Standing in your truth and staying strong in a messy world
Planet Earth has become a pretty crazy place to live in recent years and it’s probably fair to say that we’ll be seeing even more craziness in years to come. With this in mind, I’ve been thinking about the skills that we’d need between us to pull together and keep our community running smoothly, providing everyone with food and shelter, emotional support and health care.
I’ve jokingly said to many people over the years that my dating profile should emphasise the need for a man who can grow vegetables, make a fire and build a home! A Patrick Dempsey lookalike who would come in from the garden with large handfuls of organic kale…. Hmm, I digress!
In all seriousness, if we were thrust into a difficult global situation where normal life as we know it was to end, what would you do for yourself, your family and your community? How would you remain strong physically, emotionally and spiritually? What resources would you share? What would you grow, produce or create? Would your resilience stand up to significant stress? How would your personal values be challenged and would you be able to stand in your truth?
I’d like to think that I’d have plenty to offer and would be able to support many people using skills I’ve learned over my lifetime alongside my intuitive gifts of energy work, compassion and love. If the internet disappeared and my copywriting services were no longer needed, I’d definitely become the village ‘wise woman’ and cook, making meals from limited (plant-based) locally grown ingredients and keeping everyone healthy and well fed! What would you do?
While I’m 99% certain we’re not going to end up in a post-apocalyptic style world anytime soon, I do believe it’s worth reflecting on the ways in which we can live a more sustainable, nourishing and deeply satisfying life while simultaneously reducing our impact on the environment.
Here are 7 areas in which we can all play a role in creating a better future for ourselves, our community and our planet:
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Growing your own produce
If you’re lucky enough to have a garden, or at least a patio area or balcony, then growing vegetables and fruit is a no-brainer. You don’t have to become 100% self-sufficient (this is almost impossible), but learning to grow food successfully and harvest seeds without the use of harmful pesticides is a vitally important skill for human survival. We’re so far removed from our food at present, buying most items in packaging from supermarkets, and this needs to change. If you don’t live in accommodation with outside space, you can support local growers by buying from farm shops or individuals, or team up with friends and use an allotment space.
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Taking care of your health
If the recent pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that being fit and healthy is a priority (for physical and mental health) and that our medical ‘health care’ system is really a ‘sick care’ system and isn’t really that interested in supporting our wellness journey. If we were all more active outdoors every day, ate less processed food and more fresh produce, spent less time on our phones and computers, spent less time isolated indoors, cooked more meals from scratch, consumed less alcohol, drugs and cigarettes, and took steps to improve our relationships with people, money and nature, then we’d see a huge improvement in health markers across all demographics.
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Using less fossil fuels and petrol
With the rapidly rising costs in home fuel bills, food and petrol, we need to be practising mindful consumption while also thinking creatively and finding innovative solutions for the future. What if our government paid for every house to have solar panels fitted? How many jobs would that create and what would it mean to not rely on power from France? What about creating energy through wind and tidal power? We need to start taking action now not create a plan for improvements by 2030 or 2040!
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Re-using pre-loved items
Up-cycling furniture, buying or swapping pre-loved clothes, finding innovative ways to use waste materials in the building process and creating a circular economy that considers a product and its packaging for its entire lifecycle.
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Up-skill yourself
Learning new skills is great for your mental health, brilliant for your earning potential and could bring new opportunities you’ve never considered. What would you love to learn more about? Which physical skill would you love to perfect?
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Find your tribe
Too many people are held back through lack of confidence and courage when they feel like no-one in their immediate circle understands them. Use the internet to find people who have the same goals, dreams, beliefs and values. Talk about the things you’re passionate about and trust that the right people will see and hear your message.
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Stop eating meat, animal products and using items made from animal skins
Even if you’ve never considered a vegan lifestyle, our planet is at a crucial tipping point. (Watch anything by David Attenborough if you don’t believe me!) It is imperative that we all make changes to support the future of human life on Earth. Wouldn’t it be an absolute travesty if thousands of years of incredible human history were entirely wiped out due to one greedy generation who couldn’t give up chicken, steak and ice cream? A few billion people who cared more about their insatiable appetite for consumption than this incredible planet rich in billions of species of animal, insect and plant life…
Now is the time for action.
While it might seem tragically overwhelming at times, we’re actually incredibly blessed to be living in this era. I’d love to see us all go down in history as the generation who saved the planet from global warming; the generation who struggled through immense chaos to bring forth a ‘new Earth’, where humans created and lived with nature rather than against it.
Wouldn’t it be amazing to know that in a thousand years, elephants and tigers were still roaming the lush plains of Africa, whales and turtles were swimming happily around clean oceans and the coral reefs had returned to their bright, beautiful colours?
Lorraine xx
*This article was first published in The Jersey Life magazine – Spring 2022 edition.