The natural new year, visibility & the rise of the feminine.
There’s something about March that feels ancient.
A quiet awakening.
A soft but undeniable shift.
The earth begins to stir.
Buds form where for months there was just stillness.
Light increases just a bit longer every evening.
And within us – something begins to rise too.
Not in the rushed, pressured way we often associate with “starting fresh”.
But in a way that feels natural, cyclical, and deeply rooted in who we are.
A slow and very gradual re-awakening. Which I’ve consciously leant into this year and by doing so, felt something really shift within me. (What’s interesting too, was just how difficult it was to do this – I could feel this constant pull back internally, not wanting to slow down, feeling the external pressure to do more. Especially in January – the ingrained default setting kicking in – the sense of urgency – that I’m falling behind, that there’s so much to do, that I need to be more productive, do more, get a good head start on the year and strong momentum blah blah…)
But I keep catching this default pattern, and choosing to approach things differently to really embrace living in harmony with the seasons. To explore what impact that would have on me, as I am so ready to find another way.
For a while now it just hasn’t felt right to start my year intentionally in January. Well it actually has felt totally misaligned. The last couple of years was this constant feeling like something was wrong with me, I lost my drive, my motivation, totally un-inspired. It really worried me that I didn’t know who I was anymore, and how can I inspire and coach others, when I feel so un-inspired myself?!
I chose to stop fighting it, feeling guilty, ashamed – all of the things, because I wasn’t able to ‘keep up’ with how we’re meant to start our year and ‘smash my Q1 business goals’. And I started to go within, working with my cacao to connect to my higher self, my inner voice to receive guidance, intuitively. And I realised 2 things:
– I haven’t been going away over winter to ‘escape’ for over 5 years. And so I didn’t have my yearly super charge boost of being in a hot climate with continual sunshine to stay ‘lit
– I was aligning with my natural environment – with an innate instinct to retreat inward at this time, to slow down, to become more intentional, to rest and recover. And so January was not the time to bring any new creations into play, was definitely not a time for inspired action – in fact it was a time to envision, to plan, to dream up ideas.
Ready for the natural move to the lighter months, which I am now realising is the true new year.
Not January, in the depths of winter when our bodies are asking for rest…
But now – as life begins to return. As energy builds.
As we’re invited back into visibility.
I Am Allowed to Take Up Space
A strong theme I feel that is coming up recently: I Am Allowed to Take Up Space. This month carries a powerful invitation:
To be seen.
To use your voice.
To step forward – not by force, but by truth.
For so many women, this isn’t always easy. We’ve been taught to:
- stay small
- stay quiet
- stay agreeable
- Not be ‘too much’
But something shifts when we begin to reconnect with our natural rhythm.
The older I’ve got, the more I have realised;
✨You don’t need to become louder to be powerful
✨You don’t need to prove your worth through constant doing
✨You don’t need to earn your space
You are already allowed to take up space.
As a woman coming from a very male dominated workplace in the beginning of my career (anaesthesia) I felt a huge pressure to have to prove myself, the need to work harder to get recognition, that has me still to this day.
Rising rate of women living in continual overwhelm & burnout
So many of us have been taught to live in a constant state of doing.
Pushing. Producing. Achieving. Holding it all together.
‘Research indicates that women are experiencing a silent crisis of burnout and overwhelm, with studies showing they are disproportionately affected compared to men. Driven by the “second shift” of unpaid caregiving, combined with professional pressure, nearly half of all working women report feeling burned out, a figure that has risen since the pandemic.’ -Forbes The Burnout Crisis Pushing Women Out Requires Innovative Solutions
Recent data indicates that 75% of women report experiencing burnout, compared to 58% of men [1.4.1]. Other studies show that 36.4% of women report frequent burnout.
Midlife Vulnerability accounts for a huge amount: Nearly two in three women over 50 in the UK struggle with mental health as they navigate the “perfect storm” of menopause, caring for aging parents, and financial pressures Survey of over-50s women finds almost two in three struggle with mental health | Mental health | The Guardian
Through my recent research around burnout (after a long recovery from it myself) it made me so sad to learn all of this. And as I know so many women now who are experiencing this. Especially hearing the following;-
“What is most alarming is that a staggering nearly nine in 10 women [affected] are facing mental health struggles but feel the need to hide it. For many women over 50, midlife mental wellbeing challenges are having a devastating impact on their day-to-day lives.”
- The negative consequences of a widespread “holding back from opening up” included trouble sleeping (59%), gaining or losing weight (43%), avoiding social events (38%) and withdrawing from friendship groups (28%), according to the survey, undertaken by the market research firm 3Gem.
Overall, 58% felt more anxious and overwhelmed by things that would previously not have affected them.
Signs you might be heading towards burnout
Maybe you can just check in with yourself as you read this…
- You feel like you’re constantly pushing through exhaustion
- You get into bed feeling so tired… but your mind won’t switch off
- You feel wired at night but drained during the day
- You rely on coffee (or sugar) just to function
- You’re not enjoying what you’re doing, but feel like you have to keep going
- Your body feels tense, overwhelmed, or disconnected
If any of this resonates – this isn’t a failure on your part.
It’s a sign your nervous system is asking for support.
I’d love to hear from you. Have you ever experienced burn out? Or even overwhelm that really affects you?