Total Mind and Body Wellness

 How well do you manage stress? Are you one of those chilled out people who breeze through life not worrying about things? Or are you constantly on edge wondering how to resolve the next stressful situation? Stress is a natural part of life, but the more advanced we have become, the more we have to worry about. When previously all we had to worry about was hunting our next meal and making sure we had enough heat and water for the family, that would have been stress enough, but now we have endless lists of things to worry about. Have I done the right thing at work? Have I paid the rent? Is the car working properly? Has the dog has its vaccinations? Is Auntie Beryl okay as I haven't heard from her? Have the kids got the right technology so they don't get beaten up at school? Am I wearing the latest fashion so that I will fit in? Have I got enough money for food for the next week?  The list is seemingly endless and these little stresses all build up over time, eventually leading ...

  I wrote a social media post on Monday about how to 'walk to work' if you work from home. Basically, when people work in an office or shop, or building site, whatever it is, if it's not your home office, then you have the time it takes to leave the house and get to work to clear your mind of all things home-life and get your head into work-mode. It's a great way to transition from one to the other. But what if you work from home?  Here's what I do, I walk the dogs first thing every morning. Dogs love routine and so do I, it means there is order and generally nothing gets forgotten. I get home, feed them, say goodbye to my husband, who does his own proper commute and then I hit my working day. Mostly I start on his exit, but sometimes if I haven't scheduled any social media for that morning I do it as soon as the dogs are fed whilst he is still here. It's not the perfect transition, but there is another element, I am a Capricorn and we are known to be more w...

When I was a child, we went to the Remembrance Parade at Shaw's Corner in Redhill. We took my Grandad and he wore his medals. I was ever so proud of him, he had been part of 'the war' and he was also proud of being part of the British Army. I then became part of the Remembrance parade as a Brownie and then as a Girl Guide, carrying the standard on occasion. It was explained to me why we did this, what Remembrance Sunday, and even Armistice Day was all about. It's been an important part of my life. And then when I was in the Fire Service, I laid the wreath for us at the Totnes service, two years in a row. I felt proud to be able to do this, it was an honour. And to be asked this year as part of the Veterans Charity volunteer team to lay the wreath in Barnstaple, was yet another great honour. To be able to say thank you, to those who gave up their lives to save ours. What really changed my Remembrance Day was the year I first went to the Somme battlefields with my Mum. We...

 How often do you take time out to just sit, and contemplate? What would you contemplate? Your past, present or future? Fears or joys? What does contemplation mean, to you? To me? Firstly, to have a proper think, you have to sit, you have to be in a restful position, otherwise your brain is still using it's subconscious to move. You need to take all other action away from your mind, and you can only do this by resting. Today, this blog is more of an exercise that you can do, you don't have to do it every day, but I think at least once a week is healthy for you. BEFORE you start, write down anything that you need to do, write a shopping list, a 'to do' list, write down important things that need to be done in your life, empty them from your head and onto paper, you then don't have to think about them while you do this exercise. Put the list or lists in a safe place to come back to after, but for now, write down everything you need to remember. NOW, sit. Be comfortabl...