The PEACEful Path of Recovery

Are you ready to explore your path to a PEACEful recovery?

My recovery began the day I fell in love with walking, and with the green hills of the place I call home. 

My home town, and the view that started my love affair with walking and with my home

There were almost 10 years between that day, and the day I decided I deserved more than a life of hangovers, blurry memories, lingering shame and constant regret. Ten years which my liver and lungs (and the rest of my body, and my psyche) probably hated me for. But I know that my path of recovery was made of mud, hills and beautiful views long before I stepped onto a yoga mat and breathed myself sober.

And in these recent long months of depression, anxiety and losing any sense of who I am, the mud, hills and beautiful views have, once again, given me my path of recovery. I am very lucky to live in beautiful South Wales, where we have an abundance of mud, hills and beautiful views, and I have found solace in the company of nature when I haven’t been remotely fit for human company. Sought the song of the birds when human made music felt overwhelming and empty. Found comfort and joy in the peace of the hills when the turmoil inside has been too much.

Happiest when hiking!

And peace is what we all want isn’t it? Peace is what recovery is all about at it’s core, I think. Finding a place of peace inside yourself, so that you don’t need to numb your emotions and destroy yourself.

Return to Your Trees, the name of this newsletter, is a twist on a Welsh phrase “dod yn ôl at fy nghoed", which means ‘to return to my trees’. At it’s more metaphorical meaning, it means ‘to return to a state of balance and peace’. I have Return to YOUR trees, in Welsh, tattooed on my chest.

So if we are all seeking peace, how can we do it?

Well, after years of seeking, looking in some of the wrong places, and figuring out, through experience and training, I’ve narrowed it down to a few things.

I’d love to introduce you to the PEACEful Path of Recovery.

Purpose and Practice

Emotions

Awareness and Acceptance

Connection

Energy

This is my PEACEful Path of Recovery. What gives you PEACE in your life?

Join me on the PEACEful Path of Recovery

Beginning on January 1, I’ll be diving deep into these elements of the pathway over the following eight weeks (the last week we'll be looking at how to stay on the path!). I’ll share an essay on each individual element, which will be available to all, while the accompanying writing prompts, meditations and nature connection practices will be for paying subscribers only. If you want to spend some time exploring what you will find on the PEACEful Path of Recovery, you can upgrade or subscribe below.

I’m really excited to share the PEACEful Path to Recovery with you beginning with Purpose. Until then, please share this with anyone you think could use some PEACE in their life!