We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elizabeth Blake-Thomas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Elizabeth, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Why I gave up my home, my car and my career aged 44.

I can remember every detail of my midlife transformation (aka my midlife crisis) at age 40. But I also remember having transformations periodically leading up to that. First when my parents got divorced. Then when I became a teenager. Followed swiftly by turning into an adult and experiencing one life-changing moment after another: getting married, having a baby, getting a divorce and then moving to another country!
Through each transformation I started to recognise and understand my feelings and listen to myself and understand when I felt at peace or when I felt stressed or when I was tired or when I felt inspired.
Once I began to understand myself, I found my truth. This lead me to realise my values and my beliefs. I understood what made me tick, freedom and flexibility. What was equally important was what I didn’t like or enjoy or when I felt fear. I learned what sucked my energy.
I’ve always been different. I thought it wasn’t a good thing when I was growing up. I didn’t understand why I did things differently or thought about things from a different lens. I kept trying to “fit” into society.
Getting married, having a child, working and living in a “normal” flat in London.
I loved all of it! I have no regrets and I loved my life!
But I will say my 40s appear to be the best decades of my life so far! Here are a few things I’ve realized.
You know your shit and if you don’t, then you realize it doesn’t matter.
You don’t care about what other people think.
You’ve probably been there and done it and if you haven’t then either you can’t be arsed or you might try it! Who knows!
You know who you are and if you don’t then you don’t care!
Loans and debts probably paid off but if not then you just start selling everything and realizing you don’t need stuff.
You realize you don’t want responsibility or domestic admin, life’s too short
One of my truths is simplicity:
When you don’t have much you can put your time into things you really like and want. Right now it’s chai, my 12 year old maltese!
It’s being young and healthy enough to travel.
Then it’s my daughter and her needs and enjoying our time together.
Finally understanding it’s me time with friends and family.
I’ve also realized this is the time before my parents get old or my daughter might get married and have kids and I get old! So right now this is the best decade of my life! Average age we live to is about 78 and when we retire is on average 67. So we have approximately 11 good years! Isn’t life for living?
I would spend hours looking at the weather reports around the world Googling the best place to live and that’s when I realized it’s not about going somewhere and being there, that would just be the same mental situation, I would get used to it and then what!
This was when I began working out what I really needed. Using my own mental tools and exercises I worked out how I wanted to spend my time and energy that I had left on this planet.
It’s about being a nomad. It’s actually about being able to go wherever whenever for as long as I want! So I had to create a career that could enable that. I understand some people need a house and a physical foundation to call home. Having a daughter and dog and my suitcase is all I need. My books, things to learn, people to meet, that is what feeds my soul. I need to feed my soul constantly.
Thank goodness not everyone is like me! The world might be a disaster but we can all incorporate part of this lifestyle in our day to day. Giving the feeling of mini breaks and moments to breathe and pockets of happiness.
It’s about finding our own truth. This is mine. I’ve tried to change and hide it. But this is what I am and I’m about. Simplicity, knowledge, no stress, sunshine, what words describe you? Using all my tools I worked out what and who I am, my truth! It did alienate some people, I did “lose” friends. But that’s ok. I’ve learned what my values are, I’ve learned when to say yes and when to no.
I believe it’s a culmination of my age, my experience, my tools, covid, my career and finding my truth that have led me here!
Don’t get me wrong, it’s scary, I feel mixed emotions, I think I’m crazy sometimes! But when I sit and breathe and really feel what’s right, this is right!
What can you do to find your truth?

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

What is Medicine with Words?

Medicine: There are so many types of it. At the heart of its purpose is the treatment and prevention of disease.
Words: are ways we express ourselves. The way we connect or tell a story, the way we understand things.

In order for us to live a healthy life and prevent anxiety, stress, unhappiness, dissolution, jealousy, worry that can lead to us being unhealthy, we can use methods to express ourselves. Exercises and tools to help us live with clarity, purpose and intention.

Medicine with Words is a practice that guides you to uncover your purpose.
Using mindful and practical tools, you can learn to live your life with intention.

I’ve personally experienced the negative affects my life has had on my body on more than one occasion. When stress caused my back ache and slipped discs, sitting and working in a stressful environment. When divorce caused my immune system to go so low I caught the flu. Or when my body and head have hurt so much that I couldn’t stop crying because I didn’t know what to do with my life.

I’m not simplifying real medicine. But I’m trying to ensure we understand how important words are to our health, mentally and physically. Words we share with others as much as words we tell ourselves.

Through my own personal experiences as well as through my degree in theater and English, running a non profit and several companies, I created ten tools that inform the main aspects of this practice. These tools have up to 88 exercises with which to explore ourselves. Creative exercises that get us thinking outside of the box and managing our mindfulness. All of this leads to a more purposeful and intentional life.

So why is that important? Well we don’t live forever, and I strongly believe in making the most of every minute on this planet. But intentionally living not just in a mad crazy fast paced whatever happens kind of way.

We are taught that the more we do the better our life must be, the more we have and own the more successful we are, the higher our position in our career and more money we earn the more knowledgeable and great we must be. None of this is actually true. All of this can add more stress and worries and concerns to our plate. Now if this is the life you want and choose, then the exercises and tools still apply as long as it’s a life that has been chosen and is lived with intention. If that’s the life you have and want to change it then that is totally possible.

Medicine with words does require commitment, bravery and an acceptance of self. It possibly alters your life, your friendship group, and changes your thought pattern. But only for the better.

