the ward method

Tag: healing

  • 4 Simple Ways to Tap Into Your Inner Child (and Actually Have More Fun)

    4 Simple Ways to Tap Into Your Inner Child (and Actually Have More Fun)

    Somewhere between responsibilities, routines, and trying to “have it all together,” many of us forget how to have fun. Real fun. The kind that isn’t scheduled, productive, or shared for validation, just light, curious, and a little bit silly.

    Tapping into your inner child isn’t about being immature or avoiding real life. It’s about reconnecting with parts of yourself that knew how to feel joy without overthinking it. The parts that didn’t need a reason to laugh, create, or play.

    Here are four simple, realistic ways to invite more of that energy back into your life.

    1. Do Something Just Because It’s Fun (Not Useful):

    As adults, we’re conditioned to justify everything. Workouts have to burn calories. Hobbies have to turn into side hustles. Even rest has to be “earned.”

    Your inner child didn’t operate like that.

    Think back to what you loved doing as a kid, drawing, dancing in your room, baking for fun, riding a bike with no destination. Try reintroducing one of those activities without attaching an outcome to it. No goals. No productivity. No posting it online.

    When you allow yourself to do something purely for enjoyment, you remind your nervous system that life doesn’t always need to be so serious.

    2. Let Yourself Be Bad at Things:

    One of the biggest blockers to fun as an adult is the fear of being bad at something. We don’t want to look silly. We don’t want to fail. We don’t want to be seen trying.

    But kids learn through mess and experimentation, not perfection.

    Sign up for a class you’ve never done before. Try painting, pottery, surfing, or learning an instrument. Give yourself full permission to be awkward, slow, and imperfect. The joy is in the trying, not the result.

    Being bad at something can actually be incredibly freeing.

    3. Create Little Moments of Play in Your Day:

    You don’t need to overhaul your life to feel more playful. Sometimes it’s about small shifts.

    Wear something fun just because. Take a longer route home if it’s prettier. Dance while making dinner. Buy the colourful mug. Order dessert for the table. Watch a movie you loved when you were younger.

    Play doesn’t have to be loud or dramatic, it can be quiet, cozy, and woven into your everyday routine.

    4. Spend Time With People Who Make You Feel Light:

    Notice how you feel after spending time with different people. Some connections feel heavy, performative, or draining. Others make you laugh, relax, and feel more like yourself.

    Your inner child thrives around people who don’t require you to explain yourself or have everything figured out.

    Make space for the friendships that feel easy. The ones where conversation flows, laughter comes naturally, and you don’t feel the need to be “on.” Feeling safe and light is one of the fastest ways back to joy.

    Tapping into your inner child isn’t about escaping adulthood, it’s about softening it. It’s about remembering that joy, curiosity, and play are not things you grow out of. They’re things you grow back into.

    Life feels lighter when you let yourself enjoy it again.

  • How to focus on yourself (without disappearing from the world).

    How to focus on yourself (without disappearing from the world).

    There’s this moment we all hit , usually after giving too much of ourselves to people, jobs, situations, or just the chaos of life, where you’re like, wait, when did I stop checking in with myself?

    Focusing on yourself doesn’t mean going full hermit or cutting everyone off. It’s about redirecting your energy inward for a bit. Slowing down enough to ask, what do I actually need right now?

    If you’ve been feeling stretched thin or a little lost, here are 4 ways to gently shift the focus back to you, without guilt, drama, or disappearing completely.

    1. Romanticize your solo time

    Start small. Take yourself for a drive, make your morning coffee slower, read in silence, sit in the sun. You don’t need a full “main character energy” routine to reconnect with yourself, you just need to stop filling every moment with noise.

    The more time you spend alone (and actually enjoy it), the more grounded you feel. It’s like your nervous system finally exhales.

    2. Stop tracking everyone else’s timeline

    You’re not behind. You’re not late. You’re not missing out.
    It just feels that way because we’re constantly scrolling through other people’s highlight reels.

