I miss nature and green space
I find so much peace in nature. Ironically, we live in a high-rise in a big city. It is convenient, for sure. The facilities in our building are great. The concierge makes it feel safe. We have a shop and restaurants just outside the door, and can easily walk to the nearest train and tram stops. Walking distance to most everything.
But I miss nature.
I miss green space: plants, trees, and mountains. I miss the wind on my face at some mountain top. And fresh air. Silence.
Even though the Peak and Lake District are both great, it’s just not the same as living close to nature. I’ve grown up with nature in near proximity: big trees around the house and farmland. The fjord just a 10-minute walk away. If you need a break from stress and everyday life, you put on your shoes and just walk. No organising needed.
The small parks around here, sadly, don’t feel like enough.
A week alone in the mountains
Nature has always been a bit of an escape for me. In 2018, I spent a full week alone in the Norwegian mountains. I would love to do that, or something similar, again soon. It was terrifying yet amazing. I was paranoid yet relaxed.
The first three days, I saw no sign of human life at all, and boy did that feel great. I was disconnected from everything, detoxing from social media, and keeping my phone in airplane mode to save battery. Despite being scared shitless after seeing traces of bears, haha, I felt one with nature. So calm. I don’t know how to explain the sense of freedom I felt.
I always feel different when I’m in nature, gaining a new perspective on things, realising that we spend so much time on things that don’t really matter all that much…
A new strategy at work
Yes, you need it to pay the bills and feel some sense of belonging, but work has been one aspect of my life that’s been challenging over the last year, for many reasons. But the main reason is that I have changed. I have changed my values (or they’ve at least become more apparent), and I’ve been focusing more and more on mental health. Up until the point where the job I’ve had for the last four years isn’t as fulfilling anymore. Not because the job isn’t good or anything. It pays well, it’s stable, and I’ve earned responsibilities and respect.
Four years – where I had only planned to stay for a year – in the same place is a testimony that it’s been good. I’ve learned a lot. Grown.
I help both my team and our customers in my current role, just not in the way I know would truly motivate me.
From September 1, I’m reducing my position to 60%, giving myself a chance to actually make something more out of Healthy Pixels. The paperwork has been signed, and people have been told.
The next steps
There is a lot to prepare before September. A new chapter is officially starting, and once again I am a mix of excited and terrified.
Naturally, being my own boss will come with its own challenges. But I look forward to a new sense of freedom. Of working from where I want, and spending more time doing something that fulfills me more again.
Those close to me know I have been talking more openly about mental health recently, and I’m excited to use Healthy Pixels to keep doing that while doing what I do best: being creative.
I know my hours will probably be wonky for a while, and work-life balance might feel off. But I’m prepared for that – and I can’t wait to share the upcoming journey with you!
