Tag: life

Our lives are perfect, just the way they are….📸🎞📸

Published on July 15, 2017 by abarefootgoddessonajourneyLeave a comment

So over this last week, I have had to stop. I’ve had to stop because the dreaded winter cold and flu caught and tagged me. With this downtime I started to think about how many of us are addicted with the best and beautiful people in social media……you know the one’s, fit tanned bodies, beautiful children, perfectly clean and styled homes.
WHY………

Well in my opinion when we scroll, we compare ourselves to the beautiful and seemingly perfect social media photos and posts…..you know, all the tanned fit bodies, perfect children, perfectly cleaned and styled homes. Nothing is amiss…….as we scroll we hate them a little, but we also love to stalk on their perfect lives……wishing and dreaming that our lives were also that perfect, so we could be that happy too!
BUT DID YOU KNOW, THAT YOU’RE WRONG……about your life!
Our lives are already perfect……
Everything that we have right now has been created by US and WE have the power to love what we have OR to make the changes to get what we want.

What we see on social media, is that “grass is greener, on the other side” ideology. That perfect social media life that we think is out there is not going to make us happy. Because that life is someone else’s life. Yes, sure let’s follow, like and be inspired by what we see….but how about we stop wasting time wishing we had what these other people have and really, truly create our own amazing journey of life…..because that’s exactly what we all have.

If you follow me on social media…..you will find raw, real and authentic me. I want to show the world what it’s really like…..no glitz…..no glammer but yet how I can live a damn amazing life.

Can’t see through the maze of what’s on social media and reality……let me help you break down some of the walls so you too can see that your life can be just as amazing, or perhaps better than those social media faves, that you currently stalk. Email me at harmonishakti@gmail.com and “let’s make life shine with amazement”.

Let’s also connect on social media if we haven’t already here;

Www.instagram.com/the__barefoot__goddess

Much love

Harmoni 💋

Shining A Light TO Show Just What Invisible Illness Is…….

Published on June 24, 2017 by abarefootgoddessonajourneyLeave a comment

The last few weeks I’ve felt myself disappearing down that shute, you know that tunnel, where all invisible illness sufferers go when health dips……BUT unlike past falls, I don’t stop……I just rest! I rest, so that I can continue my own healing and my advocacy for all invisible illness goddesses and warriors around the globe.

I’ve had to rest because on Monday June 26, I am launching an ongoing awareness campaign to shine the light on invisible Illness. I’ve been watching videos, documentaries, reading articles, writing articles and blogs all about showing, sharing and bringing the invisibility of chronic illness to reality for those that live with them but also for those that walk this world with ignorance and uneducated thoughts, actions and feelings about how I and many others live every single day.

My campaign is about shining a light on how difficult it is to live with debilitating chronic and invisible illnesses. This is why I walk and talk my daily journey- the good, the bad, the indifferent and just the plain weird! Everyday I want to share a different story, so that greater awareness can be brought to the world. From Monday I will share a series of blogs about a variety of different invisible illnesses, some that I live with……some that others live with and through these stories brought about by conversations, you will see these illnesses in a new and different light.
I want the light that I am igniting to bring about new conversations between you and your loved ones, friends, colleagues and even strangers. Because you see, when we begin to converse, we can begin to connect better and therefore we can better help each other get through the tough times that these illnesses bring.

On Monday, as I begin to shine a bigger light on invisible illness, I will be beginning with my own story and my newest diagnosis of (FND) Functional Neurological Disorder. Today, as a taster, I am giving you a brief introduction; This disorder occurs as a result of a problem with my central nervous system and my brain failing to send or receive messages correctly. The list of symptoms is very long as you will get to learn and many of them are extremely disabling. Also a lot of the symptoms that I will talk about, are also found in the diagnosis of MS & Parkinson’s Disease making it high level debilitating, life changing and hard to diagnose. Living with FND, sees me experience many symptoms all at the same time. What is difficult with this disorder, is that I have to live with frequency and severity of symptoms with a list of other chronic illnesses as well. So, you see describing what it is and how it affects me is a long process, but it is a process that the world needs to hear and see and that is why I am lighting the flame for invisible Illness.

I would love to connect with you, if you or someone you know, also lives with an invisible illness.

Please connect with me here or perhaps on one of my social media accounts and let’s light the flame for invisible illnesses;

TBG 💋

Tired, Weary, Broken & Fucked Up……..

Published on June 11, 2017 by abarefootgoddessonajourneyLeave a comment

So what happens when we fall……and we all do!

You know, those moments when we are tired, weary, broken & fucked up!!!!

