drinking water before reaching for your phone
• taking a few slow breaths before beginning the day
• eating regular, nourishing meals
• moving your body in a way that feels supportive rather than punishing
• spending time outdoors
• winding down before bed instead of carrying the day into the night.

None of these habits are remarkable on their own, but together they begin to create an environment where healing becomes possible.

Returning to the Body

When we’re overwhelmed, we often disappear into our thoughts. Healing asks us to come back into the body.

Gentle practices such as walking, yoga, stretching, breathwork, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, or simply sitting quietly for a few minutes each day can help regulate the nervous system. These practices don’t eliminate stress, but they remind the body that it no longer needs to remain in a constant state of vigilance.

Sometimes we spend so much time trying to change our thoughts that we forget the body has its own wisdom. It often tells us what we need long before our minds are willing to listen.

Learning From Nature

Whenever life becomes noisy, I find myself drawn outside. Nature has a remarkable ability to restore perspective.

Trees don’t rush through the seasons. Birds don’t compare themselves with one another. Flowers don’t bloom all year because they understand something we’ve largely forgotten: growth and rest belong together.

Even a short walk through a park, sitting beneath a tree, listening to birdsong, or feeling sunlight on your face can interrupt the constant stimulation of modern life and gently remind your nervous system that not every moment requires action.

Nourishing the Whole Person

Recovery isn’t only psychological. It involves every aspect of our lives. Looking after ourselves means paying attention to the basics that are often overlooked:

• eating nourishing food
• drinking enough water
• getting adequate sleep
• reducing alcohol, nicotine and excessive caffeine where possible
• spending time with supportive people
• creating healthy boundaries
• making space for joy, creativity and laughter.

These aren’t luxuries. They’re foundations. When our basic needs are consistently neglected, it’s much harder for emotional healing to take place.

The Importance of Stillness

Modern life rarely encourages stillness. We fill every quiet moment with scrolling, notifications, podcasts, television, or work. Eventually, we become uncomfortable with silence because we’ve forgotten what it feels like.

Creating even a few moments of stillness each day, whether through meditation, prayer, journalling, mindful breathing, or simply sitting quietly with a cup of tea, allows us to reconnect with ourselves. It gives our minds space to settle and our bodies permission to exhale.

The quieter life becomes, the easier it is to recognise what genuinely deserves our attention.

Healing the Spirit

For me, healing has never been purely psychological. It’s also spiritual.

Whether through meditation, prayer, mantra, gratitude, acts of kindness, or spending time in nature, reconnecting with something greater than ourselves can bring a sense of meaning that stress often obscures. Healing isn’t simply about reducing symptoms. It’s about remembering who we are beneath the anxiety, the exhaustion, and the expectations we carry.

That journey looks different for everyone, but I believe we all benefit from finding something that reconnects us with hope, purpose and the deeper parts of ourselves.

Recovery Is a Way of Living

Healing isn’t usually the result of one meditation session, one yoga class, one supplement or one breakthrough conversation. More often, it emerges through the quiet accumulation of small decisions made consistently over time.

Choosing nourishing food instead of convenience. Going for a walk instead of scrolling. Taking a few mindful breaths before reacting. Asking for help. Resting without guilt. Saying no when necessary. Speaking to ourselves with greater compassion.

None of these choices seem particularly significant on their own, yet together they create a life that supports healing rather than working against it.

Perhaps recovery isn’t about becoming someone new.

Perhaps it’s about remembering who we were before stress, trauma and the demands of modern life pulled us away from ourselves.

With kindness . . .

Karmic Rebelle ©
Disrupt Karma. Restore Dharma.

“Curiosity is the mother of science. Wonder is the mother of spirituality.” – Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

I love this quote because it reminds me how valuable curiosity and wonder are for personal growth.

Building on this, one technique I’ve learned through mentalisation-based therapy (MBT) is to remain curious. MBT helps us better understand our own thoughts and emotions, as well as those of others. It supports emotional regulation and reduces impulsive reactions that can lead to misunderstanding. The aim is greater emotional stability, less conflict, and more meaningful relationships.

At the heart of this approach is a stance of not knowing. Rather than labelling or accusing, we stay open. Curious. Willing to consider that we may not have the full picture. From that place, new possibilities in how we relate and experience life begin to emerge.

This mindset reminds me of something I observed during the winter. My little dog moves through the world with steady curiosity. Never accusatory. Always loyal.