    Remind yourself that comparison isn’t clarity. You can’t hear your own voice if you’re tuned into everyone else’s channel. When you notice yourself spiraling into “they’re doing more than me,” take a step back. Ask, “what’s one small thing I can do for my life right now?”

    It’s a quiet shift, but it changes everything.

    3. Take inventory of your energy

    Think of your energy like a bank account, every conversation, habit, or thought is a transaction.
    Start asking, is this giving or taking?

    If something constantly leaves you drained, a person, a routine, an obligation, it might be time to adjust your boundaries. Focusing on yourself is sometimes just saying “no” more often. Not out of selfishness, but out of self-preservation.

    4. Do something that reminds you who you are

    Not who you were , who you are now.
    That might mean picking up a hobby you dropped, dancing in your room again, taking a walk without your phone, or starting that project you’ve been scared to do.

    It’s so easy to lose yourself in the noise of “what’s next.” But you already know who you are, you’ve just been too distracted to notice.

    Final thought:
    Focusing on yourself isn’t about becoming some perfectly put-together version of you. It’s about getting back to the version that feels real, the one that isn’t trying so hard to prove anything.

    When you start treating yourself like someone worth prioritizing, your whole world starts to shift quietly in your favor.

  • How to be non-toxic.

    How to be non-toxic.

    Let’s be real, no one wants to admit it, but we’ve all had moments where we overreacted, got defensive, or just plain made things about ourselves. Being non-toxic isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being self-aware, thoughtful, and willing to grow. Here are some simple ways to keep your energy healthy for yourself and the people around you:

    1. Stop Making Everything an Issue

    Not every little thing needs a reaction. Sometimes, it’s fine to let things slide. Not every word, action, or mistake has to become a debate. Chill a little. Your energy will thank you, and so will the people around you.

    2. Stop Reacting to Everything

    Pause before responding. Take a breath. Ask yourself: Does this actually matter? Not every comment or situation needs your emotional energy. Reacting less doesn’t make you weak, it makes you in control.

    3. Learn to Be Supportive

    Celebrate others’ wins, listen without judgment, and offer help without expecting anything in return. Support isn’t transactional, it’s about genuinely caring. When you lift others up, you lift yourself too.

    4. Don’t Let Insecurity Drive You

    Jealousy, comparison, and defensiveness often come from insecurity. When you feel triggered, pause and reflect: What am I really afraid of? The more you work on self-confidence, the less you’ll project negativity onto others.

    5. Humble Yourself

    Ego is a fast track to toxicity. Be willing to step back, admit you don’t know everything, and let others have their moment. Humility doesn’t make you small, it makes you approachable and trustworthy.

    6. Admit Your Mistakes

    Nobody’s perfect. Saying “I messed up” is far more powerful than insisting you’re always right. Owning your errors builds respect and keeps resentment from creeping into relationships.

    7. Be Thankful

    Gratitude is one of the easiest ways to detox your mind. When you focus on what’s good, you naturally stop obsessing over what’s not. A little appreciation goes a long way, for yourself and for others.

    Bottom line: being non-toxic isn’t about controlling others or suppressing your emotions. It’s about taking responsibility for your energy, being mindful of your reactions, and choosing growth over defensiveness.

    Small shifts, big impact, the more you practice, the more effortless it becomes.

  • The trip that saved my mental health.

    The trip that saved my mental health.

    Howdy friends

    So… I recently took a trip that honestly changed everything. Not in a huge, dramatic, life-turning-upside-down kind of way. But in that slow, subtle, soul-shifting kind of way. The kind that reminds you what it actually feels like to be alive, not just functioning.

    I’ve been in hustle mode for a few years now. Wake up, create content, tick off the to-do list, try to keep the algorithm happy, try to keep myself together… and somewhere along the way, I forgot how to pause. I mean really pause. I forgot what it felt like to not be performing productivity 24/7. Like, when was the last time I did something just because I wanted to, not because it needed to be documented, edited, posted, or optimized?

    Let me tell you: a few days on a farm with no real plans, no pressure, and no phone signal will humble and heal you real quick.