These thoughts, feelings and actions occur when we live with invisible illness. These are the moments that make us need to keep fighting the pain of being chronically and invisibly ill. Illnesses such as anxiety, depression, autoimmune and neurological disorders fill us with scars that embed deeply into our mental, emotional and physical being.

Beginning the process of healing and recovery from these debilitating illnesses takes work BUT throughout the process and progress, low energy succumbs and we fall……! We tire and perhaps stumble from all the work that it takes to recover AND it affects us…..and if this happens, we fall and we break!!!!

When this happens, we feel that we have fucked everything up……all that progress-RUINED!

But these emotions that come and go when wandering a journey with invisible illness are real and we should not be ashamed of letting the world see them! We haven’t fucked up….it’s a stumble and yeah, if we fall, it’s just that a fall…..stand back up – be present and be YOU! Remember even mentally and physically strong people fall! This conversation that I am having tonight is such a strong anti-suicide message, for why fighting is so important to remember when we are overwhelmed with the chronic pain and suffering of these illnesses.

You are saying. . . but at these moments I’m too tired to keep fighting……Yeah, I get it, I’ve felt really tired too and YES I still tire after all my 15 years fighting……but I won’t give up, I don’t give up!

Invisible illnesses are diseases that can take a life time to recover from. They grind away at our inner most core, sucking the life out of us, just as we are rebuilding ourselves up from the ground. The fight becomes a moment to moment battle everyday and as we go, we have to listen to the self whispering, but more than that we have to stand up to our voices and the external voices who don’t recognise our illnesses as illnesses……it’s exhausting, and it’s why we get tired, weary and feel broken and fucked up!

These illnesses, these invisible fucking illnesses never take holidays so every day and every night you have to fight, fight and fight again. You might be finding the biggest reasons in the world to give up, but those reasons don’t need to be your reality. In fighting these illnesses, no one can see or know how hard you’re working to keep going every day. The fight is hard and in the walk to recovery you will feel broken.

BUT, WE NEED TO FIGHT……I know, you are saying, you don’t want too, sometimes I have said that too, but you don’t get to stop. I’m sorry, but the statistics say life is better than death and I insist you go on living……I am and I do!

But the good news is that when you choose to fight, you choose to take your next breath. Our invisible illnesses want to steal us of everything that we want to and need to experience today, tomorrow and the days after that. But we are not going to let these illnesses win. We are going to breathe in and out, one breath at a time, each and everyday knowing that this is our best fight and it’s enough, it will always be enough, because I am enough and you are enough!

Being tired is OK. Being weary is OK, feeling broken and yelling that we have fucked up is OK. But by taking the next breath…..after the yelling session, is all we need to do…..because that’s the process of the healing fight.
If you are resonating with my thoughts, feelings and conversations tonight please let me know, by liking and sharing this blog.

I write about my experiences with wandering a journey with all the invisible illnesses that are part of me because when we share our stories we connect and help each other.

I am a advocate and speaker who has made it my mission to change the way healing and recovery is seen for all that live with invisible illness.

If you would like to connect further, please do so on my social media platforms;

http://www.twitter.com/Just_1_Goddess

If you are struggling……that’s ok but remember to find the breath…..breathe in and breathe out so the fight continues.

Much love
TBG 💋

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Currently Sitting In Melbourne, Australia Raising The Volume For Me & You….

Published on May 3, 2017 by abarefootgoddessonajourneyLeave a comment

I am currently sitting in Melbourne, Australia pondering my path. That path has taken me on a long and winding journey! It’s been filled with pain, suffering and abuse – somehow squeezing the life out of me with multiple invisible illnesses that nearly destroyed me mentally, physically and emotionally! But, just as I thought the lights had gone out and the final curtains had fallen, I was given another chance at health and life!

That life, now sees me healing, recovering and building strength within me, so that I can also help others to heal and build strength in themselves too!

In healing myself and others, I am also awakening my dreams of educating the greater world about what it’s like to be ill with health conditions that nobody sees and very few understand. This education process that I am embarking on is going to be ground breaking awareness like the world has never seen and in successfully doing this, I am going to breakdown the stigma that hurts everyone of us that lives with or who has lived with and particularly for the special souls that lost their lives because they couldn’t go on!

My life in recovery, is filled with daily strolls along the sandy shores with my beautiful husband, doing yoga and meditation, speaking up to inspire and motivate the millions of women (and men) that live with these chronic health conditions! I fill my days teaching the importance of living mindfully and happily with inner health. My journey is about intuitive and holistic living using mindfulness, essential oils and clean nutrition and as I now wander around the globe my tribe grows and becomes bigger and stronger. The Barefoot Goddess foundation is going to be world renowned in the work it does for healing and educating the world about invisible and mental illness and in doing so I will be reducing and quite possibly eliminating suicide!

