One Week Out
On headspace, presence, and letting yourself exhale.
In this newsletter: one week out, what my brain tried to tell me, and the permission to exhale before the big thing arrives.
One week from today I fly to Greenland.
This morning I strapped up my feet, clipped into my expedition harness, and dragged a tire for 15 kilometres. Single tire. Easy pace. Not because I needed the fitness. Because I wanted to feel it. Be in it. Enjoy it.
I had a sore throat earlier in the week. Took three days off in four. And my brain immediately went to work. That’s it. You’re losing fitness. You’re not going to be ready. It’s all fucked.
Even though I know how this works. I know strength doesn’t disappear in three days. I know cardiovascular adaptation doesn’t evaporate because you skipped a session. I know the science. Doesn’t matter. The mind does what it does.
But I didn’t chase the spiral this time. I let the days be what they needed to be. Visualisation. Meditation. Journaling. Sat with it instead of fighting it.
Seven years ago I would have called that soft. Pushed through. Trained sick. Proven something to no one. Now I know better. Just because you don’t believe in something doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. It just means you don’t get the benefits.
A couple of days off and I feel fucking amazing. The body knows. You just have to get out of its way.
That’s the thing about self-compassion. It’s not about going easy on yourself. It’s about being honest about what you actually need. Sometimes that’s a hard session. Sometimes that’s rest. Sometimes it’s sitting quietly with your own head before the big thing arrives.
One week to go. Packing coming together. A few details left. But the work is done. Now it’s presence. Leaning into where I am instead of where my head wants to drag me.
If you’re here for advice, here it is.
If you’ve got something big on your horizon, a deadline, a conversation, a challenge, give yourself permission to exhale.
Trust what you’ve built.
Stay present.
Stop fighting yourself.
And that’s it for this week.
If you missed any of my recent posts:
I’m hoping to get a few YouTube videos out this week covering the final prep and packing. If you’ve got questions about any of it, reach out. I’ll answer what I can before I disappear.
As always, you can reach me directly on email or WhatsApp or reach out from my website.
And if any of this has been useful or you’re enjoying the ride, share it with someone who might need it. Would really appreciate it.
Back next week before I vanish onto the ice.
Do good work.
G.