It's been a while - what to do when life whizzes by

When I started my Substack I had every intention of posting regularly, then life got in the way. And as every new notification popped uo in my inbox, saying someone had subscribed I felt the guilt build up.

Yet I have to remember I have been busy. And I decided to take the summer off work. I’ve been busy moving house - or more accurately relocating 150 miles. Trying to buy and sell a house when you are neurodivergent is exhausting. The moving process is not autism / ADHD friendly. Our house sale fell through three times before we actually moved, so I really didn’t think it was going to happen.

And then almost out of the blue it did. When we finally moved I kept standing in the garden crying in disbelief. We have beautiful views now of fields and big skies, which is very good for the soul. The garden is more than we could have hoped - I feel like I am bragging when I say that, but having lived in a townhouse for 10 years with a backyard on different levels - I can say our garden is magical! We bought the biggest trampoline we could - perfect for my autistic / ADHD son to let off some steam. And for me too!

Did you know…

The benefits of trampolining is HUGE! It helps me regulate, increase my dopamine and it should be getting me fit. In one small 2016 study conducted for the American Council on Exercise, 24 college students jumped on mini trampolines for six months. During each 19-minute workout, men burned an average of 12.4 calories per minute, while women burned 9.4 calories per minute, similar to running six miles per hour on flat ground. Not sure if it’s harder work on a bigger or smaller trampoline, but either way I’m going to keep bouncing.

Also trying to settle two autistic / ADHD teens (well one teen and one nearly teen - but at 5ft 8 tall doesn’t look like a 12 year old!) who don’t like change has been tricky. Especially with one that is not that happy with moving further away from London, to a quieter life in the countryside. But being honest, it’s not been as hard as I thought it might be, thankfully. We’ve had some wobbles from them which is understandable, but overall they’ve settled in fantastically. It does help that my eldest loves sunsets and we have some amazing ones here.

Big box, little box

Now we just have the arduous task of emptying boxes. We’ve been here 6 weeks and have done really well - but the hyperfocus of sorting the house is wearing thin now. I just want to snuggle on our new sofa and watch Emily In Paris, which I wouldn’t let myself watch until the sofa had arrived.

We had been sitting on random chairs in the sitting room for five weeks, like some sort of old people’s home! I also want to get lots of decorating done but I know that’s not always compatible with my ADHD brain. I really don’t want to start something and not have the energy or inclination to finish it, which I know will happen within about 10 minutes!

So until then, I am getting my interiors hit from home magazines and buying pictures to make it feel more like our home. It’s so interesting how much ‘stuff’ we’ve brought from our old house which just doesn’t feel right now we are here.

Anyway, if you’ve got any tips for settling in quickly when moving house then let me know!