If I forget her treat after a walk, she doesn’t assume I’m a bad dog parent or that I don’t love her. She seems to pause in that space of not knowing, as if wondering, why hasn’t she given it to me yet? She might nudge the cupboard, tail wagging, as a gentle reminder. And if I miss the signal, she doesn’t withdraw or hold it against me. She simply lets it go, curls up, and rests. When she wakes, she’s still affectionate, still open, still connected—hopefully just in time for me to remember her treat.

There’s something quietly profound in that.

When we choose curiosity over conclusion, we soften the need to define everything too quickly. We stop reducing complex moments into fixed labels, both in others and in ourselves. In that space, life becomes less rigid and more expansive.

Neuroscience suggests that the brain is naturally oriented towards seeking, learning, and making sense of the world. Curiosity isn’t something we have to force—it’s something we return to. When we move away from it, we narrow our experience. When we come back to it, we open again.

And perhaps that’s where wonder begins.

It brings to mind Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, when Alice says, “Curiouser and curiouser.” Not as confusion, but as an invitation to step beyond certainty.

Yoga offers a path to liberation and provides practical tools for living with greater ease and awareness. With growing scientific support for practices rooted in curiosity and presence, there is every reason to explore them for ourselves.

By approaching each moment with curiosity and wonder, we deepen our understanding, expand our experience, and allow life to unfold in ways we might otherwise never see.

With love
Karmic Rebelle

Many of us have been conditioned to say “yes” when we really want to say “no.” In psychology, this behaviour is often called people-pleasing—a survival mechanism where we prioritise others’ comfort at the expense of our own values and needs. For me, saying “no” is not just difficult; it’s a daily battle rooted in a deep desire for acceptance and approval.

This struggle with boundaries isn’t always visible from the outside.

Sometimes, it feels safer to agree, nod, and smile, even when everything inside me screams otherwise. The compulsion to please others, or to avoid confrontation, can lead us into situations that chip away at our sense of self. Over time, we lose sight of what we truly want or need.

One of the ways I work on maintaining healthy boundaries is through the help of my psychiatric service dog, Radha. Her presence reminds me of the importance of setting limits and protecting myself from people and situations that don’t align with my well-being. Radha plays a pivotal role in helping me recognise when someone is getting too close—physically and emotionally—and she reminds me that it’s okay to say “no.”

Saying no may seem small, but it’s a powerful act of self-preservation. It’s about reclaiming our worth and prioritising what feels right for us. And sometimes, we need a little help to get there.

With love.

Karmic Rebelle

Every day, I confront a personal challenge that many can relate to: the difficulty of saying ‘no.’ This issue, often labelled as people-pleasing, may surprise those who sometimes find my demeanour less than agreeable. The reality is that I find it incredibly hard to refuse requests, fearing that saying no will make me appear less likeable and acceptable.

I’ve conditioned myself to say yes when I should stand firm in my no. When something clashes with my values, I recognise that I often receive superficial tokens of friendship, loyalty, and recognition by putting others first. It’s time for me to prioritise my own needs.

I tend to fawn in challenging situations—a survival response in which I go to great lengths to please others, often at my own expense. I’ve learned to silence the inner voice that shouts, “This is not right for me!” in favour of being agreeable, nodding along, and remaining overly accommodating.

I will allow anyone to take all of my shine.

My service dog, Radha, is essential in helping me establish and maintain boundaries. I have a self-regulation problem. It’s because of the way my brain works. When you get hungry, your brain sends signals to your body that you can easily pick up and take action on long before you get too hungry. The brain tells you you’re hungry. You get up, walk to the kitchen and make a sandwich. My brain sends the signals, but I ignore them. I do not recognise the message. I ignore all the early signs. I don’t go to the kitchen to make a sandwich. I realise I’m hungry when it’s too late during a hunger-induced panic attack. You walk into a dangerous situation, you walk right back out. I walk into a dangerous situation. I consider walking out only after it’s too late!

Radha plays a vital role in boundary-setting. She guards my space fiercely, barking to signal, ‘Stranger Danger!’ While some think this is disruptive, her alertness is a necessary boundary for me. Her actions remind me that asserting my boundaries is perfectly acceptable, regardless of how it might appear to others. Her presence represents the potential for real change and growth, and I hope it inspires you to embrace your own boundaries.

Strangers often want to pet Radha because she’s adorable. I’m learning to navigate this situation assertively. I should refuse to sacrifice my comfort to avoid disappointing anyone. There’s an ingrained narrative suggesting that if a dog dislikes someone, there’s something wrong with either the dog or the person, which complicates my ability to assert myself. However, I’ve understood I am not responsible for anyone else’s discomfort with my boundaries.

