Invisible Illness 🫥I am not okay but I am many other worthy things
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- Опубликовано: 13 апр 2024
- ✨Doing some soul restoring flower art where I'm showing how to paint roses. It's an intuitive painting process that's easy and fun. I'm also sharing and being vulnerable speaking about the freeze response, depression, burnout, overwhelm and how I navigate my way out. Full of self care ideas and tips because life can feel a lot right now... So if you feel stuck in procrastination, overwhelm, mental health issues, flight, fright, freeze responses, remember, you are not lazy it's just a natural, human reaction to protect you. Let's navigate it together, (as we are not alone,) show up, do our best and use our creativity as our therapy!
✨Feel free to tag me on Instagram with your creations & let's chat in the comments too! Thank you so much for watching & keeping me company in this little corner of RUclips. Biggest Loves, Wendy. Xxs
✨In between videos ~
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#freezeresponse #paintwithme #burnout
I have recently been diagnosed with high functioning autism at 51 years old and it has made such a difference. It explains so much of my difficulties in life as I have a brain that functions differently!! It has lead to anxiety and depression, burnout and meltdowns over the years but I never understood why I suffered all these things when I was trying so hard in life. Now I know and finally it makes sense and I can now learn ways to understand my autistic brain and ways to help myself navigate life in a more gentle way to suit me. I am so glad you have ways to help yourself Wendy. Thanks for the update vlog.❤
thanks so much for sharing and so glad that you can finally understand yourself in the gentlest of fashions. xxx much love
@@theunexpectedgypsy Thank you Wendy. Love and hugs back. 🥰
Sarah, I'm the same was diagnosed last year, and hearing what has been said about 'freeze' is really insightful!
Me too...at 61....I Love Wendy.... She a soft person, love her art sense, and she loves.... Trees...😊❤
I’ve had flu symptoms all weekend and yes a hot steamy bath has me feeling energized enough to watch this lovely message from you. Perfect timing.
I very rarely leave the house. I retired 8 months ago and I just stay home. No friends anymore. I enjoy my crafts and my home. Sounds unhappy but I’m very happy with my seclusion
Sometimes that's exactly what we need. It can be our happy place. We are all different. Great that you've found what works! And with social media we are still able to be connected in a way that works.
@@janinafisher101 - And RUclips! 😁
Sounds like me!
Same here!
I am exactly the same. My home, family and small craft business is my joy and my safety. Society tells you there is something wrong with you if you don’t get out and mix with different people and situations but I say, why not do what makes you happy and if you’re very happy with seclusion then why not! Why force yourself to be out among others just because you’ve been told your whole life that’s what you should be doing and seclusion is not healthy! It is if it brings joy and happiness because that is the most important thing for one’s physical and mental health to thrive and that is the single most important thing in a person’s lifetime, that and love of course!
Think lots of people are feeling overwhelmed at the moment. I can’t decide if mine is seeing / hearing bad things on the news, aftermath of Covid, bad perimenopause symptoms or narcissistic idiots in charge running the world or all the above 🤔😩. Thank you Wendy for making us feel we are not alone in our struggles and thoughts x
You were so encouraging and right on for me today. I am a 71 yr old widow with brittle diabetes and kidney issues and now often find myself frozen and overwhelmed…although the good Lord has been very gracious to me. I live alone not near any family which is a challenge. I tend to isolate myself during my challenges which many people don’t understand. It takes lots of focus, energy and management skills to handle challenges. You were helpful with looking at that as just my way of coping and it being ok. I hope you feel better among the flowers of spring….they help lift me for sure. The smells, the colors, the sounds….i love feeding the birds. Thank you for your kindness to your followers.
Hoping you feel better! When reading this, I thought it could have been written by myself! I related so much.
Years passing , I feel this world so speed, so noisy, hard and violent...I stoppped looking at the TVnews, so stressing..I appreciate being home, drawing, reading ,taking care of my plants and my cats, solitude is not frightening for me, it is the time to let my soul breathe. When I come home after my day of work, I feel sometimes so empty, overwhelmed, selfcare is a need to keep on living
thank you for all those conversations and advices ,I think lots of people understand what you feel, take care of you, kisses from France
❤
Now that sounds like a lovely home life to me... ✏️📖 🐈🐈🌷 💜
Absolutely x
Bonjour Clothilde, Moi aussi je suis en France, en Bretagne et je sors très rarement de ma maison à la campagne. Je suis entouré d'animaux et je passe mes journées à créer des vidéos pour ma chaîne d'aquarelles, et je n'ai pas d'amis, seulement ma fille et mon mari comme famille. Les informations et le style de vie ici ont horriblement changé au cours de ma vie et je ne veux rien avoir à faire avec les gens qui agissent comme des bêtes agressives autour de moi. Vive la créativité, la paix et la nature ! Bisous de Bretagne ! Diane xxx
Sending you hugs 🤗
Going through a similar freeze mode
Many years
It seems to me that we are all still in a state of shock after what happened with the pandemic. I’ve been through tough situations in my life but nothing, not even near death experiences, are the equal of the horrific experience of going through a pandemic as we all did. I feel that the people of the world have tried hard to put it behind them too quickly, not dealing with and grieving over the things they lost, and therefore we are all still in that phase of grief that happens whenever there is a bereavement. I feel that most people have denied the significance of the pandemic in their own lives, and are trying to be brave and move on, and it is now slightly “not the done thing” to mention Covid any more. Just like when my mum died when I was 17 and no-one would let me talk about it, they just kept telling me to get over it. But unless you process it, discuss it, digest it, it will always stick in your throat and hold you back from swallowing and getting on with living and loving. I’m so sad about what has been lost, I can’t get over it really. I suspect many others feel the same way.
