Malcolm, from noisy mind to peace and calm.
Malcolm lived, breathed and worked in the Navy for over 40 years. He was a capable, reliable and confident seaman. After retiring from the Navy Malcolm was given the opportunity to re-join in a semi-civilian role. Unfortunately, this transition and change resulted in Malcolm feeling burnt out, waking with dread in the mornings, and constant chatter in his mind.
The constant internal dialogue created anxiety.
Malcolm lost all joy in his job. The strain of the change triggered a crisis of identity. In the mornings he would feel deep dread following a broken sleep. At night he was restless, waking often and his physical body was suffering from the stress.
When I woke up in the morning I felt a deep sense of dread and exhaustion” – Malcolm
Malcolm found that he was often caught up in thought. He spent much of the day agonising over work, and when he was at work he felt like he wasn’t himself. He was fragmented by the feelings of anxiety, he didn’t feel whole. Malcolm got to a point where he was completely unable to relax.
Malcolm was deeply struggling with this significant change in his work life. He was retired and didn’t need to work for money, but he chose to because he really wanted to be a part of a team. He knew he could feel good about what he was choosing to do, and yet the joy of the job was evading him. There was something else going on, something underlying these feelings.
There was something in the subconscious, something in the shadow.
Through Holistic Shadow Work, Malcolm was able to begin a process of observing himself and the way that his inner-world was translating what was going on around him. Malcolm began to adapt and make changes to his daily life through conscious practice.
Malcolm began to meditate and to connect with his inner realms. During Malcolm’s first connected breathwork he had a massive breakthrough and realised the power of breath practice.
Malcolm needed to create new connections with the way that he felt about the past and how he created the possibilities of the future. To begin to let go of the cycling narratives around potential future scenarios, get clear on what he wants, and enjoy the moment. This began the process of healing his inner-being.
First words after first connected breathwork: “I believe” – Malcolm
Malcolm was able to acknowledge certain addictive patterns that he held around alcohol. By connecting with the feelings underpinning that, he let go of his evening drinking habit, and with added mindfulness was able to sleep much better at night.
Better sleep had a knock on effect with the rest of his life. Malcolm began swimming in the sea and walking on the stony beach to bring mindfulness and changes to his physical and energetic self. Allowing himself a chance to rest and relax, and his nervous system to regulate.
Malcolm has stepped more and more into his power as he acknowledged and allowed the monkey chatter to calm and quiet. Malcolm is feeling more confident at work and has had several days where he has feltcontent and joyous in his role – a revelation! His confidence in speaking his truth has been integrated back into his daily experience. All of this continues to improve as he becomes more present.
“I had a great day at work, the first time since I started this job 6 months ago” – Malcolm
