Total Mind and Body Wellness

I work very very hard, and always have done. I started work doing a local paper round, the weekend herald, you got a free rape alarm when you took on a round, it was the 1980's, there seemed to be a lot of raping in those days! I heaved my big bag of papers around, actually, I had one of those old lady shopping baskets on wheels for this purpose, and every household in Meadvale, the village where I grew up, had one delivered, even the abandoned spooky house near to the common. There must have been a stack of them by the time the house was eventually demolished, but as a curious child, I always wanted to go down there and peer through the windows. However, I digress..... MY second ever job was at a local hair salon, 'SOMERSETS' I saw that it was opening and put a note through the door to see if I could get a job there, if you don't ask eh? Well, Maggie got in touch with me and I worked there off and on for years, even baby-sitting her son James on occasions too. Maggie w...

HOW many times have you been poorly, got better and thought nothing of it, unless of course that illness was really bad? MOST of us get a cold or a bit of a headache, get better and get on with our lives, but for some, living with a debilitating recurrent illness can really get you down, but on the plus side, you really make the most of those 'well' times. LAST week I was suffering at the hands of my gut again. I have diverticular disease, following two separate lots of salmonella poisoning. I have IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) because of this and it basically wrecked my colon! Two sections of it. I control my IBS with diet, mainly eating the low FODMAP diet, eliminating anything that will cause my gut irritation, but very occasionally something will get 'stuck in a pocket' in my colon and cause me great pain and discomfort, and many days stuck in the toilet! LAST week was such a time, I was really ill from Wednesday right through until Sunday, when I was actually able...

 Today has felt like Spring! It has been full on sunny all day (with the exception of those naughty cloud-spreading planes kicking about) I have dried my washing out in the fresh air, did yoga outside and soaked up some natural vitamin D whilst walking the dogs. My mood is elevated, my lungs are pure and my face feels warmed by the sun. What an amazing feeling! The season change from winter to spring is the most noticeable I think, because you can see people go from full on winter misery, to smiles when the sun is out. More people stop and say hello, the weather comments are that of joy, the mood is positive, the sight of spring flowers coming up gives us hope of lighter days and summer coming.....eventually! We are all affected by season change, some more than others, I tend to be a person who notices things, whether it be my mind and body, or nature, I'm pretty in tune. I notice energy changing, sleep patterns switching, I tend to wake up when it gets light, which means pretty ea...

IN the past, I have got myself in trouble for being honest, for sticking to my guns about my beliefs, thoughts and ideas. TODAY is no different, and although I am more patient, more guarded and restricted with my opinions, I always make sure that they are heard. YOU are important in life, everyone deserves their opinions to be heard, no matter how much we may hate those of others, they belong to them, and should not simply be pushed away, they may have a point and you may not have heard it. MY values are my own, they haven't really changed much over the years, although the immature beliefs of my twenties are finely tuned into adulthood and facts, whereas before they were based on emotions and feelings. Of course what I think still involves feelings and emotions, but it's 50% involvement and 50% fact now. MAKE sure that your feelings are heard, and respected, but make sure that they are grounded in facts, in truth, because that cannot be denied. Your feelings are just that, emot...

  It's still Winter, for a few more weeks at least, and it seems to me that it has  been a very wet one, constantly washing dog towels and drying dogs and repeating! There was one day when I got through two sets of waterproofs because the rain was so hard. But it's to be expected in Devon, in the Winter, and sometimes Summer too! Winter is a time for rejuvenation and hibernation, just as the plants lay dormant under the surface, gaining nourishment from the autumn leaf drop, waiting to leap out and grow, we take comfort in the long dark evenings and nights, so that we can rest and get ready for the long summer days. But do we? Or are you running yourself ragged just as you usually would? Winter self-care is very important, the lack of sunshine, and so vitamin D means that we need to take every opportunity to get out in the sunshine when it is here, but maybe supplement in weeks of rain like we have had recently.  Your immune system is more compromised because of this vita...

 THE January blues is a real problem to some, alongside SAD - or, Seasonal Affective Disorder. WE lack sunshine and daylight in the winter months and so a lack of this can cause a feeling of depression in some people. There are things that you can do to help yourself feel better during the dark months and a lot of them are FREE!  FIRSTLY, make the most of every opportunity to get outside when there is some sunshine. Walk in your lunch break, wrap up and sit and soak up the natural vitamin D rays on your face. It doesn't matter if it's ten minutes or an hour, the natural sunshine will help you more than anything else. TAKE a vitamin D supplement if you struggle to get outdoors because of work commitments, it will also make a huge difference to your mental and physical health. EXERCISE when you can, if you can walk outside in the sunshine even better, but even a run on a treadmill, daily yoga, whatever it is make sure you do at least THREE exercise sessions a week to help boost ...