I just want to cheer everyone on (pom-poms shaking), to take the small steps daily to feel good. I sometimes feel like I want to "stop the carousel - I want to get off!" Not permanently, just to catch my breath, stop and smell the roses (or paint them!), feel the ground beneath my feet, solid and firm. When I feel this way, I do small tasks I can celebrate, and give myself permission to balance work, rest, and play in small segments. I try to bathe, put on clean comfy clothes, eat healthy food, and to get outside in the fresh air, in daylight, even for a few minutes (be a part of the world - connected). Do something small that's from my mental to-do list, and do something for me (self-care).
We all are unique, yet human, and we all have outstanding days, and those that are more challenging. We each need to find our own rhythm, and find the dance that nurtures our spirit, and the beat that gets us moving.
And yes, there has been at least one day when I celebrated having a shower and getting dressed and eating a meal.
Happy dancing with all - celebrating our small triumphs. Gentle hugs to all you beautiful people! ❤🤗🧡
❤️
Thank you ❤
Wendy, you have been so kind through the pandemic and beyond. Thank you for cheering us all up, and helping us to know that we are not alone in this.
This makes me feel not so alone anymore. Thank you❤.
Hello Wendy, i think newyears is my bday. I do little things as wel, and enjoy you very much. I have a never ending depression, try to make the best off it. Enjoy your creativity. Much love
i feel like we've lost our sense of community...for many reasons...people no longer live near family and extended family...we rarely stay in the same neighborhoods and communities...i feel like that has been a big reason that we have the cultures we do...we are overwhelmed because we have no one else to share burdens with...have conversations or gossip with...share events with...technology is a wonderful thing in many ways...but it is also a terrifying thing...there is too many choices to make...too many constant demands on our attention...i was hopeful that lockdowns would show people how good life could be at a slower pace...but many seem hellbent for leather to get right back to 'the rat race'...
thank you for being a calm voice of assurance amidst the freneticism of the internet ❤
Dear Wendy ☺. I cried thru most of this post, and I found the music quite emotional. Having lost my husband in December after 54 years, there are days when I don't want to get up either. However, I have my two fur babies (my kits 🐺🐾) Tally and Luna that are keeping me strong. Maybe it's time for you to get that little doggy 🐶 companion you keep promising yourself. My beloved husband Terry was what James is to you. Take care of each other.
Sending love, light and Springtime blessings 🌷🐰🥀🐤⚘ xx
54 years. ❤
Sending you hugs Veronica❤ . I find the kindest people in my weekly yoga class. Make it a daily goal to love yourself in the smallest ways consciously . 54 years with your soulmate is a very profound loss . I just wanted to tell you that strangers do care.
@@danih7577 Thank you for your kind words Dani. I'm doing my best but miss him every day. We were babies when we got married in 1970. Sending love xx
God bless you Veronica
@@veronicashipley9123 ❤️
Been sitting here for two days while the sky is grey and the rain is falling. No motivation, but watching this beautiful video has me relaxing and hopeful.
Yes, I find I follow many similar You Tube channels, and they really help me relax, thank goodness. xxx
Hello Wendy thank you for this very interesting video, the roses you painted are quite vintage in style and make a perfect picture in the gold frame .
Your conversation and the background choice of music is quite moving.I live alone and I am perfectly happy to be in my own company, I have a large garden to work in grow my own veggies. I like to be spontaneous. I write I dance around my home sing a lot, and always I'm in gratitude for my life, 73 this July I am enjoying life, I can't do anything about the world in crisis but what I can do is help my elderly neighbour or chat and smile with anyone who needs a helping hand , for this I am grateful,reading others comments on your page I feel this is what you do too, regardless of how you are feeling you make others feel better about their difficulties.That counts for a lot in my opinion. Hugs and Blessings to all.💚🌹
I know exactly how you feel. Many days, I want to stay home in my "nest". Since the pandemic, I have felt more introverted and continue to feel that way. I'm unsure if it's good or bad, but it feels "safe".