It’s crucial to recognise that only some we encounter have good intentions. Radha isn’t here to theatre someone’s character. We don’t need to be best friends; mutual interactions must be based on courtesy, kindness, respect, and, most importantly, consent. If any of these elements are missing, it’s a clear sign that respect is lacking, which can lead to trouble.

We all have the right to demand respect and consent in our interactions. I encourage you to stand firm in your own life.

Radha and I both value our personal space and well-being. We’re not fans of intrusive staring, unsolicited conversations, or non-consensual touch. Respect and consent are fundamental for healthy interactions, and it’s essential for everyone to feel safe and valued.

Please reflect on your boundaries and the importance of upholding them. Together, we can foster a respectful environment where everyone feels empowered to say ‘no’ when needed.

What about you? How do you protect your boundaries?

With love.

Karmic Rebelle

When I first got Radha, my assistance dog, people were surprised at how well I cared for her. It was not only my primary care team, made up of doctors, social and, recovery workers, mental health nurses, and the police. My housemates, ex-partner and shop attendants at my local grocers noted and commented on how well I cared for Radha.

It surprised me that anyone would think anything different. Perhaps it is because of a negative internal narrative I’ve had repeated for decades. This voice tells me that I am a bad person, a bad girl who is filled with evil and ill intent. I harm innocent children and animals. I am not fit to be a carer or a mother. The way that I love is not right, not good, not enough. There is something wrong with me. I harm, kill and make ill.

I’ve come to realise that the voice in my head is not my voice. It is an accumulation of voices from people who could not carry their own burdens and shame. These people projected their inadequacies and intolerance onto me, and I carried them for decades as if they were my own disturbed identity.

When I was a little girl, I had a little dog. I loved her with all my heart. Although I will admit that my father was right, she wasn’t the right dog for me, and I was too young. Having said that, I still loved her. The only problem was that I wasn’t allowed to love and care for her in my way. I was ridiculed, shouted at and shamed. Once, when I was 8 or 9 years old, I wrote an essay on how I cared for my dog. I described how I would have liked to look after her – washing her once a week, brushing her, taking her for walks, etc. The truth is, I wasn’t allowed to do things my way. I had to do things the way it was dictated to me. I got into trouble for “lying” in my essay. Another deep shame was displaced onto me by an adult carer, embedding the idea that I was an evil little girl with ill intent.

When I got Radha, I set out to care for her in my own way, in the way that I was never allowed to. And I promised myself that I would make sure I was allowed to. And I promised myself that I would shut out the noise and nay-sayers, stick to my convictions and persist in doing things in a way that suited me.

I took Radha out for a walk every single day. I still do! I had only one incident that prevented me from taking her out that day. But, every other day, regardless of my physical pain and emotional anguish, I did what I needed to do to have her needs met. And in doing so my needs were met.

I take her out for walks every day. I do this because she loves going to the park or any open space like the woods. It stimulates her in many ways and she gets her exercise. This means she’s less likely to be reactive or annoying at home. I need her to be calm and happy as much as possible because I need to be calm and happy for my health and healing. The daily exercise does me good. The fresh air and connection to nature, seeing other people in my community, and other dogs, it’s all beneficial.

Within the first month of having her, I noticed her fascination and love of balls. I wanted to give her what she enjoyed. I wanted to participate in the activities and games that made her happy. So, I bought balls. Different sizes and types. We played with these every day, outdoors and at home. The girl is so good at football, she can play for England’s Women’s team! I have never been an adequate ball player; I even have the proof in writing from a nursery school report card! But, the action of kicking a ball, running after the ball, etc, aided my own recovery tremendously.

I wash her once a week because she wants me to. She likes to smell nice and be clean. She loves a pamper and massage session. It brings calm and joy to me when I can look after her in this way. Being clean means she can enter spaces like hospitals and supermarkets. It makes life easier for me.

I love her in the way that she adores. I give her cuddles and kisses. I sing her songs. I tell her she’s a good girl and that I love her very much. Her breed and temperament love this type of attention. It comes so easily and naturally to me to love in that kind of way. To reach out and touch, to whisper a sweet nothing and to kiss on her little head – it’s all a second nature and a far cry from the bad, evil person I was made out to be by carers and partners who turned out to be my abusers. The benefit to my nervous system is profound. It helps reduce my anxiety, and it prevents me from further self-harm.

The more I tend to her needs and give her what she wants and likes, the more she can support me. Her needs are being met, and that means that she is fully charged up to meet my complex needs.

I stood my ground for a long time with regards to my rights and ability to train her into being the supportive assistance dog that I need day to day.

