Why I Wish I Was A Little Bit More ‘Woo’

My friend Sarah is very woo. And when I say woo, I mean she loves anything unconventional, spiritual, left-field. If it requires a leap of faith, she’ll take it. Crystals, manifesting, meditation induced dreams, fortune tellers, tarot cards; count her in.

For years she has implored me to read the bestselling book ‘The Secret’, which is based on the pseudoscientific ‘law of attraction’. (Even writing the words ‘law of attraction’ has me rolling my eyes.) She tells me it would change my life; that everything I want and need will fall into my lap if I just believe…

And I’ve tried. I swear I’ve tried. I’ve picked that book up numerous times, usually when I’ve been desperately stressed or sad. I’ve read the first five pages about ten times. And every time I come back to the same thought.

And that thought is… Nope. Na. Don’t be ridiculous.

I nod and smile as my hippy dippy friends show me their affirmation cards. I listen to them raving about the gong workshop they attended recently. All the while thinking they’re probably being fleeced for their hard-earned money by some charlatan ‘Soundbath Facilitator’. 

To give some context on my inability to embrace anything woo, I should probably admit; I went to a Roman Catholic high school, and was largely raised by a Jehovah’s Witness grandmother. Let me tell you; those two experiences combined would be enough to put anyone off religion for life. Of course you don’t have to be religious to be spiritual. But for me, if I’m going to commit to something I want hard evidence, you know? I spent too many of my formative years being told things which I came to realise were patently untrue, and that dents your trust.

Add to that the fact that most of the wars we see raging around the world today are about different religions wishing to impose their views and cultures on the other; the whole thing has led to me being very shut down about religion. I’m a dyed-in-the-wool athiest. The child of two agnostic parents. Religion doesn’t feature for me, except to think (alongside money) it’s probably the root of all the worlds’ problems.

But what about faith? What about trusting the universe to make sure I’m on the right path?

Of course I have faith in love, in human kindness. As well as seeing the absolute worst of behaviour from some people, I see the very best of human nature, empathy and warmth in others. So on balance, I have faith in humans. I believe there are more truly good people than truly bad.

But it’s a small, contained kind of faith. A faith based on evidence. A faith which does not cater to ethereal unearthly beings, conspiracy theories, the universe guiding us… or anything else which hasn’t been proven via robust scientific studies.

Re-reading this I think I sound very confident and pretty obstinate on the matter; but the truth is that as I get older, I am coming to rue my narrow-minded ways. I wish I was more open-minded, more spiritual… dare I say it; I wish I was a bit more woo.

You see I’ve noticed something recently… my woo friends; the ones I’ve always thought of as endearingly bonkers; well they seem quite a bit less stressed than the rest of us. Happier, dare I say it.

The ones who make time for meditation instead of ranting on the phone, who do yoga instead of HIIT classes, who practice daily journaling instead of holding their thoughts in and letting them fester. Those gals just seem a bit more breezy.

We are all busier than ever. We are over-scheduled, overworked and over-committed. So much of our life is spent on auto-pilot, caught on the never-ending treadmill of things we have to do or at least should do. The older I get, the more I think that being a bit more woo (and I’m sorry that description is so unspecific but isn’t that the point of woo?) would lead to me being a bit more chilled out. I think if I believed in the universe a little more I’d try to control my own little patch of the universe a bit less… and isn’t relinquishing control just so damn lovely sometimes!?

Research shows that practising mindfulness (something I’ve long sneered at) has benefits such as enhancing our productivity, lowering our blood pressure and actually reduces how instensely physical pain is felt.

Several studies have shown that journaling and positive visualisation can help us manage stressful situations and become proactive rather than reactive. Having gone through a divorce which has left my nervous system on an almost permanent high alert; this is a bit of low-radar woo which I acknowledge I definitely need in my life!

I’ve decided to think of woo in the way I encourage others to think about exercise…bear with me; I’m pretty sure the analogy makes sense:

I love exercise. It gives me a buzz, makes me feel positive, empowered, happier, less stressed. All the benefits some other people get from sound baths and meditation etc.

But I understand completely that not everyone feels the same about exercise; in fact some people have the same level of trepidation towards it which I have towards all things woo… What I tell those people is to start small. Go for a walk, do a 20 minute Pilates class on YouTube, go for a bike ride with your kid… the more exercise you incorporate the less scary it wil seem over an incremental period of time.

So I’m going to take my own ‘small steps’ advice when it comes to being a bit more woo. In fact, I’m starting with only two steps. These feel manageable and not yet another thing to add to my to-do list:

I’m going to write down three things each day that I’m grateful for (in a beautiful notebook, not in the frankly hideous notes section of my phone).

I’m going to drop one of my daily weights sessions for a gentle yin yoga, focussing on my mind entirely rather than my body.

Now I know that might not sound like much, but it’s a start. When they become second nature I’ll add in some more stuff. A five minute daily meditation… perhaps a soundbath session… you never know; I might even sit down and actually read The Secret cover to cover. I’m not promising anything my friends, I’ll leave it to the universe to decide whether that’s a good use of my time…