I feel the same....although my 2 sisters telling me to go out and be around people, they believe it´s not "healthy" beeing on my own so much...❤
I don't feel ok today...But you're such a lovely soul to watch and find encouragement from. You are special and a wonderful artist. God bless you, and know that you are loved, by others and Jesus. 😊❤
I have learned to embrace solitude and being an introvert after many years of trying to fit into how others see me. I enjoy the quiet of my little bubble/home and have my rescue dog who has extreme PTSD as my constant companion. Her need for quiet has helped me to see that I do as well. Our world has changed so drastically in 4 short years. The division and the us against them attitude can be overwhelming. I am blessed to live in a fairly liberal all inclusive part of the US (Sonoma, California). I limit my consumption of the news and limit my interaction with people as much as I can. I have had to say goodbye to some very old friendships that created stress - I am a liberal Democrat and sadly my old friends were surprisingly conservative Trump supporters. At 67 years old my time is winding down and I only want to spend it with people who truly care about the world we live in and practice acceptance of others. Thank you for sharing and for being a beacon of light in a harsh world. 💌
We are so blessed to have Wendy and Her community , hugs from way down in New Zealand x
Sending you a hug 😊
I am truly grateful for my life in Australia, our isolation from what many others have to live with. When we visited California in 2017 we felt a certain kinship there, as opposed to some other parts of the US. I hope you find joy in your new phase of life and continue to shine bright in your own way.
I didn’t even realise that I wasn’t ok, but your video hit me so powerfully that I found myself in floods of tears. Thankyou for being you and saying it like it is xx
Hugs to You !
Hugs to you from Australia. You got this!
Hugs from Panama SA, it’s going to get way better!
Tapping for anxiety really works, try it all…creative energy to all!
Dear Wendy,
Thank you so much for this....
My Dad passed away Nov 22 and since then my family have been so broken.....
My siblings to longer want to know each other or me! I have no children so now I don't have any family 💔
Your vlogs are such a space of love and joy so I thank you so much for your honesty and love...
Much love and light... ✨️🙏🏻💕
I really do know how you feel, as although I have a brother who is married with children, and Grandchildren, he does not want to know me really. I feel so alone, as I live with just my dog, and only go out of the house to walk her. Wendy is such an inspiration of a positive heart I feel. xxx
I like to remind myself when family members I have loved for a lifetime don't want to "know me", they are saying a very truthfull thing. The "me" the have known, imperfect at best, doesn't exist anymore. It is just a memory of compiled missunderstandings, filtered thru their own pains, often childish by nature. Remember that one's family is created in the loving. It doesn't have to be just those we are born to. Life is filled with a vast love life for the brave. You are not alone. This is a common experience that 1/4 of families experience. So brave the cold wind and go create your own "family". Fill it with friends, neighborhood children, warm smiles to strangers and the sound of your own loving voice around you. Wishing you comfort.
So sorry to hear. Love and blessings 🙏
When people we love pass on it really upsets the family dynamic, when our mother died my best friend sister stopped speaking to me , saying I betrayed her. I don't know why, she never spoke to me again, so I have to let it go. If she ever feels better, I will be here for her.
@@heatherlatchford6926 Thank you for your kind words. Unfortunately due to my not going out and about, I do not have any friends I can turn to. xxx
I am a 79 yr. Old female and I dabble in art. Never had any lessons but really enjoy putting paint to canvas or paper. I found your videos today and am still watching your videos tonight. Love them and will continue tomorrow. I had a fire in Oct. 2023 and had to live elsewhere until March 2024. I miss my studio and working on my art. When I get all my supplies back, you have made me want to paint again. Thanks ! I’m in USA. In a little coastal town in N.C. Have a blessed day !
You are the mom I don’t have and desperately needed. Thank you! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
I ❤your empathy & compassion. There are a lot of us out here who do suffer from anxiety & depression…getting up and taking a shower or a bath is a good first step-you DO feel better afterwards!❤
✨🤗 I haven’t the words to express the gratitude for your video, and you, sweet Wendy!!
Serendipitous timing for me so very personally🤗 I feel seen and understood having listened and watched you today!! Thank you so much for your brave authenticity and openness. Thank you for showing up for all of us out here, some who may not have anyone to validate what it’s like to go through these times. Reminding us of there always being a possibility of something good just around the corner…✨🌈💛😊 🤗✨
The small things, having a bath or shower, looking out the window when the sun is shining, maybe taking a step outside in the early morning or at the golden hour of the transition to the sunsetting can a lot of times help me to flip it, as James so wisely asks you. Such a dear one he is🤗
I’ve been staring at my water colour pencils wanting to make a palette from the shavings for weeks now and being frozen….I began yesterday afternoon, and I’ll get back at it today, AND have a bath a bit later…May sound insignificant to many , however, I have a muscle/movement disorder that literally freezes my body and is very painful, yet life persists, and in the 17 years of living with it, I’ve always been of the Ideaology that it’s okay not to be okay!! Back now to creating my water colour palette, (blessed to have gotten the full Tim Holtz set over time) ✨💃✨I may not be able to change the world today, I’m blessed to add a twinkle, coloured one at that, to my little world and I am smiling 😊 Sending love and light to everyone today!! ✨✨🤗✨✨
Such a beautiful comment , made my heart warm reading it and great suggestions too !
"I can sharpen my empathy against the stone of my discomfort..." Wonderfull!!!
Might have to stick that on a post it note , so good
I have felt quite down for the last couple of weeks, so I have been focused on self care. I wish I could remember to eat fruit, I prefer crisps too 😂❤
well done indeed! a few berries are very delicious with crispy things! xx just saying!!! teehe!
