Hello Courageous Pals,

How have you all been keeping through these dreich months? I often find the winter is a cosy time to coorie in, read books, do more of my creative writing, and work my way through all the TV on offer - but it’s all too easy for me to enter Advanced Jiu-Jitsu Black-Belt Level Hermitude if I’m not careful! Thankfully I’ve got a few things that reliably help me get out of the hibernation cave: I do monthly walks with the wonderful Edinburgh solopreneur networking group The Outsiders, who I can’t recommend highly enough - here’s me on a much sunnier day last summer helping facilitate learning circles on what we can all be doing to work outside more.

I also find such rich connections in my volunteering work: in January I supported the Moving Forward course which Breast Cancer Now runs for people who have finished their treatment and are now wondering what’s next - not “back to normal,” but forward to whatever life holds in future. I sat in that very room not all that long ago myself and it’s amazing to consider how much has changed for me since since I finished treatment. One of the main benefits of the Moving Forward course is making connections with others who have had similar experiences; learning that we’re not alone in what we face - both during treatment and after it. In January I also led a fun and lively appreciation activity for the fantastic volunteers at the Pilmeny Development Project, who are so wonderful yet often, like a lot of people, minimise their own contributions and value to others. It was great to see them all learning to really receive appreciations from each other, rather than discounting them (a past Courage Pie topic!) If you’re struggling to think of ways you’ve been connecting or can connect in future, this month’s Courage Pie (to go) is for you.

Fancy a discussion on the move? Join us at 1 PM tomorrow, 11 February, outside Canopy Kitchen at Edinburgh Futures Institute for a gentle walk (or wheel) around the Meadows. Sign up via Eventbrite to be notified of any last-minute changes! (In theory all SHOULD be fine, but when you receive this email I will be flying over the Atlantic, so if anything goes awry I’ll be sending updates via Eventbrite.) Can’t make it in person? Connect with a courageous pal and use the Questions to Go below for a reflective walk of your own.

Courage Pie (to go): Connection 🪢

One of the Five Ways to Wellbeing is connecting with others. Humans are a social species: we require connection with other people to thrive. Connection helps us see ourselves in the mirror of how others view us, particularly important when we’re feeling out of sorts or we can’t fully be in touch with our self-worth - I keep a ‘win book’ of compliments, thanks and commendations that I take out whenever I’m feeling low to remind myself that whatever negative inner story I’m telling about myself at the moment is a temporary one. Connection also allows us to see others, to look for inspiration in the actions of those around us for how we ourselves might want to be - whether that is overcoming a difficulty we’re facing, considering a new skill we want to learn, or simply adopting some of their style, their energy, their way moving in the world. Connection gives us a sense of closeness and community with others, an incredibly important aspect of life in a time that can feel increasingly fragmented, transactional, and distant. Connection lets us know that whatever is happening, we are not alone in facing it. Connection comes in many forms, and in this month’s Courage Pie walk, we’ll be focusing on those deep, profound relationships with the people who are always on our side, no matter what.

Questions to Go:

• Who is there in your life who cheers you on with equal vigour whether you’re having a huge success or whether you’ve just made a big mess? Who’s there for you in the tough times as well as the great ones? 

• How can you be the same kind of friend for yourself - who cheers yourself on in times of trouble and celebration? 

• What is a relationship in your life that you would like to deepen in some way? How can you create a more meaningful connection there?

• Are there any relationships which you now recognise are no longer providing the level of depth you would like? If it’s time to let that relationship go, how can you allow that to happen without judgement (of them or yourself) and with kindness?

Science Behind the Slice:

Whitaker, Julia. (2024). “A Playful Approach to the Five Ways to Wellbeing.” Concept: The Journal of Contemporary Community Education Practice Theory, 15(1), p. 11. Available at: https://concept.lib.ed.ac.uk/Concept/article/view/9468.

Mind, 5 Ways to Wellbeing, Step 1: Connect: https://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/my-mental-health-at-work/five-ways-to-wellbeing/#connect.

Coming up…

I'm so excited to be partnering with Corvideum Creative, a brand-new creative co-working space based on Leith Walk, for a special launch event and reflective writing exercises on 5 March at 7 PM! Sign up here. Free to all - I hope you can join us.

If anything in this newsletter series has brought up a topic you’d like to work on one-on-one, here’s where you can find all the info about my coaching approach and current offers.

Very best,

Caitlin