Grief (assisted by Covid-19) Photo by Alessio Lin on Unsplash How is Covid-19 affecting people's grief? I have been thinking about grief over the past 2 months and how Covid-19 has made things worse. My cousin in Ireland recently died and also my children’s nanny. Their deaths touched me, but not with the intensity that their immediate family [...]
Why routines can be helpful Like many people I was saddened to read of the passing of Sir Tom Moore a few weeks back, but I so enjoyed reading his obituary and reflecting upon his amazing life. What a contribution he had made to our country this past year. At a time when [...]
Lessons from the film Groundhog Day It’s not what happens to us but how we react that is important Photo by Ralph Katieb on Unsplash I doubt the creators of the 1993 film Groundhog Day had any idea of the cult status that their little creation would become, the phrase can even be found in the dictionary. “a [...]
Grounding Exercise 5–4–3–2–1 A resource that uses your own senses for “self-rescue” Photo by Solstice Hannan on Unsplash Not that I am meeting many people these days, but I have had a few chats on dog walks and zoom with lots of friends and acquaintances. Everyone seems to agree this lockdown is much harder than previous ones. Some [...]
How to Study Your Personal Stress Signals Increased awareness of your stress signals may enable you to take action early Photo by Wei Ding on Unsplash An enjoyable piece by writer Nicolas Cole floated past my screen. He posed the question “So, how do you tell your life is out of balance?” This was rather well-timed as I was writing something [...]
Do you have balance in your day? This is something I am constantly asking myself. Today is a weird day. I have found it difficult to focus on anything. My head is all over the place. I am struggling to pay attention to one thing. Not mindful at all. Not present. Should I tidy the [...]
Simple Ideas for Building Emotional Resilience It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters. Life is currently tough for everyone. Uncertainty faces all of us from all directions. Perhaps there never was a time riper than now to develop resilience skills. One of my favourite quotes on this subject [...]
Happiness is a choice? Find out what makes you happy, create your own happiness list. It’s easy to think that the outside world is responsible for making us happy. But we also contribute a big chunk to our happiness. Sonja Lyubomirsky has studied happiness for over 25 years. She has created a happiness pie chart. [...]
Feeling better? My personal recipe for recovery I was unwell at the same time as one of my closest friends. Whenever he noticed a speck of improvement, he would leap up, dash about working or cleaning. I thought he was completely mad. He would push himself hard, but then crash. If there is one tip [...]
Mindfulness practice starter kit Are you looking to take up mindfulness but don't know where to start? Our resident mindfulness teacher Fiona Worthington has put together a 20-point mindfulness practice starter kit. It includes suggestions and recommendations to help you along your mindful journey. Anyone can meditate. Sometimes clients say, “but my mind is too [...]