How To Cope With The Chaos & Slow Down With The Sky...

A slow, simple life awaits you.

Hi Substack Family,

I hope your week is moving along nicely. June is moving speedily along isn’t it? Imagine equinox is only around the corner when it arrives on June 22nd. Nature is in full bloom in Ireland at the minute, and after a rainy few days - the grass is looking so lush and green (there is always a silver lining - we just need to look for it), we are returning to beautiful summer sunshine and blue skies all across the country now and I am so grateful for that.

There really is nothing as sweet as these long bright evenings - the length of the day stretching out further and further where the sun doesn’t set till after 10 or half ten. Pure bliss and us Irish do not take a second of it for granted as we have paid our dues, we have travelled through a long dark winter and the pure joy of sunshine on Irish people’s faces is something that can’t be matched anywhere else in the world. When sunshine arrives in any shape or form, Ireland is probably the happiest place in the world.

We are a nation that dig deep when called on, but we also know how to make the most of the moment especially when the opportunity to have fun and spend time slowing down is offer. The Irish are great at that and in the last twelve months I’ve made an intentional promise to myself to not only live slowly but to soak up every good moment I’m gifted with and to absorb every fibre of it. Us Irish believe in working hard but we equally know how to switch off and enjoy the good times when they are here.

While the world continues to blast out noise like a ghettoblaster back in the 80’s - minus the fact that the sounds from the 80’s were pure magic compared to the **** in 2025…..>Lou cues one of her favourite choons from her own ghettoblaster- just hit this pink link to hear what i’m listening to as I write this: choooon to make you smile and dance ….

As part of my approach to live a peaceful life in 2025, I’ve had to make myself well aware of ways to keep my eyes on the good in this world and to not be drawn into the bad. While it’s easy to show us the bad side of everything, it is not good for our mental health to consume so much negativity and fear based news - our nervous systems suffer greatly if we do too - so instead of drowning myself in the darkest shades of humanity, I have chosen to be proactive with my life and try my best to keep my eyes on the good stuff instead! ;) I also made the decision at the start of the year that I would live slowly going forward. No more rushing or racing. And when I say that, I don’t just mean rushing and racing to places, I also mean rushing and racing in my mind. No more leaving this moment for the next. No instead I will stay right where I am and enjoy every minisecond of it and if I am suffering in anyway in that moment too, I remind myself that I know this too will pass and I will be stronger because of it. I am a cool collected kind sort of soul and I never want to lose that. When people are making plans and stressing about them, I lean into the go with the flow attitude that i’ve always had and trust fully that everything will work out just the way it should. So far, that attitude has not let me down.

This life is not meant to be suffered 24/7 and we are definitely not meant to be feeling the feelings of every person on this planet via the news or through so many conversations which are often based on the endless darkness that is out there (not forgetting that darkness is only ever one side of the story). No, this is not healthy nor good for our systems, it is instead very unhealthy for the mind and very uneasy for our nervous systems to be constantly being fed bad news and places us in a heightened fight or flight mode. When you consume alarming news on a constant drip feed like we often do nowadays, our brains—especially the amygdala -it is the processing center for fear in our brain - it instead interprets the news as as a threat which is then triggered numerous times within us as we read, hear and feel the darkness in headlines. Even if the events are far away or unrelated to our lives, our nervous systems can’t always distinguish between immediate danger and distant stories and this hurts us internally, over and over again. The sympathetic nervous system is responsible to know how to react when something bad happens to us so if we consume too much intense news, we then move our bodies and minds into a constant hypervigilent mode which in turns leads to a state of alertness that is not healthy in anyway and actually is very damaging within us. By doing this daily, we suppress the parasympathetic system which is in control of rest and calmness and in turn we end up feeling less happy, less safe and less at peace.

