Aspirations like these don’t make you complete. They don’t make you worthy, they don’t make you enough. They don’t make you you. If we keep seeking for something so hard, do we ever have a chance of getting near it? In the words of Salvador Dali “Have no fear of perfection, you’ll never reach it.” So I’m going to try my best to be an imperfect perfectionist.
Read MoreA couple of my friends labelled themselves as “broken” when I was chatting with them recently about how they feel mentally or physically. Not only did this prompt me to think of what I could say to them to make them feel even a little bit better, but it made me reflect on all of the harsh self talk I bombard myself with and how I could fight back. Here’s what I came up with…this is for me and you.
Read MoreMany of us are tired, deflated, and stressed. Life isn’t simple anymore. We all want to slow down but quickly. Our attention spans are severely compromised by multi tasking on an epic scale...not just at work but in our leisure time too. We’re stuck in fast forward mode where we want things (money, cars, muscles, better jobs to name but a few) quickly. We want happiness but make ourselves unhappy by pushing ourselves to find it. What if we were to just slow down?
Read MoreSee the brain is a funny thing. I had such strong conditioned beliefs built up over many years, that I filtered out or reinterpreted all fact-based evidence challenging them. I’ve always been against animal cruelty and would actually admit to feeling more connected to animals than humans. I knew the “organic” labels on my dairy and eggs meant nothing and this all came from an “industry”, but I kept on eating them (the technical term for this is cognitive dissonance).
Read MoreSo let’s carry on living even when our shoulders are heavy, and take these awareness weeks and days to tell the truth if we can. I’m posting this here in the hope that someone who needs to know it, will know they’re not alone. I’m waving from where I am to you - just know you are stronger than your anxiety, you can do this and it is absolutely ok if you are not feeling ok.
Read MoreWhy does social media make me feel so miserable? The reality is I know “unplugging” would make me more productive and give me a sense of freedom. I wouldn't care about what others have or do and wouldn't need to use social media to “filter” my insecurities.
Read MoreSo now, in 2018, how did we end up feeling the need to Instagram, Tweet and Facebook everything? To check in at each location (and casually advertise our empty houses and very disposable millennial-parent-sponge-because-the-mortgage-dream-is-slow-to-realise income) we go to and show off the shiny days of our lives?
Read MoreWe live in a world where media and popular culture tells us that there is a body norm and that not sticking to it is harmful or unattractive. Indeed, it is how the dieting industry got so rich. Here is my letter to my body, apologising on their behalf as I try to shed the toxicity that has built up in my mind about it for years. I hope that you find something that strikes a chord in this. We were not built to hate ourselves. If you could cut everyone out of a mould, how boring would that be?!
Read MoreWe are in the short season where everything is pink, covered in heart-shaped confetti, Greggs are taking dinner bookings in some parts of the UK (and to be fair I would be up for that!), and Baileys just brought out a strawberry flavour. That is just the beginning of what is happening in your high street – I’m always curious to see the most extravagant thing! (show us what you find!).
Read MoreA smile, hug, or kind gesture have the potential to make a difference to someone's day, but getting back to basics, writing to someone can speak volumes. This doesn't have to be a long letter. We live in a world of text and email communication fed by busyness and stress and often a text is just the easiest way of "chatting". You may not receive an immediate response, but check in daily if you can -- there's nothing nicer than knowing someone is thinking of you.
Read MoreIt wasn’t an easy choice to seek help, and for once it’s not something I’m finding easy to write about, but it’s time to talk. It’s just as normal as a blood test for your tiredness or a cast on a broken leg. To make it real, to help me process it, and so maybe I can add my voice to those helping pave an easier path to understanding about our mental health.
Read MoreI advocate taking a deep breath. Giving yourself time. Do what you can and then congratulate yourself on that. Yeah, you might feel like a child for giving yourself a sticker for seeing a dentist, like a child, but guess what? We all have an inner child that needs looking after, too, and taking that time to acknowledge looking after yourself helps to fan that fog away, trust me.
Read MoreSo spending time in nature is a short cut to serenity. I just don't do it enough. In an age of information overload and “busyness”, we often forget how a truly personal touch, be it a handwritten letter, small gift, or random act of kindness, can make us feel.
Read MoreThe brain is a funny thing. It will believe the lies sold to it about needing to suffer in order to be accepted. It will go along with what you make its body do. It will ask you nicely to stop but your addiction/commitment will overrule.
Read MoreSelf-care is all too often overlooked, yet so important for our physical and mental wellbeing. Let’s face it, life’s challenges aren’t going to get any easier if we don’t take care of our minds and bodies. In a world fuelled by “busyness” and a self-reliance/winning through life culture, it can be difficult to justify taking the time to nurture ourselves. Self-care is not selfish: we all have needs and we all deserve to be loved. We are all enough.
Read MoreA new year also means resolutions and they always seem so… ‘New Year New Me’. Gyms will be congested with bright-eyed people for a fortnight. Slimming clubs will have queues out the door. People will liquidise green things and flavour them with tears of disappointment. And then, because we are human, we will revert back to the people we were before we pretended we were someone else.
Read MoreYes, Christmas is about rejoicing with family and friends, but don’t forget to do what you want to do too. Or truly embrace what you need right now. The pressure may be on to fulfil commitments, but if you don’t want the added stress of preparing for a Christmas party or to drive 200 miles to visit relatives, it’s okay to think of yourself. You are totally enough.
Read MoreThis year I didn’t moan about money when she booked a Muppets Christmas Carol Singalong (yes, booked it, not just at home like normal people) and I realised that Christmas isn’t just capitalism wrapped up and sold to you at a mark-up disguised as a discount, but it is a pretty good excuse to add glitter to everything (environmentally friendly where possible).
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