What’s so great about this practice is that it connects people and families, you can do as much or as little as you want or need. But believe me once you begin, and see how positive it feels, you’ll want to share and continue to grow and experience a world of clarity, calmness and happiness in a way you didn’t think was possible.

Just remember it’s not an overnight pill and it takes a conscious mindset to make it happen. But I’m excited for you to learn more.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Emptying my baggage, I mean storage unit!

It’s been 11 years since I properly looked at what I left behind in the UK. My daughter was only 10, so all her clothes and toys that we had are now irrelevant to who she is as a young adult. I’m sure there are also boxes filled with things that can now be defined as “vintage”. Things from my past life, when I was a married younger mother living in London.

In one way it’s exciting to open up the boxes and see what’s there, in another it’s hauntingly scary. A life I knew, a life where I had huge highs and lows. Boxes filled with memories about people from my past that might no longer be with me in my current decade of life.

I have decided to sort all of the things in storage and sort them into four piles: charity store, trash pile, give away or sell. With the idea that I can and will keep one or two small boxes of memories.

When I think about this great task ahead of me it feels very daunting. It’s more than just sorting some tangible items though, it’s my life, my heart, my mind and my emotions all tied up into these boxes.

I don’t consider myself to have made many mistakes as I refer to them as lessons. One big lesson was that after my divorce, I got rid of a few things that I wasn’t ready to get rid of and didn’t get rid of them in the right way. I wish I’d taken photos of these things so I had memories. I wish I had taken the time to understand what these items meant.

So having learned this, I’m now able to go into this storage slowly, with thought and heart working in tandem.

I know this is going to be hard, it’s a form of grief as well. Really letting go of the past and what might have been had things been different.

I will feel sadness, maybe even anger, I’m sure I’ll laugh and feel a sense of gratitude for what was.

So what does this mean for me, how will I feel after it’s done?

Financially it will feel wonderful, a monthly bill removed. Emotionally it might still hit me in waves. But I know it’s the right thing to do. In order for us to move on in life, anything holding us back is a physical and mental weight. So, it’s time. I have to be brave, I have to let go of any baggage I’m still holding onto.

So here are three ways that I’m going to deal with letting go of this emotional and physical baggage:
Get a scrapbook together so that anything I can stick in or take photos of to add will go in there.
Decide whether this item creates a good memory or one with negative attachments, sit with it and then say goodbye to the item (placing it in one of four piles).
Remind myself that I’m not alone and there are people that I can talk to and turn to.
Have you ever had to deal with this? What solutions did you find?

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Survival mode and how I stopped being in it.

Firstly I had no idea I was in survival mode. I didn’t even know what it meant. I’m fine, aren’t I? A healthy, happy, fit 45 year old! Isn’t that good enough?

I read a quote that spoke about sleeping and it said, “No one tells you… when you start to feel safe, you will feel exhausted. You will want to rest and sleep a lot more and do absolutely nothing. And that’s okay. After being in survival mode for so long, your body is tired and recognizes that you are safe and can finally collapse, breathe, and heal.” (Katie Nicole)

I was sleeping 10-11 hours a night. I was tired during the day. I just thought it was because I had a busy year. Selling everything like my boat and VW bus. Moving house, setting up a new business, supporting my daughter. Of course I’m tired! But this felt different. This felt like a version of sleep and tiredness I hadn’t had before. By 6:30pm every evening I was quite happy getting into my pajamas and curling up reading a book before totally passing out and going into a very deep sleep!

I decided to listen to my body and see what would happen if I slept when I needed to, ate when I needed food, and just sat and read whenever my brain felt like it needed a day off! The most incredible thing happened. I slowed down and realized I was smiling more, I wasn’t feeling anxious, I didn’t have any voices in my head!

I was basically reading a book about listening to your voices and what they are. I was understanding this in great detail when I suddenly realized my voices had disappeared! They had left me. There was no noise! Only a good voice that might recite what I was writing or help me make decisions. They had left me! I can’t remember when it happened, the exact day, but they just left me. I then became aware of all other elements that I had been feeling or doing and realized so much had changed since I began listening to my body.

Give my energy to people that need it
Say yes to things
Dance
Not need the sun all the time
Not be afraid
Know what I’m doing
No fear because my energy doesn’t need to protect me anymore
I can think about other things
Everything feels heightened and slowed down for me to appreciate it
Don’t need to prove myself anymore
Doing things for me

Ten signs you’re living in survival mode (Dr. Jaban Moore):

You’re tired all the time
You feel overwhelmed constantly you overreact to small things
You wake up stressed out
Everything feels urgent
You’re jumpy on edge
Nothing feels good enough
You always zone out
You frequently urinate
You sleep but never feel rested

This change or recovery didn’t just happen overnight. It’s been a process that I’ve learned for many many years. My recovery began after COVID. COVID was an instigator for me to begin to slow down. The trouble was the world started back up and bad habits formed again. People ask me “how come you’re so brave?”, “are you not scared?”. The truth is I’m more scared and fearful of NOT doing these things and having regrets. Life is short and I don’t want to waste a minute.

It might seem scary to make big changes, it is! But that’s okay. We help ourselves in order to benefit the future version of us. Whether that be the tomorrow version, or the 5 years down the line version, getting out of survival mode is about looking out for “future you” in ways that “past you” was not. Just start with baby steps.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.medicinewithwords.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/medicinewithwords/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethblakethomas/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Elizabeth_B_T
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@medicinewithwords

Image Credits
Isabella Blake-Thomas for all images