Some might say Lou, you’re being a bit over the top there and as I always say, we all can have different opinions but my worry about this way of living is that in turn you are suppressing true feelings and creating false ones, anger, bitterness,a sense of hopelessness can start to thread its way into your mind and that is never an easy thing to untangle once it gets in. Also I am not denying that there aren’t bad things it this world, personally my life has been through the mill in a thousand layers of darkness so I know the dark very well but I do believe we must look and listen to the good in the world to allow us to truly experience and enjoy this path we are on. There is so much good in this life but if we eat darkness everyday in the way modern media and modern governments want us to, there is no doubt about it, we will in the end become that darkness ourselves. Darkness aims to destroy the light and it does not need invitation, instead it is always looking for an opportunity to take advantage of you. Darkness will effect us in way that might not be noticed at the start but it will creep in, slowly but surely into our cells and then into our lungs and then into our heart beat and then into our minds and the finally into our words and behaviours. Our judgements will slowly become clouded, our throughts will become skewed and our tenderness to another will eventually sharpen and retreat.

So having all that said (that was a lot but I just wanted to place some context to my substack this week haha ;) I didn’t mean the context to be over a thousand words but it wouldn’t be a lou letter if I didn’t bring you around the block and over the hill and then back to my main point right!?) This week I want to talk to you about a few ways I have slowed my life down and also different things I turn to in feeding myself positive, joyful and peaceful mind food so to speak. I have a list as long as my arm but today I will share just five or six ways I’ve intentionally slowed my mind and my life down and how in constantly encouraging these ‘peace feeders’ into my life, not in a pressured or ‘must do’ way but more in a gentle ‘I love doing these things way.’ ‘They make me feel good way.’ ‘I must remember to keep doing them way’, if that makes sense. My mind and body feel relaxed even when faced with heavy or hard things. I’m hoping I might be able to help you to just feel a bit better about the world and inside yourself this week.

The world is chaos at the moment but we are not responsible for the world. What we are responsible for is ourselves and how we speak to ourselves all day long and then in turn, how we speak to others all day long too. It’s so important that we intentionally create, consume and carve out joy and peace in our everyday lives especially if we are lucky to live in a place where peace already exists and also the invaluable blessing that waking up in a healthy body every morning should bring. As the day moves on, it’s up to us to look for the good in every move we make and also to consume the good stuff too. If we do not look for it, we will not find it and in turn we will not feel good.

I am now going to list a few options here that help me to keep peace in my heart, clarity in my mind and hope in my hands. These are just a few ways that keep me focused on what I am grateful for and they most definitely help me to live a slower and simpler life in what has become quite a chaotic world.

I hope you enjoy my little list and if you keep reading you will be treated to a Lou Special - Storytime (second one of the letter I hear you say haha;) - It’s in video format so a little different …. I hope you enjoy it and I hope it makes you smile and maybe it might help slow down your mind in this moment, slow down your thoughts about this life and leave you in a place of peace for long enough to remind you that peace is all around us but the most important place it is, is within. Two words about storytime: fox cubs ;)

Things that help me cope with the mess and noise of 2025 and in turn help me slow down and look up in equal measure:

1. Music of all sorts. Loving my local Irish starbar - CMAT - Here’s a link to CMAT’s big hit at the moment, it’s a tiktok trend and even though we knew Ciara was a legend many years ago, the world is now catching on and I suppose we will have to share ;) This is a link to CMAT’s newest choon - you can thank me later for how long it stays in your head and heart; Take A Sexy Picture of Me - The song was written last year when after a video went up on the BBC, the comment section had to be turned off because there were so many people saying terrible things about Ciara’s physical appearance. Instead of hitting out or retaliating, she turned inwards and wrote a stomper of a song. Also to mention an extra piece of info about CMAT, a really good friend Colm you will see in CMAT’s band… Colm lives down the road, around the bend and over the hill ;) and is making our parish extra proud of him (we have always been so proud of him) but seeing him light up on the stage with CMAT as he gives it socks on the keys makes me smile even more :) Colm is such a beautiful human and has worked in the industry as long as I can remember so it’s just so good to see him hit the big time. So well deserved for Colm, Ciara and all the gang. My tip here is to listen to music. Music can heal a heart, can accompany your pain and can really shift your mood. Music is my life and wherever I am there is a very high chance music is playing with me….On my hitlist right now: CMAT, Amistat, Coldplay, Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac, Kingfishr, 50’s music of all kinds, Biird and so many more….Do you enjoy music? What music are you enjoying right now? Feel free to drop me so choons in the comments…I love finding new music and also LOVE finding old music x