I no longer play small, because the world and its goddesses need the barefoot goddess!

This is my life and I do it for everyone of you that are living with the hardship of invisible and mental health! Walk with me by connecting with me on my social media channels;

Let’s walk together raising the volume and breaking down stigma and throughout the journey living the lives that we love!
Much Love

TBG 💋

My Why, My How….They Keep Me Awake, They Keep Me Alive!

Published on March 20, 2017 by abarefootgoddessonajourneyLeave a comment

I should be sleeping or at least resting but something inside me is burning! That something could be the radiation filtering within me, doing its job to kill of angry malignant cells within my brain and the ever growing tumour.

BUT it’s not…….

That something is my desire to do something, so bright for this world and it is becoming my most highest value in and of my whole entire life!

I have many that inspire me BUT nobody has to motivate me anymore-that’s now deep within my cells.
I keep coming up with many new ways of doing it. New ways of showing the world how to never give up! New ways of educating myself and the world. My why is so big that my how’s are now also taking care of themselves and for so long it was those that held me back!

If you know your why, don’t be afraid of the how’s! Journal with rambled notes, affirmations and intentions and as you keep wandering, walking and working you will align that very why with the how and even the when!
Just do it, I do and it finds the way!

I hope if you like my ramblings, you will like and share my words. Also please connect with me on my other social media channels;

http://www.twitter.com/Just_1_Goddess

http://www.instagram.com/the__barefoot__goddess
Wandering Towards Wellness Globally!
The Barefoot Goddess 💋

Stepping from illness to healthy my way!

Published on March 7, 2017 by abarefootgoddessonajourneyLeave a comment

Let me tell you, bringing back an exercise regime after such a long journey with chronic illness is sought with so much fear and anxiety. But, if I want to have the life that is filled with effervescent energy and clean health, I need to be starting again with rebuilding inner & outer health. So, i have got to do this properly and appropriately. I think bringing an exercise regime will help my body to heal faster physically and allow me to feel so much better mentally, thus continuing to move forward with my dreams for the future. But, thinking about this new journey, I also know how important it is to know the limitations that I have as it’s been a very long time since I’ve had fitness incorporated into my everyday. By increasing my activity slowly and with fierce patience, I hope I will be going to avoid injury and get back to a optimum state of health and fitness. Also this new regime will be done by working with my many doctors and rehabilitation specialists particularly my OT (occupational therapist) , NeuroPhysio and my yoga mentors.

To resume and start this fitness regime after so long I need to make specific precautions to ensure that everything will be ok.

So where do I begin in making my plan;

First and foremost my steps to increasing physical therapy is by continual consultations with my doctors, therapists and mentors. The best thing i can do, as I start this exercise plan after being sick for so long is to talk continuously with my team of health professionals as a balancing tool of advocacy.
The next point of call and important factors to remember are to recognise symptoms before and after any exercise I do. Knowing when to keep going or when to stop and seek attention is one action that most causes me some anxiety, but I also know that the thoughts are there because I haven’t done this in a long while.

Acknowledging that I am starting over is vital and no matter how healthy I was before becoming sick , this journey has taken a toll on my body. My bones, muscles and joints are all weaker than before and my stamina and endurance is much lower. Reminder to self – this is normal! Keep telling myself that I am starting over, like it’s my first ever time exercising. I think preparing myself mentally to start slow, will allow myself to increase my activity more and more overtime and will ensure my patience stays strong. I can and I will get fit, it is just going to take time.
One major thing I must remember is that my immune system has been compromised from my many complex conditions, so ensuring I can heal and overcome my illnesses in total means I cannot overwork my body. I know when I overwork myself, I feel unwell for at least the next day or maybe more.

In order for me to be successful with this regime, I need to plan ahead with making goals;

I will make my goals each week and write them down, so I will be more likely to achieve them – accountability is everything!
I will write down my main goal, and then add smaller goals for one week, only, increasing to two weeks and a month as I progress.
I need to remember to be realistic and specific in my goals.
After each exercise session I will write down my accomplishments as a marker to see how far I am moving forward.

Most of all I, need to stay motivated by working to my weekly goals and exercise plans. Because this is a new journey in a while, there are going to be challenging times so working with my team will help me find a success.

