Dear Reader

​

Over the past few months, I've deliberately carved out unreserved spaces in my daily life.

​

Screen-Free time.

Moments of silence.

A break from the never-ending busyness.
​

In these peaceful blocks of time, nature became my companion.

​

And my thoughts have had the freedom to roam, relive and reflect.

​

So, I had the privilege of pondering over the pivotal moments of my journey in the last 4 years.

​

What shifted?

How did it all start?

How did I react and adapt through it all?

​
I had to ask myself some difficult questions.

From where I was then to where I am right now.

All along painting a picture of my transformation.

​

Before the world screeched to a halt with the lockdown, I had accepted my life as it was.

A tired working mom, overwhelmed, hurried and always on edge.

I wasn't the person I aspired to be.

​

Often feeling unfocused, helpless and inadequate.

I didn't have time to do anything.

And that was the norm.

​
​

Then came the dreaded lockdown, which became a catalyst for my transformation.

​
​

My son switched to online schooling.

The tiring school runs came to an end.

Our mornings were no longer a race against the clock.

The bedtime battleground turned into a time for bonding.

And suddenly, within a flash, the accelerating pace of life shifted into slow motion.

​
​

Gone were the days of “hurry up!”, “We don't have enough time!” or “We're going to be late!”

​
​

Instead, I discovered a sense of calm.

A reconnection with my true self my family and my environment.

With this newfound time, I started observing the subtle patterns in my environment that were sapping my energy.

​
​

An epiphany so profound it shook my very foundation.

​

And then it hit me.

I had been wrong all along.

It wasn't motherhood that was exhausting me.

​
​

It was the compounding effect of all the small, subtle, self-sabotaging choices I had been making.

These choices as a whole were contributing towards my constant stress.

They were turning my life into an unbearable struggle.

​

Now paused.

​

I found myself with much-needed breathing space.

​

Mental Space - Without the constant rush my mind found peace.

Physical Space - I had the time to declutter and organize my home.

Spiritual Space - Morning prayers became a source of solace and strength.

This period of introspection led to yet another realization. And then a third.

​

These 3 illuminating discoveries were about to redefine my understanding of stress and its sources.

​
But this epiphany was just the beginning. In my next two emails, I’ll delve into how these realizations transformed not just my day-to-day life, but my entire approach to stress, self-care and relationships.

​

The first realization was about Self-Awareness.

​

The start of my journey.

A little bit of breathing space.

A period of stillness and self-discovery.

​

This is where I found my opportunity to notice the loudest truths about my life.

​

During that period, all I chose to do was notice.

​

Notice my actions.

Notice my reaction.

Notice my thoughts.

​

And most importantly I noticed patterns about everything and everyone around me.

​

Join me on this journey.

Take a moment to slow down.

Notice the repetitive patterns in and around you.

​

Find some breathing space in your today.

​

You don't need an hour.

5 minutes a day is a great place to start.

Are the repetitive patterns serving you or is it time for a change?

​

Stay tuned for a journey into deeper understanding and the surprising truths I uncovered about the real sources of my stress.

​

Wishing you moments of peace and insightful reflections.

​

Khatija

​

P.S. Remember, sometimes the simplest steps of small actions bring about the real change you've been dreaming of. If you're stuck and do not know where to start reply "small simple steps" to this email. And Let's take them together. I do reply to every email!

​

​
​