This time of year I tend to get a pretty frustrated with myself.

I find myself in the last month of the year, suddenly booking appointments, doing house jobs, initiating projects - all the things I should have done months ago.

Why do I wait until the 11th hour to do the things that could have been done at any other time of the year?

Do you feel this way too?

At this time of year, I seem to run a constant list of shoulds in my mind:

• I should buy a present for that person
• I should get my hair done for the summer break
• I should book my daughter’s dentist appointment
• I should get that door repainted
• I should reply to my WhatsApp messages faster

I am literally shoulding all over myself.

I go to bed thinking about the shoulds… and wake up with them too.

And then there are the shouldn’ts and shouldn’t haves - the ones that love to wake us up at 3am so we can feel guilty or bad about the things we did or didn’t do.

A perfect example: I went to an impromptu training in Bali the week before last to learn the art of Tea Ceremony -  a mindful, beautiful practice that uses tea and ritual to create space, calm and self-inquiry.

Before I went, I sat in all the reasons why I “shouldn’t”:

the money, the time, the kids, what people might think… blah, blah, blah.

In the end, I chose to listen to my inner knowing of what was right for me - and I’m so grateful I did.

✨ Today on the podcast, I’m talking about how to stop shoulding all over yourself and how to step into empowered choice and deep inner knowing.

Inside the episode, I guide you through:

• why shoulds and shouldn’ts feel so heavy in the body
• the difference between healthy shoulds and pressure shoulds
• the hidden cost of suppressing your true desires
• simple but powerful language shifts that move you from obligation → alignment
• a somatic practice to help you feel what’s true for you

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, stuck, guilty or pulled in a hundred directions… this episode will give you permission to breathe again.