So let me begin now by listening to my body. From yoga to cardio, if I can only exercise for 30 minutes each time, because I am feeling exhausted, that’s okay! Be proud of what I achieve in that session. The most important goal for me, is to be always slightly outside of my comfort zone, without being in pain or having symptoms return. I’ve been ill for a long time, so even walking is a challenge, but with the help of my walker I will progress. I am in a position now, where I can begin. So I am starting small, even getting up to check the mailbox or a lap of the clothesline is a session. Then each day I will slowly and gradually increase the cardio and strength activity using the exercises mapped out by my neurophysio and remembering to incorporate mindfulness with yoga and meditation into each day.

I hope, if you are reading this I may have inspired you to think about starting or restarting a fitness regime after a long journey with illness. If you are able to start, believe me you will not regret the decision as despite the challenges it empowers and awakens mind and body and brings a new level of healing. Just, please make sure you have a wonderful team around you.

Also remember I am on social media, and I would love for you to come and say hi on any of these channels;

http://www.twitter.com/Just_1_Goddess

http://www.instagram.com/the__barefoot__goddess
Healing and healthy hugs to you all,

💋
“Wandering Towards Wellness, Globally”

FEAR – WTF are you?

Published on February 28, 2017 by abarefootgoddessonajourneyLeave a comment

Fear – WTF are you ?
This time of the year, brings in an abundance of emotions for me as I enter so many medical specialists rooms for review.

Yesterday was particularly emotionally draining, taking me into a spectrum of myself that I don’t really like but alas one that remains whilst health remains unbalanced. That is fear!
Nonetheless, yesterday came and with my courage I walked into the familiar hospital room and awaited for the appointment with my neurosurgeon . This was an appointment, learning if my inoperable brain tumour was the same as last review, or had it grown! Staying the same size in growth would be the best outcome as it would mean that life remains, wandering as I have been for the last six months, growing internally and healing externally. Unfortunately that best outcome, was not the case – the motherfucking growth inside my head, had not only grown slightly,it was now the size of a small nectarine.
My courage suddenly shrunk, I was immediately moving into a state of fear – in a state of discomfort, exposing myself to a place where I don’t like being. That place is so very vulnerable. But, somehow. I stayed strong and I was able to converse with the neurosurgeon about the best case scenario. Which was to begin a type of radiation therapy that in most cases, kills the live cells within the tumour, stopping any further growth.
This strength I found, in such circumstances, was me being fearless in the very centre of fear! I had not been able to do fearless, before this! I was at the roundabout, again looking at my old self but seeing who i want to be, no wait actually who i am. This thing, we call fear, it strikes in circumstances that can’t be seen – It then comes and it pulls stronger than gravity itself! The rest of the day became an incredible internal battle where I actually found myself, desperately searching for safety, holding on to every kind of mindful sanity i have come to know. I could easily have cried and God only knows I’ve done a lot of that, I could have screamed , why the fuck does it happen to me BUT in the end it’s about not only staying alive BUT it’s about living the life most important to my truest self.
Yesterday’s moments have truly taught me, what my truest self has been learning over a well walked journey. That learning curve is that, I continually want to grow and embrace new, versions of myself again and again. I definitely know that my true self wants and needs to be in the now, allowing the forward steps to flow like my inner most breath.
The truest sense of me has broken all of the bull shit boundaries that have been blocking what I want most for life in the whole. With the steps made, I am now able to really show up, filled with a courage but yet with a raw honesty that doesn’t hide from anything or anyone.

These moments, are the moments that stand still! These moments are those times, when you stand up and say “Fuck this is real and so am I”. When I sit still, like I am now, I can see the parts of me that create fear and courage all in one. That inner vision, allows me to know that everything will always be ok, because when I acknowledge the uneasy moments, life goes on turning discomfort into bliss. This journey becomes an ongoing process that will come and go when I step in and out of life’s movements.
For so long, I’ve been telling myself to find myself and my truest purpose. Yesterday, proved I’ve done it – well it’s in progress. I’m not only finding the path to my truest self but I am also wandering towards the destination of my purposeful message.
This path of mine, wandered with chronic health conditions, some known and others leading me with a blackened mask have been one of the hardest I’ve had to endure. But since,acknowledging all of my fucked up shit, I’ve been able to step into fear as a companion.

From, this moment, I want to take on life as an opportunity to be brave, to be courageous. I want to come alive and show myself and the world who I really am. I am not my complex health conditions, I am me, a woman of substance and so many variances. I can do this…..I am doing this.

Fear, WTF…….you’ve brought me home! Home to ME.
These are lessons learnt over a long walk but which make me so proud and if you are walking a similar path I hope I may have helped you see something in yourself.

Please like and share if you do! Also make sure you connect with me on my social media channels;