Do you know that Radha has been the first dog to attend court twice and police interviews at the police station? She’s the only dog at my GP practice, too. I had so much stick from medical professionals, specifically in the run-up to getting her certified and recognised as a psychiatric assistance dog. Not because they didn’t recognise my complex needs. I just think the medical industry is a bit arse backwards, that’s all. The NHS is not designed to support you into long-term good health and happiness. Well, at least not in the East End. My experience in North London is somewhat improved, but I think that might be because more people like me have assistance dogs and assert their rights, and there might potentially be a bit less misspelling and discrimination here.

In choosing to care for Radha in my own way, I began to listen to my own voice—the one that had been buried beneath years of shame, control, and distortion. This is how I began to listen to my own voice—and it led to healing, connection, and agency.

I met Radha’s needs, and in turn, I met my own needs, and our lives improve every day.

I am blessed to have her.

With love.

Karmic Rebelle

A Helpful Reminder

“Be careful about having relationships with people with no emotional intelligence. They will never understand you, they will personalise everything, and you will never be seen and heard. Be careful about having relationships with people who can’t regulate their emotions you will always be at the mercy of their rages, and bad moods. Be careful about having relationships with people with no self awareness, they have no idea how their behaviour affects the people around them, so it’s a matter of time before you get hurt. Be careful about having relationships with people without empathy, they will never see or care about how you feel. If no one has ever told you, I am telling you now. Look for people in your life with emotional intelligence, self awareness, empathy and the ability to regulate their emotions or you will be at the mercy of their dysfunction and pay the price for their immaturity and lack of growth.”
— Maria Consiglio

I like this quote because it’s helpful and truthful.

I was recently triggered by a female influencer from the conscious relating sector. Varying levels of upset reared their heads.

I generally work with the concept that things only have impact because it’s relevant to me.

The post described certain types of women to be “low value”.

That term is still a trigger because it’s a truth that I hold about myself, that I am of no worth and can’t be loved. This distortion of the absolute truth, “I am That”, is part of my mental health disability. I often have to check in on myself and the actual reality to ensure I’m living truthfully, safely and healthily. This takes great effort on my part and even greater effort on the part of my therapists and the very few friends and family members I hold close.

Seeing a “conscious spiritual entrepreneur” present content that derails this hard work is upsetting. Even more upsetting is the feedback from the influencer and her male supporters that my response is based on hate, jealousy and projection.

Low Self-Worth Is Not Low Value

It still baffles me how the female body can be exploited for fame and wealth with a violent psychological assault on those who struggle with neurodivergent and trauma response behaviours.

No really qualified professional relationship, sex or mental health practitioner would say those things.

Be careful of the content consumed and influencers followed because I am aware of people misrepresenting themselves in order to get a larger following and this is ethically corrupt.

So, much of the “low value” behaviour described by this influencer are also clear trauma responses and indicative of emotional or personality disorders etc. More often than not, these individuals carry feelings of low self-worth and this lends to the concept of “low value”. It better describes the individual’s feelings of low self-value and how that plays out in the world, as opposed to indicating the potential, value or worth of the human.

Influencers need to be careful about this content, especially where it is targeted at men in a sneaky marketing way that we understand now to be dishonest and manipulative.

Discernment Without Dehumanising

The idea that we should avoid individuals who are different to us is also something that needs doing away with.

How do all of y’all intend on being in the world?

Planning on relocating to another planetary system altogether?

Because to date I have not met one person who is perfect.

Not one.

I like this quote because it highlights important aspects of unstable and difficult relationships that we have with romantic interests, spouses, parents, siblings, children, colleagues etc.

Be aware of unstable connections. Be cautious when engaging with individuals who struggle with emotional regulation and self-awareness, especially where it concerns taking accountability.

Commitment Matters

Nobody is perfect.

We all fail to see ourselves and one another at times.

We all have wobbles.

I usually have a wobble for about a week every couple of months around my period. Does that make me worthless? Low value? Toxic? Someone to stay clear of?

Of course not.

What matters isn’t whether we struggle. What matters is whether we are willing to recognise our struggles, take responsibility where we can, and remain committed to our recovery, our relationships and our personal growth.

There is a world of difference between someone who occasionally loses their footing and someone who has no interest in reflecting, growing or taking accountability.

I value honesty. Openness. Willingness. Accountability. Compassion. A sincere desire to become better. These qualities matter far more to me than the impossible pursuit of perfection.

Perhaps we all need to stop chasing perfection.

Perfection is a human invention.

Growth, humility and grace feel far closer to God.

With love . . .

Karmic Rebelle ©

(Disrupt Karma. Restore Dharma)