When I was five, my mother occasionally allowed me to stay some summery days with my beloved late grandmother; nannie was a retired matron, who first diagnosed my cerebral palsy.

It was a welcome respite, to be treated like the little girl, that I was. She dressed me in pretty clothes, braided my hair, fed me properly- and introduced me to nature.

We’d go on gentle country-lane walks and she taught me all about wildflowers’ and which delightful song – belonged to each feathered friend. Back then, I knew the natural remedies that our botanical life could provide to support our health.

Nannie smelt so fragrant, a mix of lavender and roses, her garden boasted some of the most delightful old fashioned tea roses. We’d sit under the perfumed canopy of them, on her bench in her garden…whilst she gave me coping techniques for mother.

Her arrival was always the same: car screeching up, disturbing the peace, nannie would quip, mid -sentence, widening her gaze at me. A reassuring caress of my cheek, and a quick glimpse of her kind lavender eyes. Remember my sweet Emma-Jane, just try to keep out of her way sweetie.

 

Not that I dared tell Nannie much about my home life.

But I had my solace, because horse-shoed around mother’s car- was a bouncy fragrant lavender bush. It breathed peace up into my nostrils, and I purposefully drank in the scent. I would squish the flowers through my fingers, and stuff handfuls into my pockets. I would squirrel them away in an old clean sock, and sniff it for comfort, later in bed, whilst mother screamed below.

It kept nannie and her kindness with me, and helped clear my head. I had learned to make my own anchor.

Even now, just like you, I get low days. February is a challenging month for me, it is the anniversary of several family members’ passing.

Yet I made my own anchor, all those years ago, by simply utilising the sense of smell. I layer it up, candles, incense, soap etc. It still gives me great comfort and it is a free form of essential self-care

We never need to spend money on expensive treatments, when we are surrounded by the magic of nature. I have tried many anchor alternatives, but nothing beats the appreciation of our natural world, and using our wonderful human senses to appreciate it with.

I hope you find this helpful.

SUNNY wishes,

Emma x