This month’s guest blog is from my delightful friend and colleague, Naomi Charles. We run Gabriels Wellbeing and Education together and have so much in common. Here’s her story.
 
“I have always felt most at home whilst out in nature. It is my healing place; the place that makes me feel most alive. I always knew that I wanted to work in nature but I also loved working with children and loved sharing my passion. I now combine these two passions and I feel like I’ve truly found my purpose. 
 
From a young age I loved observing the seasons, being drawn to collecting parts of nature and smuggling them home. The washing machine would often be found with a conker, a leaf or a flower inside left behind from my collections! After university and travelling around the world, I went into Primary teaching: it’s in my bones, I love watching these wonderful souls grow in so many ways, teaching them skills that they can use for life. I took children to learn in the outdoors as much as I could and could see the difference that being in nature made to their well-being as a whole.  By providing children with a safe space to learn, adapt and grow, they were building resilience, self-confidence and a deeper understanding of themselves and the world they live in. 
 
After having my two beautiful daughters (who unsurprisingly are little nature wildlings), I decided to leave the mainstream school system and follow my dream of working with children fully outdoors. I joined the amazing team at Gabriels Wellbeing and Education back in 2018 and have never looked back!
 
Alongside Lisa and Joanna, I now run a range of successful groups that allow all areas of our community to learn within, about and from nature. We work with children of all ages to develop lifelong social, emotional and behavioural skills that enable them to lead a fulfilling future with meaning and purpose. Love, kindness and well-being is at the heart of everything that we do and I cannot wait to get back to running face-to-face sessions in early April!”
www.gabrielseducation.com

Many people believe that it is very difficult to be positive in a negative world… and a part of me agrees. Yet just as an open window or a pleasant smell dispels bad odours, the power of unpolluted and positive thoughts can transform the negative attitudes and atmosphere of any person or place.

This week, I shall mostly be opening windows (metaphorically and literally, for double the benefit!) and allowing positive thoughts to linger like a good smell.

How many windows can you open? Or how about spritzing a room with something fresh and positive?

​Try it out and see how fragrant things can be. 

This week, I’m posting about how being active can have a positive effect on how you feel, physically and mentally.
 
And today’s blog is about the psychological effects of being active.
 
I love a bit of research to confirm things we might already know! Here are some recent and very honest reports of studies into activity and mood.

• 10 minutes of activity often appears sufficient to achieve gains in mood (although one study found that 30 minutes was required to achieve feelings of increased vigour).
• The optimum for improving mood is moderate intensity, perhaps because low intensity is too dull while high intensity is too unpleasant.
• The beneficial mood effects of aerobic exercise (walking, jogging, cycling) are less consistent than is found with anaerobic exercise, and anaerobic exercise (lifting weights, sprinting) appears especially to be more beneficial for beating stress and anxiety.

 
The Journal of Psychology, Interdisciplinary and Applied researchers collated evidence from 38 relevant studies that examined the associations between exercise intensity, duration and modality and any effects on mood. They found lots of contradictory results so the information this is a run-down of the main bits.
 
As with anything to do with health and feeling better, you need to do what works best for you!

This week’s blog is all about communication. Don Miguel Ruiz, author of ‘The Four Agreements’, writes about this succinctly and clearly, so over to him:
 
“Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama.”
 
So often, we don’t ask enough questions, nor do we say what we really want or need. In my experience, clarity comes with brevity, so keep it short, simple and brief.  

It’s guest blog time! This month, it’s Katherine from Positive Canine Coaching.
 
Katherine and I met in a hotel lobby in New York 20 years ago. We travelled through America and across Canada together and have been friends ever since. She has always been an animal lover and three years ago she left her former career to become a canine coach. Here are her thoughts about human/canine well-being.
 
“Right now, getting some fresh air and being at one with nature seems to be on lots of people’s minds, especially if they don’t have a garden to potter in. I live in a first floor flat with my pooch, Zelda, so getting out and about is something we do on a regular basis. 
 
As a dog trainer, I like to walk my dog in quiet spots away from busy dog parks where you can guarantee there will be hundreds of dogs off lead and people throwing things to try and tire their dog out. I sound like I don’t like dog parks: I do, I just wonder when we started to call them dog parks; and it bothers me that people let their dogs off lead when they haven’t spent time training a reliable recall. 
 
I love dogs, big or small, and it’s one of the reasons I became a dog trainer (as well as to help the humans), but I am fully aware that not everyone shares my passion. When you have a dog, you want to be able to let them run, sniff and have a good time, but making sure you’re ‘present’ is so important. Being present means knowing exactly where your dog is and what they are doing all the time. If they are heading towards an unsuspecting person, you need to make sure you’re able to recall even if you believe ‘It’s OK, he’s friendly’. 
 