This is so true! Self care is the last thing we think of when depression or feeling low consumes us and when we need it most. When we need to think, it is okay to feel sad because it will end. We will have a good day and can start to build on that. Kindness to everyone always because we don't know what others are going thru.
I’m 42, mom of a young child, with a career that I don’t enjoy as much as I did before and I often find myself asking what I would do if I quit my job. I had this image in my head of me being free in an art studio full of plants and sunlight. And then I found your channel! I realized I want to be you! I want to be Wendy when I grow up! (Though I lack your talent 😅) thanks for the constant inspiration!
awww... xxx you can do it! and creativity is a skill that can be learned! (check out the John Cleese video on creativity, he's wonderful!!! ) xxx happy journeying! xxx
I am so glad I have stumbled upon your channel. you are such a breath of fresh air for us women who are, as someone once put it, "too old to be young, and too young to be old."
Thank you for sharing your overwhelm, Wendy. Im usually a very sunny, positive, resilient person..but, after months of rain and gales ( in Ireland) I felt very low in February. On impulse,,I booked a solo trip to Spain for a little holiday. Then I sprained my knee! Lots of physio, pain, scans later, Im all clear to fly out! I will bring back some sunshine...you bring sunshine to all of us Wendy. With your wise insights and your exquisite painting. Keep on being such a beautiful person. We are not responsible for the state of the world. We must make our own lives joyful in small ways. Let us Shine our Lights! ❤❤🎉🎉
I agree our world is spinning so fast right now. There’s such a collective of souls feeling on edge,afraid, and so uncertain. I also think there’s a collective of souls feeling hopeful,grateful and sending love and peace out to all. I believe right now self care is the best thing for us all. You do a great job of reminding me it’s ok to take a break. Thank you so much for your videos. ❤❤❤
Love you Wendy. Your videos touch my heart as they connect deeply with my own struggles with anxiety and depression. Sculpting and painting enabled me to cope with the challenges of living and at 77 I celebrate my survival. Following you makes me feel so connected to your many followers. We are ne er alone. Thank you for the gift of YOU dear Wendy.
You make our lives so much better by your honesty and loving, gentle nature.
As you know Wendy, I have become a recluse, in that I have not been out in the world since 2020. I have no car, so could not go out anyway! I can not be with others in their cars, I have to be the driver, to be in control. I live in an isolated rural spot, so not near to any shops. I have to get everything delivered, and can not see how things can change? I think that you are amazing in the way that you do get out an about, and I wish I could do that. Love and Blessings from Jilly & Madge the rescue greyhound, from West Devon. England. xxx
❤ I think your comment triggered me because since retiring and ending a relationship a few years ago I've been happily up here on the side of a mountain being a recluse❤😂❤ for whatever reasons you have made the choices that you have made to paint yourself into a corner🎉 I see this because I was doing it to myself even though I have two vehicles🎉 I like to take my humans in doses😂 so I bought myself a sprinter van and I'm building it out so that I can get out into the world and still have my little safe place to curl into and retreat❤ it sounds like you have painted yourself into a corner🎉 I'd like to suggest the work of Dr John demartini🎉 he was actually in the movie The Secret but he's a walking talking encyclopedia on human behavior and life in general🎉 on his website he has what's called the value determination exercise where you spend about 30 minutes as answering a series of questions and then tapping a button and no there's no worries in doing so but it creates a pie chart and it shows you wear your values lay😮 it was quite an eye-opening experience and well worth the 30 minutes that it took😮 you could see the categories building as you answer the questions but what was mind-boggling was the pie chart that shows you where you are really spending your time😮 there'll be plenty of time to be alone in a casket and there's no reason to turn our homes into one❤❤ love and hugs
Lovely, encouraging and relaxing ! So wonderful to see bits of your work and be inspired to make art!💐😘
@@justjudy7320 Thank you for you comment justjudy - I do love my home, which is just as well, and feel very lucky to have a roof over mine and my rescue greyhound Madge's head. But I get what you are saying, and shall definitely look at Dr John demartini, and do the determination exercise. xxx
Thank you so much,we are all positiv n this together!!! You are such a beautiful soul💖🫖🕯️📓🖋️💞🫂
yes we are all together,, xx thankyou xxx
Thank you, dear Wendy, for resonating with those of us sensitives that are feeling the planet's woes. You are everything! 💖🕯️🫶🏼
I understand what you are saying. I feel that I’m in the same situation and hadn’t known that I needed a video like this. Thank you. ❤
aww softest hugs to you too, I know, believe me... x
I've been tired for months, I listen to my body and rest. If I'm exhausted I just go to bed. I try to be positive to all and not dwell on negative thoughts. I do as much as I can and let the rest go. I find your conversation soothing and encouraging. Hope your birthday was a good one.