2. Friends: Staying close and meeting for lots of cups of tea and chats with the best people that chose to not only walk into you life but also to stay -This applies to virtual and real life cups of teas and meet up’s. Staying in touch with the best people keeps me very much balanced. I feel strong and resilient as well as loved and full of good energy when I stay in touch with the people who matter to me and who see me in the light and also in my days of darkness. Friendship is all about effort and showing up. You will always have good people closeby when you share this path with them. They help you carry your cross when it gets heavy and then you help them carry theirs too. Friendship is about balance and effort. That is where the magic lies. For me, friends are the family I choose for myself and I am so so grateful for each of the beautiful souls who light up my life and have helped me find so much strength when I’ve felt weak. There is absolutely nothing more beautiful that a good friend. Any mountain can be climbed and of course a good laugh with a friend is a wonderful antidote to this world too. Keep close to your friends. Their light is always on. My light is always on for you and the kettle will always be boiling too. My friends make me a better person and everytime I sit and chat with a friend, time doesn’t seem to exist and that’s when I really really do slow down. Have you got a friend who comes to mind who helps you slow down too?

3. Prayer: Listening, thinking and praying in my own little way are so helpful to me to slow down. My prayers are very much of the Lou kind. Gratitude is the foundation to my faith and everyday I wake I count myself so lucky to be alive and well and I start from there. I think of all the people who have asked me for special intentions or to be included in my prayers. I think of how lucky I am to have so many amazing people around me and I know that God plays a huge part in the strength I’ve found as I’ve travelled through some very tough times. I also feel close to dad, Gran, Celine, Alan and so many people I miss in this life and I regularly chat to all of them. Gran and Dad are a big feature of learning how to live and laugh even when you miss people who are no longer with us. My faith in Heaven and feeling witnessed are a huge aspect of why I believe along with prayer helping me direct my heart when someone is in trouble. Lighting candles and prayer are my thing and they have helped a lot in 2025. Prayer always slows me down and if I’m thinking of someone else while I pray that slows me down even further.

4. The Sky: Whether at sunrise, sunset, middle of the day, rain showers or the moon and stars at night, the sky has been my everything to refocus my thoughts and is integral to centering myself along with slowing me right down. I live my life looking up at the sky. Wherever I am, you will catch me peaking upwards. I am obsessed for over thirty years plus all the rest with the sky. It gives me all the hope I need and when it’s miserable and grey, I feel so close to its mood too. There is nothing like soft rain in Ireland. The sound of it falling to the ground, the lush green grass soaking it in, it blending into my skin and the beauty after it stops is just breathtaking. I believe in this life it’s completely up to us how we see things and as humans we always have the choice to look for the good no matter what happens. If we focus on the darkness, it will trap you into a mindset that darkness is in control when that is not the case. The only person in control is you. We choose how we see the world everyday and for my mental health, I choose to look for the good and when things go astray, I sit, wait and pray, and with time those clouds move on and the sun rises once again.

