Is your routine a strait-jacket? How to enact change, with Donna Ashworth
Feb 10, 2025
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In this insightful conversation, Donna Ashworth, a Sunday Times best-selling poet, opens up about her journey of change in midlife. She shares how she transitioned from a hectic lifestyle to embracing poetry, highlighting the transformative power of self-expression. Donna discusses the importance of vulnerability, coping with anxiety through hypnotherapy, and the need to challenge routines that may hold us back. Additionally, she emphasizes self-acceptance and the healing benefits of sharing one's flaws, urging listeners to step into their creativity.
Embracing vulnerability by sharing personal struggles fosters authentic connections, allowing individuals to relate on a deeper emotional level.
Poetry serves as a powerful tool for expression and healing, helping others navigate their emotions through shared experiences and written words.
Life transitions provide opportunities for growth and reinvention, emphasizing the importance of pursuing passion and fulfillment regardless of societal pressures.
Deep dives
Embracing Vulnerability
Embracing vulnerability allows individuals to connect on a deeper level. Sharing personal struggles or 'ugly truths' can be a powerful gift, fostering authentic connections among people. This idea emphasizes that while showcasing successes is enjoyable, revealing insecurities or challenges offers a more profound bond. By letting others in on their vulnerabilities, individuals create spaces of trust and understanding.
The Power of Poetry in Connection
Poetry serves as a vital means of connection and expression, bridging gaps between personal experiences and communal understanding. Donna Ashworth, a successful poet, encourages the sharing of poetry as a way to help others navigate their emotional landscapes. Despite initial reluctance, using poetry to communicate allows for healing through shared experiences. It illustrates the idea that written words can resonate deeply and inspire others to find comfort in their own feelings.
Facing Life's Transitions
Life transitions can often leave individuals feeling lost or overwhelmed, but they also present opportunities for growth and reinvention. Donna Ashworth's journey from a busy lifestyle to embracing poetry highlights the importance of pausing to reassess one's path. Instead of succumbing to societal pressures, she chose to pursue what brings her fulfillment. This shift demonstrates that it's never too late to pursue passion, even after significant life changes.
Managing Nerves and Performance Anxiety
Performance anxiety is a common experience that many individuals face, including those who share their creativity publicly. Techniques such as hypnotherapy and open acknowledgment of nerves can help in managing these feelings. By being honest with the audience about their fears, performers can transcend their anxiety and engage more meaningfully. This practice not only normalizes the experience of nervousness but also builds a bridge of connection with the audience.
Finding Balance in Chaos
The quest for balance in life can often feel elusive, especially amid today's fast-paced society. Many individuals experience the pressure to continually succeed while juggling multiple responsibilities, leading to overwhelming stress. Recognizing the importance of self-compassion and acceptance of one's imperfections is crucial for overall well-being. Embracing the chaotic nature of life and understanding that seeking peace, rather than perfection, can lead to a more fulfilling and content existence.
Do you dream of pivoting your career or lifestyle later in life? Poet Donna Ashworth did just that. She began to question the busy, fast-paced, perfectionist lifestyle she assumed was the norm, and decided to start posting and performing her beautiful poetry in her 40s...
In this chat with Fearne, Donna explains how she copes with the nerves that come with doing something so new, including hypnotherapy and simply admitting out loud that she’s anxious. She also reflects on how she realised she’d been living with depression and eating disorders for a long time.
If you’re not happy it’s up to you to apply change or you can’t expect different outcomes. Donna talks through how to work out if your routine is deliciously comforting for you, or if it’s become a strait-jacket that’s holding you back. Plus, she shares why it’s helpful for others if you’re able to disclose your own ugly truths and flaws.
Donna’s latest book of poetry, To The Women, is out on the 13th of February.
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