Wilson & Dorset Co-Founder Amanda here. Between the kids, the business, the charitable trust and generally keeping all the plates spinning, chaos can sometimes feel like a state of being. And that's just my little corner of the world.
So this winter, I went looking for calm. Not in a boardroom or a brief, but in the small rituals I quietly return to when things start to pile up. The ones that bring me back to myself. Hence, Cures for a Chaotic World. Turns out it was autobiographical.
Here what I keep coming back to:
A cold water dip at Dublin Bay
I will not pretend this one is glamorous. Early morning down at Dublin Bay before the day has had a chance to get loud or make demands. The cold hits, and I feel like the cold forces me to be hyper present. I feel fully alive within my own skin. The cold water shrinks my worries, and I feel completely myself again. Once immersed in the freezing water, the world quietens, and I look around at nature's beauty, and perspective returns. Then I'm quickly out of the water, my skin tingling. My mind is more electric than any cup of coffee could ever deliver. And I feel charged for the day.
Time with good humans
When deadlines and deliverables stretch out in front of me, the instinct is to put my head down and push through alone. I have done this, and it does not work. What actually works is time with the people who know me well, the deep belly laughs, the mishaps retold and the wins celebrated. My circle isn't large, but I'm so grateful for the friendships that have stood the test of time and still make me laugh until I cry. And isn't a good cry with your mates just the best! We often throw a dose of nature and a glass of vino into the mix too. It's the perfect reset.
Curling up fireside in the Shaggy Bean Bag
Me, my old shaggy beanbag, a crackling fire, and a book I can't put down. Few things make me happier. My family seems to instinctively know not to disturb me, as if the beanbag creates a force field that keeps the whole world at bay for a while. The joy is even greater when my daughter settles into her own shaggy bag beside me, book in hand. I'm only half joking when I say shaggy beanbags have done more to bring teenagers back to analogue reading than almost anything else.
These are my cures. Pretty simple.
Whatever yours look like, I hope you find the calm this winter.
Amanda.
