24/09/2025
Gรณรฐan daginn friends, Iโm back in Iceland and with that, Iโm also learning Icelandic.
Itโs hard. When the teacher says a really long sentence in Icelandic I sometimes have a mini-panic and freeze for a moment.
Itโs humbling to not be able to express yourself fully - and also to not be understood by the people you are trying to connect with. I've lived in 7 countries and my experiences of being a foreigner have made me appreciate how expressing ourselves authentically and being understood/seen is so important for our confidence and wellbeing.
But itโs not necessarily all about words.
Most people I work with have challenges that are not really about outer circumstances or words. The outer circumstances might be where we start, but oftentimes, when we get to the root of it, the real issue that is causing frustration is that they donโt really understand the language of their own emotions and how to express them.
Clients will share how they feel things they donโt want to feel: everything from procrastination, overwhelm, lack of motivation, resistance, anxiety, frustration, anger, weak boundaries, the inner critic and more.
Hereโs the thing we should all know: There is no such thing as a bad emotion.
We live in a culture where emotions are often not welcomed. How often we are told: โdonโt be sadโ, โcheer up, it canโt be that badโ, โmen donโt cryโ, โwomen donโt get angryโ, โkeep calm & carry onโ, โyouโre too muchโ etc.
Itโs no wonder we donโt feel comfortable with our own emotions. Ignoring them doesn't make them go away, they often just show up as the destructive behaviours we wish we didn't do.
Emotions are intelligent, natural and we can become fluent in them.
As I learn Icelandic, the easier my life gets, doing the simplest tasks like going to the bank, making a phone call or reading signs is no longer daunting. I feel increasingly confident and excited to be able to express myself in this new way.
In a similar way, once we understand our emotions, life is a whole lot easier. Itโs easier to make good decisions, to communicate with others more effectively, to connect more intimately with the people we care about, to set healthy boundaries and to experience joy.
My Icelandic teacher is really supportive and patient, so Iโm learning to be curious and courageous rather than frozen and timid. Iโm really good at teaching myself from books, but it's more powerful to have a fellow human who guides me to embody the skills in all dimensions (speaking, listening, writing, reading).
So, if you ever need a supportive and patient guide to help you overcome your challenges, I am here to help.
Iโm not just a life coach, I also specialise in a mind-body approach.
My superpower is helping people understand their emotions and themselves better so they can turn frustration into insights and authentic expression.
Bless, bless (Icelandic for "bye")
