This week in the ‘Your Wellness Toolbox’ Facebook Private group we are pulling out the Gratitude tool, encouraging us to use it every single day. A really simple and fun way to practice Gratitude is to create a Gratitude Vision Board. You can then use this every single day with little effort. The first Gratitude Board we had happened by mistake and it was only when we moved to a new house and I hadn’t immediately put a new one up that I realised how much it had been lifting me on the down days. Vision boards are powerful positivity tools, this Gratitude one is so simple yet delivers a regular reminder of all the lovely people and good times...
At the start of lockdown when the routine changed so did our food choices, less rainbow and more beige foods started to fill the plate. We were filling up the freezer due to the shopping restrictions and also choosing the more convenient and quick options as I was working most evenings. It worked for us at the time... and we also indulged in some of our childhood favourites, from Chicken Kiev’s to Findus Pancakes 😋 However, the beige did start to get boring, the clothes were getting smaller and energy levels were falling quickly. By the end of May I knew more focus and effort was required to bring the rainbow back... every day! More rainbow on my plate usually...
This week at the Wellness Wednesday (with wine?) online event I shared some tools for all the family to call upon. To be used both pro-actively and reactively as lockdown restrictions begin to lift and we start to return to pre-lockdown routines, for example, the school run. This return to the next “normality” may be exciting for some, yet it may be a trigger for overwhelm, worry and anxiety for others. During the event I mentioned my own children, Thomas (6) & Elouise (3) and the tools in My Wellness Toolbox that are also working for them, or at least I think they are... So, to remove any assumptions or doubt, as we were chatting whilst doing some colouring today I...
Yesterday I did something that has been extremely rare during lockdown... I pulled out Tool #22 and actually did some physical exercise!! See image 1 for evidence of sweaty Betty (it ain’t pretty)! I have been doing some walking in the past 10 weeks (if that is how long lockdown has been?! Has it?!) but the only thing that has made me really sweat is the beautiful sunshine. My activity levels are the lowest they have been in a very long time... and jeez I felt it! I really want to say I enjoyed the 15 minute HIIT but it was really hard work (and I started with a simple one), my fitness levels felt non-existent. I was about to...
TOOL #32 - GUIDED MEDITATION Meditating has been scientifically proven to help you stress less, reduce anxiety, increase mental clarity and focus, helps you relax and improve sleep and can be used to develop a positive mindset. Ultimately a power tool for both your physical and mental health. However, meditations and my overthinking brain never used to get on. The over-thinking brain won every time. I really struggled to switch off, any attempt to meditate would be railroaded by the over-active imagination and inability to think about ‘nothing’. So, after a few failed attempts I gave up trying and that is why it was not a tool in My Wellness Toolbox. Then in November 2018 I would discover my understanding of...
