Hey Reader,

I am going to keep this week’s email short and sweet.

Over the past week, I have been watching my house plant grow tiny bit by tiny bit and it reminded me of some profound truths about resilience, growth, and the limits of our control that I would like to share with you.

I hope you find these reminders as useful as they were for me.

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With your well-being at heart,

Elia Kanak Rajah [she/her]

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Resilient Roots of a Houseplant

Almost about a month ago, I returned from a month of summer holiday visiting family in London, only to find our home unbearably hot (imagine even the floors were pretty warm to walk on - it felt like stepping into a sauna).

Not only was our home really hot, to my horror, my beloved house plants that were once thriving were almost all dead. 😢😢

Their leaves had completely browned, drooping and they all seemed beyond saving. You see, I had left the aircon on fan mode, thinking it would keep the plants cool enough while I was away. Clearly, that wasn’t enough in this crazy Dubai heat.

Once I got over my heartbreak of having killed my houseplants due to my own ignorant negligence, I initially tried to cut off all the dead leaves and stems from the plants that I thought could still survive.

Sadly, there did not seem to be much hope for many of them. Among them, I kept only one of them in my room - my Monsterra plant - while I threw out the rest.

For two whole weeks, I did nothing but water it once, unsure of what else to do. When I finally decided it was time to throw it away too, something caught my eye—a little green shoot peeking out from the soil.

My heart swelled with happiness and hope!

This tiny sign of life got me thinking about how much we can learn from our resilient roots.

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Resilience of Our Roots: Just like my Monsterra plant, our roots often run deeper than we realise. Even when everything above ground seems lost, if our roots are intact, we can survive the harshest conditions. It’s a powerful reminder that no matter how difficult things get, there’s always potential for new growth beneath the surface. (Also, this is why tending to our roots, which include our values, beliefs and connections both within ourselves and those external to us is so important!)

Growing at Our Own Pace: That little green shoot didn’t sprout overnight; it took its own sweet time. And that’s okay! We often pressure ourselves to grow quickly usually in order to keep up with others whom we think are further ahead than us. But nature teaches us that growth happens at its own pace. Allow yourself the grace to grow slowly and steadily.

Control vs. Letting Go: One of the biggest lessons from this experience is that we are not always in control of our external circumstances. In fact, there are probably more things out of our control than within it. Yet, we tend to believe we should have everything under control, which is a big contributor to our never-ending exhaustion and feelings of burnout.

So next time you feel overwhelmed by all the things you should be managing, remember my Monsterra plant.

Sometimes, letting go and trusting in your deep-rooted resilience can lead to unexpected bursts of new life and hope.

Take a moment today to appreciate your own roots and the unique pace of your growth journey. You are stronger than you think and capable of surviving even the toughest conditions.

Remember, not all growth is visible to others. The most important types of growth happen within us—invisible but incredibly significant. Your journey is uniquely yours, and every small victory matters.

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Attune to your Body

Take a moment to arrive fully into the space you’re in, perhaps by noticing how you’re seated/ standing and where your feet meets the ground or whatever surface it is on. If you’d like, you may notice any subtle or obvious ways in which your body is moving. Perhaps you might notice a small rise and fall of your chest as you’re breathing in and out, or you might notice parts of your body fidgeting in small or big ways. As you notice these subtle (or not so subtle) movements in your body, you may also be aware of the pace of these movements. What pace or rhythm is your body moving in? Whatever the pace may be, let that be okay. Perhaps you might also appreciate the way your body knows the pace it needs to move at and allow your mind to relax and trust your body to do what it needs to do, and move at the pace it wants to move in.

Contemplate with Soul

Invite in gentle curiousity as you sit with the following questions and journal/ draw/ creatively express/ move your body and allow the answers to emerge from within. In what ways are you growing or have grown that may not be as visible to others? How will you celebrate even the smallest growth you have experienced? To what extent, do you trust in your own deeply rooted resilience (i.e. the belief that you will be okay no matter what happens in life)? What contributes to this level of trust in yourself? Where in your life are you holding on tightly to control, that is actually outside of your control? What is stopping you from letting go of control? What are you afraid would happen?

Interested in a deeper connection? Let's meet over coffee (online)! ​ Get in touch

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