    The trip was for my friend’s birthday, just a bunch of us, a car packed with snacks, and a long drive into the middle of nowhere. I had my headphones in, the mountains were rolling by, and for the first time in a while, I didn’t feel the need to check my phone. It was just me and my thoughts… which, if you’re like me and have an extra chatty brain, can feel like a lot at first. But after a while, something softened. I started to settle.

    We stayed in this big old farmhouse surrounded by open fields and animals and that crisp kind of mountain air that feels like therapy. We’d wake up early (like… sunrise early), explore the land, walk until our legs ached, and just be. No notifications. No chaos. Just conversations by the fire, good food, shared laughter, and the kind of silence that feels full instead of empty. The stars at night were unreal. Like movie-scene unreal. And I remember thinking, “This. This is what I want more of.”

    And that’s when it hit me, how much I’ve been craving presence. Like real, grounded, I’m-actually-here presence. Not “here, but thinking about five other things.” Not “here, but worried about who saw my story.” Just… here.

    When I stepped away from the routine, the social media, the constant noise, I finally had space to hear myself again. I could actually feel what I’d been too busy to notice: how tired I was. How overstimulated. How I’ve been using productivity as a distraction from my own feelings. How healing isn’t always about doing more, it’s about feeling safe enough to stop doing.

    Which brings me to this thing I’ve been learning about (and slightly obsessing over): nervous system regulation.

    Here’s the deal: your nervous system is basically your internal thermostat for safety. When you’re overwhelmed, anxious, or stuck in go-go-go mode, your sympathetic system (aka fight or flight) takes over. It’s like your body thinks you’re constantly under threat, even when you’re just answering emails. But when you’re grounded, calm, and feeling safe, your parasympathetic system (rest and digest mode) kicks in. That’s where real healing happens. That’s where you can actually feel good.

    On the farm, I was unknowingly regulating my nervous system every single day:
    ☁️ Waking with the sun
    🌲 Walking in nature
    🧘🏽‍♀️ Sitting in stillness without performing it
    🔥 Laughing by the fire
    ⭐️ Staring at the stars with no agenda

    And slowly, I realized: this is the kind of peace I want to build into my everyday life. Not just something I escape to once a year. But something I create in small ways every day. A little pocket of calm here. A moment of joy there. A breath, a pause, a decision to put the phone down and pick presence up instead.

    Here’s the truth: you don’t need to go off-grid or live on a farm to feel this. You just need to remember you’re allowed to stop performing. You’re allowed to rest. To feel. To be soft. To enjoy things that don’t look productive but feel peaceful.

    So now, I’m in this new season, still healing, still figuring things out, still craving slowness. I’m not trying to “fix” myself all the time. I’m just trying to feel more like myself. I want to spend time with people who calm my nervous system, not trigger it. I want to create, but not at the expense of my joy. And I want more memories that feel like that trip: unfiltered, unshared, mine.

    If you’ve been feeling stuck in survival mode or like you’ve forgotten how to just be, maybe this is your sign to step back. Take a day. Or even just an afternoon. Go outside. Sit in silence. Turn your phone off. Make something with your hands. Water your plants like it’s a ritual. Make a smoothie and drink it without scrolling. You don’t have to earn rest. You just have to remember that you deserve it.

    Thanks for reading. I hope this gave you that little breath of fresh air you’ve been needing. You’re not broken. You’re just tired. And I promise, stillness isn’t scary once you let it hold you.

    Until next time, breathe, rest, and romanticize the boring stuff. That’s where the magic really is. 🤍

  • When you’re tired of feeling everything all the time.

    When you’re tired of feeling everything all the time.

    Some days, I genuinely don’t know how I got out of bed.
    It’s not laziness. It’s not a lack of gratitude.
    It’s the heaviness that sits in your bones when your mind is in overdrive and your heart feels way too full.