Not everyone likes dogs and some people are scared of them. Just because we adore our own dog doesn’t mean other people should and if your dog is not used to other people, they are not going to be particularly comfortable with that person either and may bark or even growl. 
 
If you need any help with training your dog, why not get in touch?”
 
hello@positivecaninecoaching.co.uk
www.positivecaninecoaching.co.uk
​

I heard a great phrase many years ago:
 
“No one else is going to blow your trumpet for you.”
 
Of course, this might beg the question of whether anyone needs to blow their own trumpet as it could be a little bit boastful. Yet aside from this rather measly way of thinking, I believe it is necessary to acknowledge yourself, what you enjoy and what you are good at.
 
This week, I’ve been featuring client testimonials on social media in a bid to blow my own trumpet. My clients have been sending me lovely comments about my work so I am sharing them. For me, it’s motivating to continue, it’s affirming to know that what I do is valued, and I believe it is good practice to acknowledge skill and hard-earned talent. I am shunning my old way of thinking that ‘no one likes a show-off’ and instead celebrating achievements.
 
How about you? How will you blow your own trumpet? 

Do you like to multi-task?
 
For many people, the ability to multi-task is like a badge of honour, as if they are saying, “Look how many things I can juggle at once! Aren’t I impressive and capable?” But increasingly, they are finding that they don’t do any of these tasks particularly well. They can flit between several different things and think they’re doing something pretty special, when really, they are not doing anything very effectively. It all becomes a bit tiresome.
 
I like the phrase ‘mono-tasking’, when only one thing is done at any time. By focusing on just the one job, it can be done efficiently; and increasingly, I’m finding that I enjoy it more too. I can relax out of the whirlwind of being ever-so-busy and lean into the singular task in hand. It’s a great feeling to corral my thoughts and actions into one task, staying focused and in the flow. It takes a bit of practice, but like all skills worth having, I need to put the time in. From now on, it’s one thing at a time.

I know so many people who started 2021 by trying to change an aspect of their behaviour: doing more of something, doing less of something, or trying something new. And then, because of all the events of the past week, resolve can begin to flag, which is to be expected.
 
Being compassionate with yourself can help with keeping motivation and energy levels up:
 

1. Do a little bit every day, or at least fairly often. Keep chipping away and you’ll notice the benefits.
2. Set yourself some achievable goals. Try not to make your goals nearly impossible to achieve. Instead, set small, achievable goals and achieve them regularly. This will help maintain your motivation.
3. Get others involved in your quest for motivation. If others know that you’re working towards something, they can help when things get tough and offer encouragement and support.
4. Reward yourself for every small gain. Take a few minutes to consider how far you have come and congratulate yourself for your achievements.
5. Be flexible and realistic. Some days don’t lend themselves to achieving much, and some goals might need to be changed mid-way through. Keep moving forwards regardless. Don’t give up! Rest when you need to. 

It’s guest blog time, and this month’s comes from a very special person – Jenny from @hellolovelyplanners (with help from Daisy the dog!). I’ve known Jenny for a loooong time and we have talked about countless ways to help improve health and well-being – always being open to new ideas, no matter how alternative or niche. Jenny is artistic and creative, and her Etsy shop is beautiful (to which she has offered all blog readers a generous discount!). Do have a look after you have read her lovely words about Wabi-Sabi.
 
“How often do you find yourself chasing perfection? Whether it’s wanting to look younger, feeling that you should be happier, comparing yourself to others, having to achieve a certain lifestyle, or whatever pressure you consciously or unconsciously put upon yourself. When you base your perceptions of life through this idea of perfection, you miss out on the beauty that lies in the imperfections.
 
The Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi allows us to consider that anything we perceive as wrong, a failure or not being at a good enough standard, can actually contain a wonderful sense of peace, acceptance and joy.
 
It’s about understanding that life can never really be perfect because it’s impermanent and ever-changing. We are all on a journey of growth, and growth at its essence is imperfection in motion. 
 
When you make this mindset shift, you’ll notice a reduction in stress, anxiety and depression. So, take a little time today to think about what pressures you’re putting on yourself to be ‘perfect’ in all areas of your life. Allow yourself to reconsider that the beauty lies within the chaos, the incomplete or the in-between stages of life which are all perfectly (or imperfectly!) OK.
 
If you’d like to explore this concept further, I’ve created a Wabi-Sabi Journal that you can find in my Etsy shop, available in digital format for printing or using in your stylus-friendly tablet.”

Shop Link: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HelloLovelyPlanners
Discount Code: CLEANWB30 to use at the checkout.

​A little challenge for you…
 
How about choosing one day per week as your time to live simply? Perhaps you could talk less, and listen more, with your full attention. Do something incognito and kind for someone you’re close to. Eat simple and natural food. Switch off devices and screens when you don’t need them on. Create pockets of time for not doing anything - just walk, look around, live the moment. Open your mind to a more profound and silent way of being. Appreciate each scene and each person as they are.
 