I find drawing and painting takes my head away from “stuff” and when i finish a piece i feel so fresh, happy. I paint nature - trees. Mountains, streams things I love
Thank you for coming out and creating these videos even though it’s really hard to unfreeze…you even smile for us. You are a lovely soul. I wish we all knew what the heck is going on. Why are so many of us frozen, scared, tired, low and feeling so beat up? Anxiety, depression, PTSD, adult autism. I wish we knew what is going on. You help with your truthful way of being with us and I truly thank you for the intense effort it must take. Blessings to you. ❤🇨🇦
Hello Wendy, thanks so much for your lovely posts. You're right, these times can be overwhelming. I can't help thinking they're not unprecedented though --my grandparents lived through the Second World War in Europe, then emigrated to Canada and had to face the hardships of an entirely new culture and landscape. They must often have been overwhelmed! It is wonderful that now we have the internet and sites like yours that help us connect with each other and share ❤
It is now April 14 and since Jan. 1 I have had a severe concussion, Covid, and gal bladder flair up land surgery. I let my bills turn into a mess, and have been straightening everything out since I got out of the hospital. But I do feel better! Oh, I had a relatively minor car accident and I am 75 and this is my first! Ugh.
You are lucky to have such a beautiful natural environment outside your door. Nature is so healing for me.
Your videos are a gift to the soul. Thank you❤
Finally, I found someone who understands all the ‘stuff’…thank you!
Perhaps you already know that the rose is the flower with the highest vibrational frequency on the planet. You painting the roses brings healing through painting -- plus the subject matter brings healing. Intuitive painting is double the wonderful!
🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
This video warmed my heart! I live in freeze/fawn response. I'm 52. I love your childlike spirit, which is the best thing ever! You are beyond charming! Love from Croatia! ❤
Thank you Wendy! Your vlogs are always so heartwarming and genuine! I have been reading the other comments and want to like them all, to tell you all that we all go through ‘stuff’ and that we are here for each other. As much as social media can be not so good at times, it truly is an amazing place to gather like minded people! So glad that I found you way back…I feel it is best not to listen to the news, not much that I can do about alot of it….just keep my light shining and send positive energy out there and in here (hand on heart) . Sending you huge, soft hugs from Canada….and hugs to you all! Thanks James for the ‘flip it’, I heard him ask you once on a vlog if you could flip it, and I thought that was a brilliant way to help turn things (thoughts) around without being nasty! Have a wonderful week Wendy and James and all those lovely people who follow you too!
Another lovely video to make my day. We're in the messy middle right now with the death of my husband's mother because she passed away last Monday but the funeral isn't until this coming Wednesday. Your sweet and kind voice is just what I needed this morning. Blessings and thanks to you, Wendy, for being a bright spot in my week.
I've had a few setbacks with my ME/CFS & Fibromyalgia since mid December so this year has had kind of a rough start for me. Some days just getting out of bed, getting dressed, and making the bed are my small wins. Anything accomplished after that feels like a big win. I rarely leave the house unless it's for an appointment (doctors and massage therapy) or I force myself to go with my husband to shop for groceries (mostly he does that alone). I have a wake/funeral/luncheon for my best friend's dad on Tuesday and I'm already exhausted thinking about it. This video couldn't have come at a better time. Thank you so much for helping us feel we are not alone. My birthday is next week and I am definitely reflecting and trying to figure what direction to go from here. Much love and hugs to you and James. 💖🤗🤗🤗🤗
A real transition in my life, accompanied by flare up of fibromyalgia and back pain has made me unproductive! Moving from my beloved apartment in a garden type area, leaving behind supportive friends, and now living in a senior apartment have made me in a shut down mode! I feel as if I can’t do art. When I should be unpacking and organizing, uhh! You have opened a window on how to proceed, I am worthy, I am loved, I am capable and caring! Love your openness and your flower power!
Hello. Im 73 female and separated from my husband of 53 years. I am learning that solice and self-care are the first steps to self-awareness and healing from the life-draining burdens I have carried from childhood to the present. It is very liberating to be free to choose a path.
I’m going to be 50 next month and am doing the whole reflection and looking ahead thing. I moved with my family to a different country two years ago, but we can’t stay here forever, but can’t go back home either. We have 8 years to save and figure it all out, but I am feeling very paralyzed. Your video was very timely.
I can't tell you how much I needed to hear this, so thank you. I've recently slowed to a complete stop. It's so unusual for me that I feel bewildered and lost. I'm absolutely shut down right now. I agree it's a freeze thing, not a tired thing. I'm not burned out or tired, or depressed. Yes.... life has overwhelmed me somehow. I'm finding myself sinking into my chosen spirituality which is my calm and peaceful place, but not sure I should be wallowing in it quite as much as I am. I am envying you your art and flowers as it's a retreat that gives you something solid at the end of it, having done a good job. I am going to have to flip it, but maybe not today......
My house was gutted up to 3 feet after flood waters from Hurricane Ian entered the house. It is now about 19 months later and I finally am starting to find my feet. Having inept construction workers fixing my house for one year felt endless to this introvert. Now my "home" is finally getting back in place and starting to reflect me and my personality. As you said, it is an organic process that cannot be rushed. Seriously, I was "frozen" for most of this time. Thanks for sharing.