    I’ve always been someone who feels deeply. The kind of person who reads between the lines even when no one asked me to. Who notices the shift in someone’s tone, the way their eyes flicker when they say “I’m fine.” Who can feel the energy in a room shift before anyone else does. And while that sensitivity can be a gift, it can also be so exhausting.

    Some days I love my own company. I romanticize my solo walks, matcha mornings, creative work sessions, and quiet evenings. But other days? The silence feels deafening. I look around and realize I don’t have people to share life with the way I want to. And the independence I’m usually so proud of suddenly feels like a wall I didn’t mean to build.

    It’s a strange place to be, craving connection but feeling misunderstood. Wanting to open up but feeling like no one would really get it.
    So you keep it all in. You carry it quietly.
    You smile, you work, you post.
    And underneath it all, you’re screaming into the void, just hoping someone might feel it too.

    I don’t have a magic answer for this.
    But I do know that feeling a lot doesn’t make you weak. It means you’re awake. Alive.
    It means you’re still in tune with the parts of yourself that this world hasn’t numbed.

    You don’t have to “fix” yourself for feeling too much. You don’t have to shrink or harden or pretend things don’t get to you. What you need is grace. Space to feel what you’re feeling without trying to justify it or wrap it in a bow.

    And if you’re in a season right now where everything feels a little heavy, where your bed feels safer than the world, and your thoughts feel louder than your voice, just know this:
    You’re not alone. You’re not dramatic. You’re not broken.
    You’re just feeling your way through it.

    And that’s more than enough for today.

  • Finally choosing yourself?

    Finally choosing yourself?

    For the longest time, I was caught in this endless loop of trying to fit in, please others, and chase versions of myself that weren’t really mine. Maybe you’ve been there too, changing how you talk, dress, or even think just to make other people comfortable or to avoid rocking the boat.

    But somewhere along the way, I realized that choosing myself isn’t about selfishness. It’s about honouring the messy, complicated, beautifully imperfect person I actually am, and giving myself permission to live out loud in that truth.

    It’s not always glamorous or Instagram-worthy

    Choosing yourself doesn’t mean waking up one day and having everything figured out. It’s not a dramatic “mic drop” moment where you suddenly have all the answers or perfect confidence. For me, it was way more subtle, a slow peeling back of layers, little by little, until I stopped hiding who I was.

    It meant saying no to things that drained me, even when I felt guilty. It meant embracing my quirks and my weirdness without apology. It meant spending more time doing what lit me up, and less time trying to be what others expected.

    The freedom that comes from being unapologetically you

    When I started to lean into my own vibe, everything shifted. I noticed my energy felt lighter, my relationships deeper, and even my creativity blossomed. There’s a certain kind of power in knowing you don’t have to perform or pretend to be anyone else.

    Choosing yourself also means trusting that you’re enough exactly as you are. Not because you did something amazing or reached a milestone, but because you exist, and that’s enough.

    Why it’s worth the discomfort

    Here’s the real talk: choosing yourself can feel scary. You might lose people or face judgment. You might confront parts of yourself you’ve ignored or been afraid to face.

    But it’s also the only way to find true peace. When you stop bending to fit the world’s expectations, you start to create space for the people and experiences that actually belong in your life.

    So if you’re still figuring it out, that’s okay. Keep choosing yourself in small ways every day. Keep showing up as your messy, beautiful, authentic self.

    Because at the end of the day, you’re the one you have to live with, and learning to love that person? That’s everything.

  • How to become that girl (when you’re more of a creative loner type)

    How to become that girl (when you’re more of a creative loner type)

    aka: the soft, curious, slightly mysterious main character era

    Let’s get one thing clear:
    Being that girl doesn’t mean green juice and 6am Pilates.
    At least not in my world. Although I love them both.

    To me, it’s about becoming the version of yourself that feels good.
    The version who’s quietly consistent. A little undone. Mysterious in a “she probably journals in a meadow” kind of way.
    The girl who keeps her promises to herself, wears the same vintage jeans three days in a row, and disappears for a weekend to read and reset.

