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Join my mailing list to discover ways to find and deepen inner peace, experience a greater connection to life, and learn to stay steady in the midst of life's messiness.

We humans are an integral part of the fabric of nature.

We share DNA not only with other mammals, but (to some extent) with all other animals, insects, even trees.

In nature, what looks like a mess is actually an intricate ecosystem, in which each element, no matter how small, plays a crucial role.

When we experience ourselves as part of the living system of nature, we begin to come home to our wholeness.

Spoiler alert: This mostly requires slowing down and paying deep attention.

We are nature. We are the planet. We are the mess.

What is Living the Mess?

Hi, I'm Sarah. I'm a nonfiction writer and editor, and I have a very active and creative mind that can be the source of great inspiration…or great pain.

Living the Mess grew out of my personal adventures in neuroplasticity and my journey towards inner peace.

It would be nice if that path looked neat and orderly, but it doesn’t. My path looks messy. Your path looks messy. 21st century Western life in general looks messy. It can be difficult to navigate our unique paths unless we learn to identify with that which binds us together, instead of that which keeps us separate.

I write about the practices and insights that have transformed the way I experience this life.

Newcastle Profile Photo Sarah

From the Blog

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Living the Mess is Moving to Substack.

After nearly a decade, I’ve decided to turn Living the Mess into a free Substack newsletter. This will allow me to pitch ‘posts’ as articles to mindfulness magazines and, ideally, to build a larger readership so that I can eventually write an LTM book (or five).

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Why Learning to Observe Thoughts is Important

The other day, one of my sisters texted me about scheduling our annual “sisters’ Zoom” for the day after Christmas. I’d offered to host, because I have a paid Zoom account. She sent me the time that worked for all of us, and I acknowledged the text. Less than an hour later, she texted the…

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Your Thoughts Aren’t What You Think

Nearly all of us think, and we think all the time. Most of the time, though, we don’t notice that we’re thinking. Thinking is so automatic, like breathing, that it flies under the radar. However, those thoughts-that-we’re-not-noticing frequently cause pain, both for ourselves and others.  Learning to notice my thoughts, then learning to question them,…

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Five Ways to Find Moments of Joy in Everyday Life

Our day-to-day emotions often fluctuate depending on what’s happening around us. Yet in my experience, it’s possible to find moments of subtle joy each day. Here’s how.

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Eight Tips for When You’re Feeling ‘Meh’

Our bodies are sensing instruments for navigating the world around us, and they respond to numerous factors that are beyond our conscious mind and control. Sometimes, we just feel meh. Here’s how to cope.

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How to Differentiate Between Thoughts and Feelings

We humans are complex beings. We have brains that generate thoughts, a connected physiological system that creates emotions, and six or more senses that guide our knowing beyond the realm of thinking. And often, we get thoughts and feelings confused. When we do, it’s a recipe to make us unhappy. I’ve found that learning to…