What jewellery means to Roo Betty

Bracelets, they’ve been around for years.  Over 7000 years to be sort of precise.  We just love this concise history written by Overstock.com here   But what Ruth of Roo Betty loves doing the most is going to museums and having a actual in real life look at the history that is jewellery.  From the ancient Greeks to more modern Victorians, jewellery has been really important to many many people. And somewhat important to me, Ruth, throughout my life.

So what is it that I love about bracelets and jewellery?  Well I’ve had a fascination with anything that sparkles since I was a young girl.  Magpieish in my nature I’m attracted to the shiny and glittery.  I’ve worn all the rings and all the bracelets for as long as I can remember, I’ve even had the broken ones melted down and made into bangles and new rings.  Kinda recycling but also embracing that they are part of my history and I don’t want to let them go. I have life bangles and life rings, that are part of ancestors and memories that I don’t wish to let go of.  They are dear to my heart and are memories of a moment in time.  I even did a project for Horsham Museum styling their Victorian Death Jewellery, which I absolutely loved doing.  The past holds pain, as well as fascination for me.

You may be wondering just this?, or perhaps you’ve heard all the sensationalised success stories of “how Yoga has changed my life”.  Yeah I know it all sounds a bit….well...you know….REALLY?  As a Yoga teacher battling a mental health disorder and lifelong depressive illness I may just well be the right person to ask, if indeed Yoga will change your life because I’ve been there, done that ….and got the t-shirt to prove it. (if you taken a look at the Roo Betty store you will in fact already know that)

So let’s start at the very beginning what makes me qualified to answer this question. Well...I’ve suffered from depression my whole life from my early teens to mid forties.  I’ve been on medication which at times has helped a bit.  I’ve chatted to health professionals and I’ve been diagnosed Bi Polar II. I’ve been suicidal and numb, I’ve cried for days and not wanted to leave my house, and I’ve painted on the smile and talked myself into leaving the front door.  I’ve coped and managed at work, whilst having a family and  I have a million and one coping strategies.  Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t.  I’m now off my medication and surfing through life's highs and lows.  But how did I get to this point and how did yoga help?

Are you ready?   It’s a question we’ve been asking ourselves over and over again the last few weeks.  In short I’m not too sure we are, but just like any new job, house, relationship you may always feel a little bit awkward in the beginning. The newness brings up lots of emotions like feeling, scared, worried and anxious or perhaps you’re just excited?  

When we first went into lockdown way back in March 2019 things went a bit surreal, what about you? Can you remember that far back?  Anyway it all seemed manageable after all it’s just for a few weeks, few months at most.  Jeez how we wish that was the case, but anywho we’re where we are.  To be honest things didn’t get weird until the masks became mandatory ( I still wear one even though I am technically exempt - I wear one because I can't abide the stares or the questions from security guards - quite frankly it's none of your business but then I was never any good at confrontation.  The weirdness started the first time I wore one.  I momentarily blacked up, got very dizzy and had to steady myself by hanging onto a shop fitting.  Things didn’t improve for a long time and even now I still end up with asthma symptoms brought on by an anxiety attack.  For any of you unsure the symptoms here’s a handy list