    Here’s how I’m doing that girl, my way:

    1. Keep promises to yourself (even the small ones)

    Forget the pressure to do it all.
    Start with: “I’ll go for a walk today.”
    Or: “I’ll journal for 5 minutes.”
    When you keep those tiny promises, you start to trust yourself again.
    And that trust? That’s the magic. That’s growth.

    2. Find your easy outfit formula

    Life’s too short to hate everything in your closet.
    Find 2–3 go-to combos that feel like you.
    For me? Vintage mom jeans + tiny top. Big hoodie + slicked bun. Something that says, “I didn’t try, but I look cool anyway.”

    Clothes should feel like a mood, not a costume.

    3. Stay curious

    Curiosity > perfection. Always.
    Ask more questions. Read weird books. Make bad art. Watch old movies.
    You don’t have to be an expert. You just have to stay open.
    That’s what keeps you interesting. That’s what keeps you you.

    4. Learn how to say no (nicely, but clearly)

    “No” is self-respect in a cute little outfit.
    You don’t owe anyone constant access to your energy.
    Saying no without over-explaining is a skill, and honestly? A superpower.
    You get to protect your peace. That’s part of the glow-up.

    5. Take intentional rest

    There’s rest… and then there’s intentional rest.
    The kind where you unplug without guilt.
    Where you take yourself on a solo matcha date, blast a slow playlist, or nap because you’re a human being, not a machine.

    The reset isn’t the reward.
    It’s part of the process.

  • I woke up feeling like sh*t.

    I woke up feeling like sh*t.

    This morning, I woke up feeling like I hadn’t slept at all. My body was heavy, my brain felt foggy, and even though the sun was out, I couldn’t get myself to leave my bed. I wasn’t sad, exactly, but I wasn’t okay either. I just felt… drained.

    No dramatic breakdown. No major crisis. Just an overwhelming sense of tiredness I couldn’t explain. And before I knew it, it was 2PM, and I was still curled up in bed, scrolling on Pinterest, overthinking, and wondering what was wrong with me.

    But instead of forcing myself to hustle out of it, I asked myself something different:

    What do I need today, not to be productive, but to feel human again?

    And the answer came quietly but clearly: the beach and a smoothie.

    Not a to-do list. Not a reset routine that overwhelmed me. Just that.
    So I went with it.

    I started slow. I stretched under my duvet like a sleepy cat. I drank some water, washed my face, showered and put on comfy clothes that didn’t feel like pressure. No makeup. No big effort. Just softness.

    I grabbed a smoothie from one of my favorite spots, something fruity and cold that felt like a tiny act of self-care. It was the first time all day that I felt a little grounded, like I was reconnecting with myself again.

    Then I headed to the beach.

    The second my feet touched the sand, something shifted. The sun hit my skin, the clouds were overlooking the ocean, the breeze tangled in my hair, and I let the waves be loud for me because I didn’t have the energy to be loud for myself. I didn’t check my phone. I didn’t need to post about it. I just existed.

    I sat. I breathed. I let the salt air hold me.

    And honestly? I didn’t come home feeling 100% better. But I felt lighter. Like I had listened to my body. Like I gave myself what I needed, instead of guilting myself into something I didn’t.

    Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is choose rest. Not the kind where you sleep all day and wake up feeling worse, but the kind where you meet yourself where you are and move with kindness.

    Today didn’t look productive. It didn’t look perfect.
    But it was healing. And sometimes, that’s more than enough.

  • Letting go of what no longer serves you.

    Letting go of what no longer serves you.

    Your 30s hit different.

    You start craving things you didn’t even think about in your early 20s, like peace, stability, better friends, better food, and a deeper connection with yourself. You start realizing how much noise you’ve tolerated. How many people, habits, and thoughts you’ve kept around simply because you didn’t want to rock the boat.

    But here’s the truth: If it’s draining you, it’s not for you.
    And letting go isn’t dramatic, it’s growth.

    Whether it’s the situationship that’s been stringing you along for way too long, the job that feels like soul dust, the inner critic that’s been living rent-free in your head, or even the group chat that leaves you feeling weirdly off after every message… you’re allowed to outgrow what no longer aligns.

