In this informal live‑style self‑help session, Susie Taaffe (creator of the anti‑shapewear brand Scanties and the "Susie Unshaped" series) shares how she navigates days when her heart feels unresponsive – the classic "blah" feeling. She frames the experience as a clash between head‑based, production‑driven living and heart‑based, joy‑centered existence. Susie recounts her own day: starting with indoor tea, getting stuck in work, realizing she missed her "sunshine sit," painting her toenails despite being terrible at it, impulsively buying makeup, and ultimately deciding to go live to talk about the experience. Throughout, she highlights short‑circuit tactics that shift her mood – sitting in the sun, simple self‑care, shopping, music, baths, meditation, cooking, or tidying – and stresses the importance of a personal "toolbox" of joy‑inducing activities. She also reflects on her tendency to over‑plan and produce without direction, describing it as running a marathon in place, and encourages surrendering to the heart’s guidance for the remainder of the day. The session ends with an invitation to adopt heart‑led decision‑making and a warm farewell.
Chapters
Hello, welcome my beautiful lovely people, um, to the Susie Unshaped sessions. I'm Susie Taaffe and I've created Susie Unshaped as a side product of, um, um, an underwear brand I created called Scanties, um, anti-shapewear. And the Unshaped sessions is about removing all of the emotional shapewear we're all wearing without even knowing it and how to come back to living more based instead of stuck in our heads. So trying, not trying, as we said in our last live, do or do not do, there is no try, which I think I'm quoting Yoda maybe. Um, so we are living heart-based, and today I wanted to talk about what to do when you just feel blah, like Today I had a day where my heart is just not talking to me. Everything I offer it is just a no, no, no. So I wanted to talk you through my day and how I have actually walked myself through it, because I know we all have those days. And when you're trying to live from your heart, when you feel It's really hard to listen in. So I suppose there's a few things I've done today which, um, have been like short circuits to it, I suppose. Um, and, um, the— well, no, I have— so literally I was up early, so there was no sun outside, so I didn't have my coffee outside. I had my tea at my desk and I started work and I got into the weeds of everything, and obviously that wasn't feeling good. Surprise, surprise. Um, so I got a few jobs done and then I was like, I just don't like— nothing is come— nothing is jumping out at me. It's all blur. And so I was like, okay, well, you haven't done your sunshine sit today and you do know that you love sitting in the sun. So I actually went, okay, I'll go sit in the sun. And then I did have a light inspiration. Oh, I'll paint my toenails because I haven't had a pedicure in a long time. So we have had bare nails. And so anyway, I— and I cannot do toenails at all. Like, I am the worst toenail painter in the world, and I have like hobbit feet. So it is not an enjoyable experience. But Cybath, to anyone that's not good at doing things like that, is— and this is kind of embarrassing to admit, but I'm going to— you just paint all around them. And it doesn't matter if you get it right, and then you wait for it to dry, and then you can just get a tool or your finger or whatever, fingernail, and then you just pull off the bits that didn't make the nail and are on the skin. So hot tip for people that are bad at toenails, um, that's my hot tip for that. Wait for them to dry, and then, and then they're definitely not perfect, but they're better than having paint all over them. Um, anyway, so I'd done that, I'd sat in the sun, and I came back in because I had to do something, and it was one of those had-tos. And this is Probably a really good correlation between living in your heart and living in your head. It was one of those had-tos that if I didn't action it at the time, it probably would have caused my heart more anxiety than it was worth. So it was a 5-second tool, but who knows, I actually could— that might not be the way I should be doing it. I maybe I should have left that out and not done it at all. Anyway, did that, and then I was like, I kind of want to be out back in the sun, but I didn't want to be back in the sun and I was like, what do I want? And so I was walking around the house. Do I want to tidy up a bit? No. Do I want to have something to eat? No. Do I want another cup of tea? No. It was just like, no, no, no, no. And I'm like, oh my gosh, what is going on? Like, what is the yes? Um, and then I had a— like, I was still like dressed very daggly, and I had this like just an idea. Do I want to go and buy new makeup? And I was like There was a yes. And I was like, oh my God, okay, do I want— I want to go and buy new makeup. And that— and it was like then a stronger yes. And I was like, okay. So I got my middle daughter because she loves the makeup shop. So, um, off we went to the makeup shop and bought new makeup. And my gut in the shop was saying it wasn't the right stuff, but you know how the shop people are so nice to you? And I'm obviously doing my people pleasing. And instead of saying no, I'm not quite sure about that, I bought the makeup. And I'll probably return the makeup because even looking on this live, it's not quite— the color's not quite right. So, um, I— anyway, so we bought the makeup and then we did a little bit of a shop around and, and then I came back home again and then sort of then again still stuck in that. I did enjoy going out to the shops. The sun is shining. It was beautiful. I had my makeup put on for me, just the, just the foundation. I think it's a bit yellow personally, a bit yellowy green. But anyway, I thought I'd come and test it first in the camera and with the lights on it to see what it would be. So I was just, I was just final check, but I was like, no, it didn't feel right, but that's okay. I didn't listen to that. And then I was like, okay, what does feel good now? And sort of I got no, no, no. And then I was like, what about I go live and tell people about how, how it is when you actually feel stuck? And I got a yes from that. So here we are and talking about what to do when you feel blah. Um, when I said before that I was going to show you some tricks that you can short-circuit it, is in actual fact maybe what I like. I know I love the sunshine, so this morning one was a bit of an easy one. Do you want to go sit in the sun? Like, if it had been a no, I would have gone on to the next thing. But if you can prompt yourself with things that you know that make you happy and make your heart sing and feel good— do I want to put music on? Do I want to have a bath? Do I want to— Do a meditation? Do I want to, um, cook some yummy food? Or do I want to tidy up? Because sometimes that can make you feel good in your heart when everything's sorted and organized. That can clear the space, um, for you to feel happy. And so I think that that's the trick, is have your toolbox of things that you know bring you joy. Like, if you're a shopaholic— I'm not a shopaholic, I don't buy anything ever. And that's my daughter was like, I didn't get anything. And I'm like, yeah, but I have to get something sometimes because otherwise I'll have nothing. And you already own half the store. So, but find things that you know will bring you joy, not regret post, post-event. And then you can prompt yourselves with some ideas to try and get yourself out of the rut. So to tell you the truth, after this live, I have no idea what the next What the next part of my day is going to be. And I think nearly sitting in the allowance of not knowing— I think for me, I'm a planner. I like to know what I'm doing. I like to know what's next. And so it's a really awkward feeling to just sit and I don't know what is next. Like, I know I have hardcore, like, 3D commitments such as driving my son places and my daughter places. But other than that, I am actually going to surrender and let my heart choose the rest of my day. So, um, I hope that that has been some help for someone about how to move through the part of the day when you're trying to live back more into your heart and into your truth. And I've noticed lately something, um, that I've been doing, and that is that I've been a very good doing machine. So I think this heart led decision-making and journey is well overdue because I have been producing like bang, bang, bang, bang. I've been sitting here and I'm producing. Actually, one friend said to me, she goes, it's like you're running a marathon, but you're not going anywhere. So I think that would have to nearly be the summary of just sitting here and just producing, producing, producing, producing, and doing and doing and doing and doing. Is I've actually gotten nowhere from it because my head is trying to— it's trying to think the way to go, and my head can't— doesn't know the way to go. My heart knows the way to go. And I have been— yeah, so if this is doing too much thinking, join me in the heart-based, um, living, and let's see if we can live more in our Pure joy heart center instead of trying to think and action and do our way through it. So I love you lots. I hope you have a great day. Bye.