Try it for a day and observe the impact on your well-being.

​I’ve been thinking a lot about this recently, about how life is all about choices. When you remove all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you respond to situations. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. You choose how people affect your mood. You might not like the choices you have, but they are still choices. (Of course, I’m referring to choices made as adults, not ‘choices’ that are foisted on children or the more vulnerable, who have no actual choice.)
 
This is where I stumble a little: it’s difficult when I allow other people’s strong (often negative) moods to affect my own – but I still have a choice. I can descend with them into a pit of despair, or I can decide to go my own way. It’s up to me and only I have the power to make that choice – no one else. 
 
And the trick is finding what helps you make the right choice at the time, what helps you keep momentum and drive to be able to choose what’s best for you. It’ll be no surprise to regular readers that ensuring I have enough sleep is my ‘magical’ power, as my brain seems to suffer on too little sleep. So, if you find yourself being affected by others’ moods, consider what helps you function well and do more of that. 

It’s guest blog time!
 
This month’s blog comes from my colleague and friend, Lisa Bedlow, who I met over 10 years ago when I was working for the school improvement team at a local authority. Since leaving her role as an executive head teacher, Lisa has set up a social enterprise called Gabriels. Here’s more about it:
 
"Gabriels Wellbeing and Education supports children and families with balancing emotions, creating self-love, success and happiness using nature to encourage children to be self-confident, sociable, interactive and not bound by technology. We have a range of wellbeing sessions from toddlers to teenagers. We have a highly successful programme offering one-to-one support for a range of conditions from anxiety, eating disorders, depression, autism, ADHD and others.
 
As a former headteacher, I am so passionate about helping children to release any limiting beliefs so that they can shine and achieve in whatever way they choose.
 
One of my most powerful techniques to share with children is the power of deep belly breathing. When we are anxious, we tend to breathe shallowly, which is a throwback to our caveman roots, preparing for fight or flight. However, we are not in danger: we just sense that we are, so to breathe slowly and deeply into the tummy for two minutes reassures the body that all is calm and well. It truly is our very own super power. As a qualified and advanced Pranic healer, I have many more strategies that I share when treating clients."
 
Find out more about Gabriels here: www.gabrielseducation.com.

One of my mottos with exercise is ‘little and often’. In fact, this maxim can apply to many different areas of life. As the weather gets colder and the nights draw in, the motivation to exercise can wane…

So, here are some interesting facts about the benefits of exercise that might help.

·        Taking daily moderate exercise (like brisk walking) for 30 minutes five days per week is associated with improved brain structure and function (University of Maryland, 2014).
·        Regular resistance exercise with light weights — enough to make you sweat — can increase levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, crucial for growing new brain cells (Murdoch University in Perth, Australia, 2017).
·        Walking briskly, running or cycling — cardiorespiratory exercise that makes you breathless — is linked with sustained cognitive power in older age (Norwegian University of Science and Technology cardiac exercise research group).
·        Circuit training for more than three months boosts cognitive ability and blood flow in the brain (University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, 2013).
·        One or two hatha yoga sessions per week over six months offers a range of benefits to areas of the brain that are associated with clear thinking, memory and emotional self-control, according to an analysis of 11 studies conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois.
​
Keep going! Exercise is beneficial in so many ways. 

After a particularly busy-with-work October, I’m now relishing a slightly less frenetic November, and with it comes the recognition of silence again. The modern world can feel loud: constant beeps, pings and other alerts, the chatter and the clatter, and the hum of electrical equipment. It’s why, for so many people, silence is the most sought-after experience. Even Jane Austen was said to have written: "Let us have the luxury of silence."
 
Here's a few ideas of how you might like to carve out some time to experience silence, every day.
 
• Try immersing in the stillness of an early morning, or late at night, with no one else around.
• Aim to still your attention for a few minutes in the middle of your day.
• Process your day and quiet your mind before bed, to aid sleep.

Of course, some might say that you don’t need actual silence to experience peace and quiet, and if that works for you, it’s an added bonus. Focusing on a quiet mind and a still body can manifest the benefits of actual silence, wherever you are, whenever you like.

​This week’s blog offering is all about ego – and just like the word itself, this is a short one.
 
For many people, ego is about being big-headed (“She’s got such a big ego!” when someone is being boastful or pompous).
 
But that’s not the whole story. Ego is present every time we feel any kind of fear, or hear ourselves saying "That's mine!" perhaps when we describe a relationship with someone else, or an area that we work in.
 
But these things can’t be owned. If we detach from things that we might like to think belong to us, we can then get rid of ego and be free from the idea of ownership.
 
If we are truly secure in ourselves (my current favourite phrase) then we can let go of petty ownership and realise there is enough for everyone.