    In fact, you’re meant to.

    Here’s the mindset shift:

    Letting go isn’t losing something. It’s choosing you.

    It’s choosing to make space for better. For things that feel reciprocal. For people who clap when you win. For opportunities that don’t leave you second-guessing yourself. For the version of you that actually feels good to be in.

    Because holding onto things that no longer serve you?
    That’s the real self-abandonment.

    3 ways to start letting go (and not feel bad about it):

    1. Get radically honest.
    Ask yourself: Is this helping me grow, or is it keeping me stuck?
    Sometimes we stay attached to patterns because they’re familiar, not because they’re good for us. Getting honest with yourself is the first step to creating change.

    2. Set boundaries without guilt.
    You don’t have to explain your growth to everyone. You’re allowed to create space without writing a five-paragraph apology text. Boundaries are not walls, they’re bridges to a better version of you.

    3. Let it feel uncomfortable.
    Letting go is not always graceful. Sometimes it looks like crying in your car, deleting a number, unfollowing someone you still care about, or sitting with silence instead of seeking chaos. But that discomfort? It’s where your power builds.

    You’re not too much for wanting more.
    You’re not behind for pivoting in your 30s.
    You’re not selfish for choosing peace.

    You’re just growing into the version of you who knows her worth, and refuses to shrink to fit where she no longer belongs.

    And that version of you?
    She’s not afraid to let go anymore.

  • I hate change (but I hate being stuck more)

    I hate change (but I hate being stuck more)

    Letting go of a past relationship feels like being asked to erase a chapter of your life that still smells like your favourite candle and sounds like your shared playlist. It doesn’t matter if it ended amicably, messily, or somewhere in between, it still lingers. The what-ifs. The familiar routines. The comfort of knowing how someone takes their coffee or laughs at dumb memes.

    And if you’re anything like me, change isn’t something you run toward. It’s something that feels like it’s ripping the floor out from under you. I hate it. I really do. I hate the uncertainty, the silence after someone you used to text 20 times a day disappears, the “starting over” part. It’s exhausting. But what’s even harder? Staying stuck in something that no longer exists. Clinging to a version of life that isn’t real anymore.

    It’s okay to admit it hurts. It’s okay to admit you miss them. And it’s okay to take your time. But eventually, gently, you have to come back to yourself. To the version of you that existed before them. To the version that will exist after.

    Here are 3 healthy, realistic ways to start focusing on yourself post-breakup, no toxic positivity, no glow-up pressure, just you, healing:

    1. romanticize the little things.
    Make your morning coffee like it’s your love language. Go on walks like you’re the main character in an indie film. Light candles. Listen to sad music. Listen to happy music. Create an atmosphere in your day that makes you feel good, even if it’s small. You don’t need a full rebrand, you just need to start caring for yourself like someone you love.

    2. do something that requires your hands.
    Paint. Cook. Build something. Garden. Journal. Rearrange your room. There’s something healing about doing something physical that gets you out of your head and into the present. It won’t magically fix everything, but it’ll remind you that your life is still yours. That you can still create something out of the mess.

    3. reconnect with people who remind you who you are.
    Not people who want to talk about your ex for hours, but the ones who make you laugh really hard, who text you to go to a random coffee shop on a Sunday, who make you feel like yourself again. Healing isn’t about isolation. It’s about choosing better connection.

    4. go blonde (I might be kidding)
    Sometimes, healing starts with bleach. Or bangs. Or a bob. Changing your hair doesn’t solve everything, but it can give you that subtle “I’m back, and I don’t care” kind of energy. It’s symbolic. It’s fun. It reminds you that you’re in control, and that you’re allowed to reinvent yourself as many times as you want.

    Change sucks sometimes. It’s hard. It’s messy. And if you hate change, like I do, every part of it might feel like a fight. But you deserve a life that feels like yours again. One where you don’t have to pretend to be over it, but where, one day, you’ll notice that you kind of are.