I have been in overwhelm freeze mode for 2 weeks. I do go out everyday, but the bath/shower advice is great. I'm wallowing, but I'm OK with that and know o will come out of freeze eventually. ❤
Thanks as always for sharing your inner most thoughts. It really helps others, including myself, so much more than you may realize. It's not easy for me to always be vulnerable and makes me feel all squishy and wiggly and uncomfortable sometimes. However, I know it's a very worthwhile practice and when we break our hearts open a bit and let others see, yes there is a risk of having them laugh at us, but we also open up a safe space for others to seek shelter and comfort♥Cheers to you for being a wonderful example of what true self care advocacy looks like! Well done, Wendy!
Thank You 🙏 so much Wendy as I sit here crying 😢 this subject hits home 🏡
I'm not okay, either. Thanks for making it "ok". Much love to all ❤
Thanks for putting feelings into words! I find it hard to show up when feeling pain, both physical and emotional. Some days I have to force myself to get ready to even do things I want to do. Other days I get out to avoid being at home so I can get away from news and social media. Too much clutter physical and emotional! I show up for my garden because it teaches me that even in chaotic weeded areas there is beauty! Gardens and weeds go on regardless of how I feel! Birds love it! Insects show up to pollinate, clean up, produce honey, make “good noise”; 😅and LIFE GOES ON JUST FINE WITHOUT ME BEING READY! 😂 Nature is a great teacher, counselor, & motivator. Ok, thanks and I’m going for my hydrotherapy! SHOWER, drink WATER, eat right! Great day ahead!😊Let’s enjoy the journey together! I Love you and your beautiful artistic creations!❤️🪴👩🌾
You have such wisdom, love watching your videos, i battle aniexty, some days im ok, and other days up and down..i believe its the times we are living in and everything going on today. Love watching you paint, at home doing stuff..ill be waiting for next video...gwen
Feeling all your feels Wendy!. Love those roses they are so pretty 🌹. Thank you for keeping me pushing on with all your videos and posts. Biggest gratitude to you. Sending biggest hugs 🤗🤗✨✨ xxx
Totally feel where you coming from have felt very out of sorts for a few weeks . Treated myself to some new coloured pencils and have spent this afternoon using them . As you said just showing up felt better for doing so.
oh lovely, joy indeed! xxx well done for showing up! xx
We are definitely not alone. You pin point ‘our” condition so well…..thanks and well done for achieving and making me feel not normal but ok being not ok and not giving up.
Wendy, you are a true treasure sharing your sweet soul with the world. I’m in a Not Okay and burn out phase presently. I appreciate your reminder that’s it’s ok to take things in small steps and be gentle with myself along the way. Much 💕🥰
Hi I've been stuck in the freeze response since 2020's lockdown shenanigans as a late diagnosed ASD and ADHD 41 year old. I've finally started unpacking my many art materials to organise so I can actually start using them. I've collected so much over the years but been frightened to actually do something with it all!! I'm excited and scared to get started with art/crafty stuff again but am aiming to make a start. I love your creativity, very inspiring, thank you for sharing xx
❤ Thanks for describing and delineating stages I've found myself. Am slowly digging out from under my mess only because my son is coming in a few days. I'll probably only see him for a couple of hours, as usual, only because he tries to see everyone when he's home. He lives in Portland OR and I live on Cape Cod; West Coast and East Coast, respectively. ❤
Thank you❤ I am in freeze mode at the moment. It's horrible, and no-one understands. Sending you love and hugs 🫂 xxx
There are many people here who do understand though ❤ Hugs xx
I know how you feel so well. Much love to you, Wendy, sometimes we have moments in our lives when we go deep within and once we’ve sat there for a while we know within ourselves that we have to start climbing out again. The light is out there and you will start shining again. You don’t have to always show up every day - you can wait a bit until you’re ready and we’ll be there waiting for you Xxx🦋🤗😘 ❤
Oh Wendy this is so me at the moment. But now Spring is here I'm trying to do my gardening, sowing seeds (that's a really good thing for me as it's investing in the future 😊) so I think the gardening will save me 😁 the overwhelm and freeze is very real. Watching your vlogs is such a refreshing tonic thank you. Xx
Jill Bolton publushed a second book in 2021: Whole Brain Living (re your reference to her My Stroke of Insight). I have it on hold at the library, having coincidentally just heard of it a few weeks ago from my Physical Therapist.
As someone who suffers from autistic burnout frequently, this video was like a soft and gentle pad on the shoulders. Thank you for reminding us of being gentle with ourselves! I love your channel and I feel like we might have a similiar character and approach to things, even a little in our videos.
