#30dayfeb Challenge for Tommy’s

So my university tutor/friend/mentor/super inspiring person, Sophie Daniels, ran a challenge throughout the month of February (including the 1st March to create 30 days) under her artist project name, Liberty’s Mother. The name Liberty’s Mother comes from the name of her daughter who died very tragically the day before she was born and so Sophie has been working incredibly hard, raising awareness about baby loss and money for baby loss charities, particularly Tommy’s and Sands. And so for this month, Sophie is running a challenge about doing something positive for your wellbeing every day for thirty days.

I know a lot of people are doing physical things, like yoga or going to the gym or something that builds up their physical strength. But due to my chronic fatigue and chronic pain, those aren’t options for me. So I decided to do something good for my brain, something that relaxes my brain because I’m really not good at relaxing my brain. So I decided to make a piece of origami everyday because I’ve always found it calming; I can’t concentrate on anything else while I’m doing it. I guess it’s a form of mindfulness, although I’ve always struggled with the concept. I’m not great at origami but hopefully I’ll get better. The idea is that, if you manage 30 days (or if you’re feeling generous, regardless of how many days), you can donate here and help raise money for Tommy’s.

And I did it. I managed a whole 30 days. Here are my origami creations.

So, if you want to, you can donate to Tommy’s or click here for the JustGiving link for the specific challenge. If you choose to donate and want to include my name in the message, that would be lovely but regardless, thank you for your kindness and your generosity. It’s very, very much appreciated. And if this inspires you to try something similar for 30 days, go for it. It’s a good motivator. And I also encourage you to follow Liberty’s Mother on Instagram because Sophie’s written some amazing things during this challenge. Here’s just one example:

View this post on Instagram

#babylossawareness #30daychallenge #posttraumaticstress #30dayfeb #babyloss #yogainspiration #psoasrelease #psoas @hotyogahouse @hotyogawimbledon @yogahookuk Why yoga is great for baby loss recovery … today I realised what it is that I am letting go of during this 30 day challenge doing hot yoga. Over 9 years ago now, I gave birth to Liberty. Beforehand I was told that my daughter had died inside me just before she was due. I was told that I must give birth (for the first time) to her dead body, then decide ‘whether’ to hold her. They said ‘we don’t know how she died yet or how she will look, prepare for anything’. During the whole 24hours over which this took place, I remember feeling as though I wasn’t really present but was in a film. Behind the camera watching the action and not feeling what was happening. This is what our minds and bodies do when they fear we cannot handle what is happening to us, that it is too emotionally dangerous to live in real time. Afterwards we have the ‘post traumatic stress’ because we haven’t lived the real time stress. It’s stored in our brains but it’s also stored, like all our difficult emotions, in our bodies. Yoga helps us to gently release the emotions, feelings and tensions that we hold in the muscles and tissues in our bodies. Postures that get down deep into the psoas muscle particularly, really help as we store deep held stress there. It’s been nine years since these events, (I have also had two babies, moved house twice and somehow kept a hold of my mind, my career and my marriage in the meantime), and it feels like the right time to release the last of this deep held stress. If you’ve experienced baby loss, try yoga my friends. I have also benefitted from talking therapy and other physical therapies but yoga is by far the most emotionally healing thing I’ve had in my life. It’s been my greatest friend, energy, support and healing system. Give hot yoga a try. ❤️Liberty’s Mother

A post shared by Liberty's Mother (@libertysmother) on Feb 15, 2020 at 1:24pm PST

I have to admit, this challenge was hard for me. It was stressful to make sure I managed a piece everyday when I’ve got so much on. There were some days when I hated it. But there were also days where it made me smile. And my Mum has been very funny, filling the mantle piece with every piece I’ve made, even when they’re terrible. I have to say, that while I initially thought it was silly, it’s actually inspired me to keep going. It’s been hard – sometimes really hard – to find the time but I did it and I’m really proud of that.

If you try a 30 day challenge, good luck! And if you donate, thank you! I hope this post has inspired you. I hope you have a great, positive day.