5. Nature: Well what can I say about this one. Nature for me is the greatest instant antidote to feeling crap about this world and myself (who doesn;’t feel crap about themselves every so often? if they tell you they never do, they are lying to you haha) and also nature is amazing for reminding me how gorgeous this world and I am gorgeous too- there I said it- what wonderful ownership eh- me and my ghettoblaster blasting lou vibes out to the world - you can see that image in your head right? I hope I look trés cool haha ;)

   For me nature offers me the fastest, most beautiful response to the world being a shit show - by showing me in its own natural colours and in the only natural way its knows to be - and that is by being itself….Nature reminds me daily that this world is mindblowingly beautiful inside and out. Nature is nature. It does not blur the lines nor present itself in a fake way, instead it is itself. No messing about. When it’s moody, it’s moody and gets it out of its system and then for the rest of the time it is absolutely bloody gorgeous. It contantly offers us the opportunity to notice it. To slow down. To look at it. To sit with it. To breathe it in. Sometimes in small ways and sometimes big. Depends on what mood you are in yourself or sometimes it depends on what lesson we need affirming. I like to think that people generally see what is in front of them by how they feel themselves on the inside. For me, nature is everything. Whether it is the grass, the sky, the flowers, the weather, the birds, the bees….whatever mother nature has on offer, whatever I open up my eyes to see…The majority of the time she serves me with an opportunity to stop, to pause, to rest, to slow down and to look up. She also gives me a chance to stop and stare. She is constantly reminding me to slow right down and to live in this very moment. I love her for that. I have become a very good slow person in my life over the last 12 months in particular. So if you are looking for a way to slow down your mind and in turn slow down your life, just step outside and look up. The antidote to all that pain in your heart thankfully is all around us. Throw in a friend and a cup of tea with a little bit of music - and that could be the birds singing and you’ve found heaven. Hold tight my friends, the ride might be rocky but that’s the way it’s meant to be. A good sailor only learns to sail the boat in stormy waters and when the storm passes, the sea couldn’t be more beautiful. You are beautiful and never forget that! x

6. ….Finally I’ve reached my storytime (haha)…I know this letter has about seventy five storytimes but I know you know me very well and you expect nothing less at this stage right haha ;) Guess what my storytime is connected to—- well you might have guessed it - The topic is nature :) :)….I’ll let the videos do the telling and the talking from here and I really hope you enjoy this little unusual approach to sharing a few hours of what I get up to as I slow my life right down….. Fox cubs incoming….

Part 1: Slowing down with fox cubs in a field….Following in the footsteps of my dad and how he always showed us how to appreciate and love nature….

Part 2: My braincells weren’t working for two words: *Little Red Riding Hood & *Container- this will make sense when you hear the next video :)

Part 3: Enter Daddy Fox… you might need to watch twice as this is such a short video but it was huuuuuggggeee (huge) ;)So beautiful….

Part 4: Me sitting on my container (an empty drum) chilling, sitting, waiting, watching….. oh and chatting…of course I am chatting to the birds….They had a lot to say too…Think I might have been a bird in my past life ;)

Part 5: One word:Rabbit…

Part 6: Detective Lou is on the case….what is it I see here? Hmmmmm footprints….The Fox family were out and about….

Part 7: I got distracted by this beautiful wildflower and I took this photo just for yoU! Be sure to know this flower is smling at your gorgeous face xx I see you smiling back ;)

Part 8: Waiting….

Part 9: Bingo :) I see you :)

Part 10: Totally worth the wait…..

Part 11 - The final part but soooo cute…what is better than one fox cub?!?!? ;)

The end!!!!But it’s a happy one :) :)

I hope you enjoyed this substack letter from my heart to yours. Please feel free to leave a comment down below or you might like to subscribe to my writing. i would be so grateful if you might be temped. Thank you so much x

Ps. Two recommendations for viewing this week. I have just started to rewatch Downton Abbey. I absolutely loved it the first time round and just decided, I wanted to escape into a programme at this time and it is so serving that purpose. If you haven’t watched Downton, the time is now. it’s on Netflix and it’s absolutely brilliant and is the perfect antidote to forget about the present day world.

A second recommendation for your viewing is the the film ‘Straw’ which is also on Netflix. It will bring on the tears I guarantee but it is one of the best films i’ve ever seen with such a great story and it is so approapriate for us to reflect on our everyday interactions with the people we meet and see. Honestly it is without doubt one of the best films I’ve seen in a long time.

Hope you have a great equinox and mid June vibes.

Keep looking up dear friends,

Lou x