F firstly happy birthday secondly thank you. I hope you know the difference that you make in our world or my world with your honesty compassion your realism and your sharing you speak a lot of showing up and I know you mean showing up for you but I want you to know you showing up for us for your community out here I read a lot of the comments and I know that they all speak the same so thank you I appreciate you. And of course James❤
You are absolutely correct Wendy. I was in freeze, unable to get out of bed. I had one thing I wanted to do, but couldn't seem to do-make my studio ready for art again after the flood. Things just seemed add on and pound me back into bed. I sought Better Help on line and she listened to me (which I needed) and the best advice is what you said. She said just work on the room 10 minutes every day...that small step and voila! Knowing it was only 10 minutes changed into a zest for it...I am back to doing Batik. Yes, small movements forward will catapult you into the positive side. Start small if you have to, and celebrate small wins!
thankyou!!! especially for saying that when we go through these times that we are not lazy! i think often people looking in when we go thru freezeup burnout or depression see the dishes undone, the dog hair floating in the corners and stacks of papers lying around and they assume we are lazy and even make comments about it but it is not laziness! thankyou for being you wendy!!! 🖤🖤🖤
Hi Wendy….as always an insightful vlog. Had some more challenging news over the last 2 weeks, which will change our financial situation, but we soldier on. Another trip to the doctors, as I have broken out in little blisters on my face, which is really upsetting and I feel down with that. But I’m dog sitting this weekend as all the boys are away, really enjoyed not having to think, just please myself. I’ve been doing more art, recently which just lifts my soul, even if it’s only an hour or two even if it’s just looking for inspiration in art/craft books. Keep your light shinning bright too. Much love Olive❤️❤️❤️🎉🎉🎉🎨
Thank you for the suggestion of that book! "My Stroke of Insight" my mom had what they called a mini stroke last year, and she's noticed many differences in her brain and is finally admitting to them. I just sent this book to her because we can all listen to her and sympathize with how she is feeling but to read someone's own story about going through a similar journey would probably be a nice change of perspective.
I too have a chronic illness and I think, "Freeze Mode" is a really good descriptor of how I have been these past 8 or so months. Yeah, I'm depressed. Yeah, I'm overwhelmed and probably burned out a bit with the pain and all that nonsense.
"Freeze mode" yeah,that's a really good word for it and, yes ma'am I'm going to go take a shower. I recently got a bath chair to make it easier and I ordered my most favorite shower gel in the world "Nantuck Briar" from Crabtree and Evelyn. It won't be here for a few days but when it gets here I may be in the shower all day long ❤ Yes,selfcare.need to allow myself that instead of beating myself up over what I can't do anymore or haven't done because I'm in a Blue Funk and Freeze Mode.
Thank you for your videos and insights.
The phrase freeze mode makes perfect sense to me. When I can’t decide I just do nothing. Now I don’t have to feel bad about it.
❤
Thank you for all of your videos🫶 They are helping me to give myself permission to slow down and show up as my authentic self, I have been diagnosed ASD at 47, this combined with extensive PTSD has lead to problems with my central nervous system and immune system, have an MS/Fibromyalgia type issue…so your videos have blessed me to be unapologetic about taking time for self care, taking time to do the things that recharge my batteries….so a huge thank you, hugs and kisses to you and hubby. Sending love from Sydney Australia🫶🙏🙏🫶🫶
Dear Wendy, thank you for being your honest, vulnerable sensitive self (& please give your lovely self a break...as you're so productive, creative & talented!
As a fellow artist/creative, HSP (highly sensitive person), Piscean, introvert, empath, old soul, INFP (Myers Briggs personality test) I can totally relate to alot of what you share. And yes, self-love, self- acceptance & self-care are key to my inner peace & well-being.
Thank you for bravely being your authentic self & thereby creating such a lovely safe nook on RUclips for all us mature female sensitive creative types🙏💗...I hope you’re very proud of your lovely, fairy, flower self ✨️👏😘.
ps Love the roses 🌹🥀
Thank you for your vulnerability. I often go through periods where I don’t leave the house, sometimes don’t leave the bed. Chronic migraine and chronic illnesses challenge, my body and my mind. I agree with you, though that creativity is very healing. I must say I have studio envy! Sending you love and hugs and hoping you feel Sunny again soon
love you wendy, big hugs x thank you for your authenticity and open heart, you are a special soul and so is everyone in this lovely community ❤ l am suffering from severe agoraphobia and haven't been out of the house since feb, so l can relate to what you said about not wanting to leave the home, but it causes so many other problems, l have never looked at it as perhaps being shut down but l think l have been for a long time and can't even do art, l am struggling but l am accepting my path at the moment maybe l need this shut down to refind myself after some terrible years
Know that You are not alone, also there are so many Planets in Aries at the moment including Chiron the Wounded Healer ... Aries is all about the "I AM" , I too have been peeling back the layers of the Sacred Onion as I like to call it, peel back one layer ..cry...fry (transmute with Light) ...each layer helps us find Our True Nature xx
Thank you for reminding me that I don’t always need to be on my own case!!! I am getting better at hiding away when I need to and doing what I can when I can. You really find such a good way of expressing the normalising of not-ok-ness! Xxx
Thank you again for how honest and descriptive you are about how you feel. I relate so much to what you describe, I'm 64 and all those feelings that then make me feel lazy even though I take care of both my elderly parents can't help but take on more and more like working 2 part time jobs, helping out neighbours ect which all becomes so exhausting and leaves no time for myself. I also paint but never give myself the time to paint. I retire end of next year but will still need to work. Sorry realise I'm going on a bit. Love you and James and thank you for your wonderful videos xxx😀
So needed this today, thank you dearest one 😘xxx
The lights came on! This freeze mode you talked about hits me a lot too. Some days can’t do much either. Other times I feel super energized. Maybe it’s biorhythms. I love your sweet square floral paintings with the gold stencils. DO NOT CHANGE THOSE! I paint on black too & didn’t know other people like this too. Wendy you are a dear kindred spirit. Thankyou for sharing your heart! MaryE ❤️
Thank you, Wendy for being real, honest, human! I watched some lovely videos from another vlogger, but she always presents her world as perfectly "tickety boo." (I love this British saying of yours!) I just can't watch her anymore. You are so genuine, and that is a gift to us.
