The positive health benefits of getting outside are huge. Our daily walks during the pandemic proved that! Since Covid-19 the world has embraced a new normal, but one thing that should remain a priority is our mental and physical health. Many self-care practices were developed during lockdown and hopefully they have continued. The last few years have been difficult for everyone, and if I had to describe them in 3-words, I’d choose, challenging, overwhelming, and emotional. Not only have we…
Understanding Wellness and Restoring Balance “Just living isn’t enough, one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.” -Hans Christian Anderson” The Cambridge Dictionary defines wellness as: The state of being healthy, especially when it is something that you are actively trying to achieve The state of being healthy isn’t just about eating well and exercising; wellness includes physical, mental, and emotional health. Lifestyle habits, spirituality, relationships, your career, and life purpose all have an impact on your wellness and…
Simple Tips and Advice for Joining in with Veganuary was originally published in January 2019 and updated in January 2022. Veganuary Whether it’s for health reasons or ethical reasons, Veganuary is getting more and more attention each year. In 2021 580,000+ people signed up for Veganuary, which is double the number of people who signed up in 2019. Veganuary is a fantastic way to learn more about the positive impact and benefits a vegan lifestyle can have. In 2020 the…
What to do when life throws you a curveball. Ducking, and diving, riding the wave, roll with the punches, taking it one day at a time. Whatever you like to call life’s curveballs, sometimes an almighty tidal wave swallows you whole, and you just have to deal with it the best way you can. The last year has been hard. Pandemic anyone? But then on top of that, we’ve all had our own personal stories to deal with. As the…
Training to become a counsellor isn’t easy. Getting out of my comfort zone, learning to be vulnerable, and becoming self-aware are the things that have pushed me to my limits. In order to deal with the last two, I’ve had to push through the first one – repeatedly. When I was on level 2, a level 3 student came to talk to our class, and he described the training as being turned inside out and back again. Someone else described…
In 2019, I took on one of the biggest challenges of my life. I went back to college and started training to become a counsellor. I’ve heard people say that being a counsellor is a second career. Something else has already come before it, and somewhere in your 30s or 40s, you realise it’s time for a change. Depending on how long you count as a career, in my case, it’s probably my third or fourth! CAD Technician, self-employed photographer…
What does self-care mean to you? It’s such a broad term – but what is it? Definitions in the Oxford English Dictionary include: The practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health and the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress. What is Self-Care? Although the act of self-care may look different to everyone, essentially, it’s all the same. Self-care is doing something that makes you feel…
Today is Time to Talk Day. The aim being, to get people to open up and talk about mental health, helping to break down barriers and myths. Mental health problems can affect anyone, regardless of age, race, religion, or background, and throughout the year, 1 in 4 of us will experience some kind of mental health issue. Unfortunately, there are still some stigmas around mental health, and Time to Talk Day is about encouraging people to start conversations, helping to…
Goodbye 2020. Hello 2021! Well, it’s that time of year again. Every January, I like to take a look in my rear-view mirror and reflect on the last 12-months, and crikey – what a year it’s been. I, like many others, thought that COVID-19 would never reach the UK. But when it did, I thought it would soon blow over. As it quickly started spreading throughout the country, I realised it wasn’t that simple and the seriousness of the pandemic…