Filling in for Jennifer Zamparelli on RTÉ 2FM, Aifric spoke with Elaine Doyle about having a moment of clarity where she sorted out her life using a 3000-year-old calendar. Listen back above.
Have you ever hit a wall when it comes to the daily grind? Have you considered packing it all in and starting fresh?
When Elaine Doyle found herself tiring of the rat race, and spending much of her money to be in a city she had no interest in, she decided it was time to make a change.
Despite disliking her role from day one, Elaine found herself eight years into a career she didn't enjoy, simply because she had spent so many years studying for it.
"As much as I enjoyed certain jobs, my soul, desperately, was screaming out to me that this wasn't the life I was able to live anymore."
While celebrating her 30th birthday with friends in Kinsale, Elaine recalls breaking down into tears at the thought of going back to Dublin. Still, though, she believed that there was no option but to get on with it.
"It's this feeling - and I can identify with so many people about this - that there's no way out of this. This is just how it is. For me, I never liked going to school either and you're kind of taught that life is meant to be like this, you just have to do things you don't like and you get on with it."
In 2018, while she tried to convince herself to stay in her job in the hopes of getting a mortgage, Elaine hit full burn out.
"My body just said no. I got burnout in 2018, I literally just collapsed. I remember the day in work, it had been a really busy summer in the hospital, the A&E had been really busy and mental health [needs] were increasing. I remember just crying and thinking 'I can't do this anymore'. My body, I ended up getting glandular fever and was out of work for nearly three months."
In August of 2019, still fighting sickness, she finally accepted it was time to hand in her notice.
"The minute I handed in my notice, my throat got better. The throat is the voice, right? It's speaking your truth."
Leaving Dublin for seaside views in Donegal, Elaine found a women's circle who introduced her to the Celtic Wheel, which she believes helped her achieve a "spiritual awakening".
In ancient Ireland, the Celtic Year was marked by four key festivals: Samhain, Beltane, Imbolg and Lughnasadh. The Celtic Wheel is designed to move through these seasons and celebrations more mindfully.
"What The Celtic Wheel of the year helps us do is become more in tune with nature and the seasons because we as humans have inner seasons."
Samhain, for an example, takes place at the end of October and beginning of November. As well as being a time to celebrate Halloween, it is a time to reflect on "death and slowing down".
Just like nature, we as humans "don't bloom all year round", so it makes sense that we should have a time to reflect on "the leaves we have to shed" and to have a few weeks of the year to embrace the darkness and rest.
"When you're living in sync with the Celtic Wheel, you're not going to burnt out because you're listening to your inner seasons."
Since embracing this 3,000-year-old calendar, Elaine says her life has become more dedicated to nature and to living in sync with the seasons.
"For example, it's Lughnasa so I grow my own vegetables and I'll grow my own oats this year. This is the time of harvesting. How has it changed my day to day life? I'm living off the land, I'm harvesting, it's helped me come back to the medicines and herbs of this land. The last few days I've been making tinctures and herb medicines."
"When you look a the seasons, you're looking at the water cycles as well. Every day I bathe in the waters, the rivers, the sea. I make sure to cook nutritious foods. I only drink from wells. My whole life is dedicated to the seasons and the wheel of the year."
To listen to the interview in full, listen back above.
