Ruth Pearson - Forward Living

As I’m sat with my morning cup of tea (the most important one of the day), I’m feeling very reflective.

The weekend just gone I was at Womanifest and gave a talk on my journey from being a teen mum to getting a PhD, and how when life feels overwhelming, when we have a million tabs open in our head we have an urge to speed up, when what we need to do is slow down.

It was an amazing weekend filled with so much joy, love, and kindness, exactly what we need more of in this world.

In two days I graduate and this is truly a momentous moment for me. I feel proud of what I’ve achieved so far in my life, I feel excited to share that with my family and friends who have supported me through the years. I also feel a deep sadness that my lovely Dad won’t be with us in person.

When he first got ill and I went to see him in intensive care, he said “I want to see you get your PhD, don’t stop doing it”. ♥️

Well Dad here I am, your daughter, the Doctor. I did it.

So where do I go from here?

Well I have some ideas that will soon come into fruition. But for today I’m slowing down a little bit, taking my own advice, there’s a lot whirling round my brain so I’m taking a moment to acknowledge how my body feels and how the mixture of emotions all have a place in this moment.

I honestly believe that with support, and consistent little steps we are all capable of achieving our dreams.

What steps will you be taking today?

♥️🩷♥️

My nervous system doesn’t need motivation.

It needs:

Safety

Consistency and

A bit of fun with a good friend ❤️♥️❤️

How can you help your nervous system to feel safe today? ♥️❤️♥️

This picture represents so much about me.

My dog Alfie, always by my side, my little partner in crime, my boss, my companion.

The two collars, a stark reminder that two weeks a go his sister would have been on the bed with us. She went for her forever sleep, so now it’s me and Alf against the world supporting each other. ❤️♥️

The little pencil case full of crochet hooks. I love to just sit and crochet, I struggle to sit still for long, I feel fidgety, like I should be doing something, but if I’ve got the crochet it keeps my hands busy and allows me to sit still for longer. I love it when my two daughters come over and we’ll all be sat there making something.

The cow blanket, and the cows on the case, the blanket was bought for me by my youngest, and the case my mum bought for me. I have a strange obsession with cows, black and white ones are my favourite. I moo when I drive past fields of cows, and yell out “BABY COWS” when I see calves with their mother’s. 🐄 ♥️❤️

Such a simple scene with so much meaning, there’s joy and sorrow in this image, but most of all an immense feeling of gratitude that I get to experience all this.

This is me, before I’d even started adult hood, me my mum, my nan, and my daughter.

This version of me could not imagine the now version of me. This young girl has come such a long way and over come so much. I am immensely proud of her, and can’t wait for her to see us graduate with a PhD next week. 🎓

I’ll be talking about my journey at Womanifest on Saturday, from overwhelm to unstoppable!

3:30pm in the Get Sh*t Done Tent!!! Come along and see how I went from teen mum to PhD!

We need your help ❤️

Fundraising is so much more than asking for donations. It’s sharing posts, chatting to friends, putting a collection tin on a counter, organising a cake sale, suggesting a dress-down day at work, or simply cheering us on when we’re running out of steam.

Liv and I are balancing this challenge alongside work, family life and our own health, and if we’re honest… we’re tired. But we’re also determined.

We’re cycling 400km from Vietnam to Cambodia to raise £10,000 for Alder Hey Children’s Charity, and we know we can’t reach that goal on our own.

If you’ve ever thought, “I’d love to help but I don’t know how,” here are a few ideas:
🧁 Hold a cake sale.
👕 Organise a dress-down day at work.
📱 Share our page with your friends and family.
💜 Donate if you’re able.
🙌 Send us a message if you’ve got another fundraising idea.

Every donation, every share, every conversation and every word of encouragement genuinely makes a difference. It all helps us get one step closer to our target and, more importantly, helps support the incredible work Alder Hey does for children and families.

Thank you for believing in us and for being part of this journey. We honestly couldn’t do it without you. ❤️

If you think you could help in any way, or know someone who might, pop us a message or comment below. We’d love to hear from you. 💜

I know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed. Like everyone else thinks you’ve got it all together, but underneath you’re just waiting for someone to realise you’re not actually managing as well as they think you are.

It can be hard juggling so many different roles. I’ve felt that panic in the pit of your stomach when you’re trying to work out how you’re going to do everything without letting anyone down. I’ve felt the guilt when you do drop a ball, and that sense of pinballing from one major thing to the next.

That’s why I created the Reality Reset.

Think of it as a two-hour oasis. 🌺🌸🌼

A chance to stop, breathe, untangle the knot, get clear on what really matters, and leave with a realistic plan so you can move forward feeling calmer, more in control, and stronger in holding the boundaries around the things that don’t serve your purpose.

Drop a heart in the comments, or message me for more details.

If you’re not quite ready for the full Reality Reset, don’t worry. I’ll pop a couple of resources in the comments that might be a good place to start. 💜

I’ve had a difficult week or so.

On Saturday we had send our beloved Misty on her final journey. We’ve had her for 9years since she was tiny, and she was a little mischief maker so her absence is huge.

Alfie, her brother, is coping better than I thought he would although he’s a lot more clingy if that was even possible.

I’ve got a routine for him which is super important because if he knows what’s happening he feels safe. He can be reactive and is very attached to me.

We can’t explain to dogs what’s changed or why. He just knows something is missing and different in his life and his little nervous system doesn’t like it.

Routine, staying calm, physical closeness all help him to stay calm and feel safe enough to relax.

It’s the same with us humans, because we are after all mammals as well. The same behavioural principle apply. Only the difference is we have language and can therefore hold on to things from the past or predict things in the future, but our body doesn’t know that that’s not happening right here and now, so it responds to those thoughts.

This is why mindfulness and reconnecting to the present moment is important to help keep your nervous system regulated. It’s not easy to do, but even 30 secs of grounding yourself into the present moment by noticing 5 things in your environment can help bring down the alert system a notch or two.

What are you doing daily to help your nervous system react to what is actually happening rather what has happened or might happen?? ♥️❤️♥️