Thank you Wendy. I'm doing things one day at a time. Some days are harder than others. Listening to you reminds me how lucky I am.
Everything you have shared in this beautiful video, Dear Wendy, resonates with me to the bone.🫶🫠 Having experienced all three of these emotions throughout my life, I definitely agree that there is a huge difference between freeze mode, burnout, and depression. And yes, it's always more intensified around my birthday. I, too, have been living in freeze mode now for the last 8 months.😢 The world was already topsy-turvy, and then we lost our beloved community of Lahaina here on Maui to a horrific fire. Family and friends lost their homes, their businesses, and many have left the island. I lost the sweetest job I've ever had and a community of friends, and family and familiar places. It's been very sad. 😭 It's at times like this, watching your video, that I realize how much it has affected me.😭😭 Thank you for showing up with your vulnerability and honesty, and reminding me that it's okay to have all these squiggly and sad feelings that produce the desire to hide away.☹️ Self-care is so important, and I feel so blessed to have my art table to run to during these challenging times. And yes, the small things other than my art, like sitting on my lanai and feeding the birds, putting my bare feet on the ground, watching the palm fronds rustle in the wind, and checking on a friend with a little catch-up call are so very important! One step at a time, each day. And yes, those showers, those little naps, helping others, taking a walk in nature, and always, always being gentle with oneself is such an important part of the healing and keeping the twinkle on!✨️ Love your roses!🌹🌹 Here's to Flower Power and keeping our lights shining bright!✨️💖 A huge hug and warmest Aloha to you today, my dear insta-friend! 🫶🫠AND A VERY HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY DEAR BRIGHT AND SHINY ONE! ✨️🤩✨️You are so loved.🫠🌺💕🙋♀️ mwah!💋💋😘😘
Thanks for sharing yourself and your vulnerability happy belated birthday to you beautiful human 🥰
First time viewer.
You have a lovely home/ a fantastic studio.
You have beautiful countryside.
life is wonderful.
(Just look at what you have)
Stay happy everyone
'I've been watching your videos for about a year, and truly appreciate you and your videos. I do to what you describe as freeze mode. I realized that I feel as if I'm living in a suspense thriller. When watching a movie or reading a book and the suspense gets too great for me, I turn it off, put down and don't go back. Someitmes the damage was already done and whatever it was that got me to turn it off, sticks with me, but not always. Anyway life seems to constantly be at that point of high suspense and even though I turn off and won't watch the news, and watch mostly arts and rafts videos or movies I've already seen, reality continues to creep back. So thank you for talking about this, it does help to hear others feel the same and what things they do to get past it. THANK YOU.
These words from the lovely Carpenters are for you and James Wendy " When there's no getting over that rainbow, when the smallest of dreams don't come true, I can face all the madness the world has to give, but I won't last a day without you". xxx
I so appreciate your honesty, Wendy. I feel much the same way as you. Frustrating at times. But I also believe the times we are going through and those of us sensitive to energies are really feeling the shift that is trying to happen. One for the better for us all. I love reminding ourselves that we are indeed worthy and loved. Thank you for being you. Such a gift. ❤
I have depression and you have really encouraged me today. Thank you so much. I love how your berries match your outfit. Your outfit is so cute. Roses are so pretty. Prayers going up for you. Happy Birthday. Hope yall have a great week sweet lady. 😊
Love to you dear Yes we are not alone and we are so loved more than we even know at times. the energies on the earth are so strong and the shifts can seem overwhelming but all will be well so yes we have to hang on and ride the waves as all will be clear and love will be the winning in these times . love to you all 💖💖💖💖
Thank you Wendy, so helpful! I’m 77, depression on and off most of my life. Hard to get a handle sometimes. Thank you for sharing ♥️
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You always manage to post just the right thing at the right time. Thank you❤
Thank you for your gentle, compassionate spirit! And for your encouragement 🧡
Thank you so much for showing up, being vulnerable and telling your truth Wendy. It helps a lot. So thank you.💕💕💕
I don’t leave my house apart from dr’s appointments l have an array of health issues including chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and PTSD. So I am so pleased to have found your channel you are so inspiring thank you ❤️
In America here. Watching you drive on the other side of the road is wild to me. LOL Just wanted to tell you that your Wisdom is priceless to me. I enjoy watching every Sunday! Love and Hugs from Texas
I am currently in such said funk…and I am so grateful you posted this. I really needed to listen to the Youniverse’s message. TYSM❣️✨