159 - Jackie's 2024 Reflections - Journey to self-worth & inner peace

Have you ever found that life’s greatest lessons often come when we least expect them? Join me on a journey of introspection and creativity as I uncover the hidden gifts of spontaneity and presence, especially in the face of challenges like long COVID. The delicate balance between meticulous planning and letting life unfold naturally, insights into how this approach can alleviate stress and enhance well-being. 

My recent virtual art room event serves as a testament to the healing power of creative expression, inviting you to explore self-care through artistic activities. As I reflect on what I would tell my past self, I uncover the profound journey of self-awareness and healing that life beyond long COVID can offer, filled with ups, downs, and moments of joy.

I share my own musings stemming from a journal prompt this week, in a way which hopefully helps people to see life beyond illness, the continual journey of healing and that it's ok to be imperfect.

This episode is a gentle reminder to find joy in the present moment, nurture your authentic self, and celebrate the holiday season with well-deserved happiness and freedom.

Chapters

• 0:00 Lessons Learned From Long COVID
• 9:33 Self-Worth and Healing

Transcript

Jackie Baxter: 0:56

Hello everyone and welcome to this extra special, unexpected episode of the Long Covid Podcast. So I was just smugly wrapping things up for Christmas Presents bought, tree decorated, fairy lights, up work, finished, auto reply on the email inbox and social posts scheduled, done and dusted. Except it's not, because there are things I keep remembering. And isn't that a perfect reminder that it doesn't matter how much we plan, how things are perfectly in place or what we think is perfectly in place, life still has the ability to happen. Something will change and suddenly all those carefully laid plans are up in the air. So it's a reminder to me that, yes, some level of planning is necessary. Thinking ahead rather than winging every moment is going to help. But perfectionism and planning every moment is not only impractical, it also takes a lot of the fun out of life. If we can allow ourselves to be a little more in the moment, it will actually help our nervous systems by removing some of that pressure that we often unknowingly put on ourselves. So I thought this would make an interesting little Jacksters 2024 reflections, and I've done this for the last couple of years because I think it is a time for reflection and that's healthy.

Jackie Baxter: 2:38

One of the events that I've started running in the creativity group is a virtual art room. We meet on Zoom and each person brings something creative to work on. Then we sit and create for about 40 minutes or so and after that people can share if they wish or not, and the first of these sessions ran just this week. I had some writing that I'd been meaning to do for ages and had been putting off because I quote unquote never had time. And you know it wasn't that I hadn't got time, it was that I hadn't made time. So this was a perfect thing for me. I would host it for others, but also be able to benefit myself, and one of the things I had been planning to do during December was a daily journaling prompt. I even downloaded them onto my laptop. I just never actually sat down and engaged, but during the session I did. I did that day's prompt and it was what gave me the idea for this short end of term reflections. Episode. Prompt said if you could tell yourself from one year ago something, what would it be? And I thought this was really interesting.

Jackie Baxter: 4:01

One of the questions I always ask people when they're sharing their recovery story is what advice would you give yourself back when you were unwell or what would you have liked to have been told? And I ask this because when we are in the middle of something like long COVID, we often don't know what we need. We're struggling and we're still trying to engage with that. It's a process. It took a long time for me to start to understand my body enough to be able to start to think about what it might actually need. We might know what we want, but do we actually know what we need? So someone who's recovered has come out the other side. They have this unique perspective because they have been there in the mire of illness. They've experienced some of the difficulties you're probably currently experiencing. But they also have that benefit of hindsight. What would I have been better to do? To think, to work on what might have helped that experience? Maybe what should I have done in certain experiences? That maybe wasn't obvious at the time In fact, it almost certainly wasn't obvious at the time but maybe a little clearer, maybe even a lot clearer, with that benefit of hindsight.

Jackie Baxter: 5:32

Now, not everyone is the same. Now, not everyone is the same, but so many people give quite similar answers to that question, which I think is important to note. So back to my journal prompt. I think reflection is important. In the moment we can get swept up in things, we can ignore our bodies, we can push ourselves more than feels good. When we have something like long COVID, that can have some pretty unpleasant effects. When you're a quote unquote regular person, the effects are much more normal, whatever that means. We push ourselves a bit too much, we feel a little tired, we get a bit grumpy. But we can also fall into the habit of ignoring it for longer, allowing things to build up and up and then the body screaming before we listen. And that's what I used to do and that greater awareness helps me to not do it now, and that greater awareness helps me to not do it now or not to the extent that I used to. But I think we can all fall into that trap if we're not careful and for me that's one of the greatest lessons of long Covid is that awareness, that understanding and that respect for my body, but really listening. I think it's so important to understand as well that we're always learning, that self-improvement and healing is a lifelong process, and I think that takes the pressure off us as well.

Jackie Baxter: 7:13

For me, the greater awareness that I had to gain during long Covid and the things that I found that helped me through necessity have now set me on a new path, and that path didn't end with recovery. Of course, it was a major milestone. In fact, it was all I wanted for so long and it's the best thing ever. But I'm continuing that journey, continuing to learn, to experience, to get things wrong. Sometimes Recovery was the end of one journey, but it was the beginning of another, and isn't that wonderful. So I'm going to finish this year on the podcast by reading out what I wrote word for word, raw and vulnerable and unedited, because I think that's important. It doesn't mean that it's your story right now, but it may be useful for you in the future.

Jackie Baxter: 8:11

I think it's important to show life beyond long COVID as possible. It's wonderful. It's also flawed. It's full of failures and learnings, ups and downs, stresses, moments of sadness and difficulty, and despite that, it is the most beautiful thing and it is worth the trials that it takes to get here. It really is. So I wish you all a peaceful holiday. I encourage you to find joy in any way you can, whatever you are doing and whoever you are with. I will be back in January 2025, and I hope to see you there too. 2025, and I hope to see you there too.

Jackie Baxter: 9:02

So here we go.

Jackie Baxter: 9:02

If you could tell yourself from one year ago something, what would it be?

Jackie Baxter: 9:06

Remember those lessons you learned Prevention is better than cure. Take care of yourself. (That's underlined." Love every moment. Don't take anything for granted. Things pass, both the good and the bad. Worry less. Love more. Live more. Every experience is valid. Allow yourself to be heard.

Jackie Baxter: 9:34

You are precious. You are a resource that needs to be protected. You want to give so much of yourself, and the world needs that. But you can't pour from an empty cup and no one will look after you if you don't look after yourself. Your health is the most valuable thing you have and you must guard it with the same tenacity with which you reclaimed it.

Jackie Baxter: 9:59

We must treasure ourselves, and that is one of the most important lessons of this experience. Give back to yourself. Treasure yourself, respect yourself. You are worthy yourself. You are worthy. Whatever you do or don't do, you are enough.

Jackie Baxter: 10:19

You are strength, you are wisdom, you are joy. You are everything you need to be and more, and you have got this. I have absolute faith in you because I am you and I know you have it within you to be your wonderful, authentic self.

Jackie Baxter: 10:42

Go now, be happy and be free. You know now what your body and soul desire and you have it within you to be

Jackie Baxter: 10:46

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