The beauty of gratitude

The beauty of gratitude

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and the theme for 2021 is nature. I adore being in nature – taking the time for a stroll in my local park, a walk along the river path or simply sitting at the foot of a tree with a book is a sure fire way to boost my wellbeing. There’s just something about being at one with the natural world – it’s soothing in a way unlike any other.

Over the past year I have been so incredibly grateful for the abundance of green space in London. On my doorstep I have some beautiful walks and opportunities to seek the solace of nature and I have really taken advantage of them during lockdown. This brings me on to the notion of gratitude. You hear it mentioned everywhere these days, but it really is such a beautiful concept and is a major part of finding inner calm and healing.

Taking the time each day to sit and write down a few things you are grateful for in a gratitude journal such as this one, is a fantastic practice to integrate into your self-care routine. It needn’t take too long – just a few quiet moments to reflect on your day and the beautiful things that you are grateful for is so nourishing for the soul. It’s all too easy in life to get caught up in the everyday and let the simple but beautiful moments pass us by. Writing them down encourages us to really reflect on the great things in our lives and relive the positive feelings they brought about.

They don’t have to be big things either. That’s the thing about gratitude – it’s all about recognising the small things too. The beauty of a morning sky. The sound of birdsong when you wake up. Brunch with friends. Managing to get the early bus! Anything that brings you joy is worth recognising.

I love to write in my journal, but I also make notes on my phone during the day if anything particularly lovely happens that I don’t want to forget. Looking through your camera roll is great for inspiring gratitude too, as is chatting with a friend. When you open up with them and discuss your day, you often remember all the lovely things that have happened that you want to share.

Another part of gratitude is expressing your thanks to someone who has brought joy into your life. We all know about the big celebration days throughout the year – Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Birthdays – but how about celebrating someone wonderful ‘just because’? How nice is it when someone gives you an unexpected compliment? Especially when that compliment recognises one of your innermost personality traits. How about sending a friend a text message to say thank you just for being a good friend? Or acknowledging someone cooking you a lovely meal by following it up with a handwritten note popped in the post?

In these days of social media, dedicating a post to a small business you love is a wonderful way to say thank you for an item they have created, or a service they have provided. I know how warm it makes me feel inside when others do this for me!

I hope this inspires you to start your own gratitude journal, or even just to sit for five minutes with a hot cup of tea each morning, celebrating everything that is wonderful in your life. It is such an amazing thing to do each day.

How to cultivate self-love

How to cultivate self-love

To love others we must first love ourselves - a simple statement, but one that can sometimes be so easily forgotten. Taking the time to love ourselves and care for our emotional needs is critical, setting the foundation on which we can grow and flourish. But just how do we achieve this? Here are some of my top tips:

Self-care

We cannot pour from an empty cup, so it is vital we take care of ourselves before we take care of others. Our energy reserves are all too easily depleted so we must put great importance on caring for our emotional and physical health. Taking a long bath, putting on a nourishing face mask, reading a book or having a nap may seem like such simple acts, but done regularly they help to maintain our equilibrium. Time invested in ourselves is time well-spent indeed.

Positive self-talk

Our inner voice is so powerful - it is the narration of our life. By choosing to talk to ourselves positively we are choosing to frame our life in a beautiful way. We are giving ourselves the gift of optimism. It is important to be kind to ourselves and speak to ourselves as we would a friend. All too often we come down on ourselves harshly, ruminating on things that we could have done better. Although self-reflection is a worthwhile act that helps us to learn and grow, too much introspection can be damaging. Ruminate, learn, move forward. Forgive yourself.

Know your worth

You are amazing. Honestly, you really are. You are unique – there is no one like you and that is brilliant. You are worthy of love and happiness. Recognise this fact and allow it to settle into your consciousness. Live your life deliberately, knowing you deserve all of the wonderful things the world has to offer.

Comparison is the thief of joy

Comparing ourselves to others is one of the biggest acts of self-sabotage. In these days of social media it is all too easy to scroll through someone’s social media feed looking at all their adventures or their flawless appearance and feel an intense stab of envy. But you must remember that this is their highlight reel, and you cannot compare your everyday to it. By all means share the beautiful moments in your life and celebrate those that others choose to share with you. However, be mindful that we cannot ever compare our journey to that of others. Wouldn’t it be dull if we were all the same anyway?

Don’t be afraid of having boundaries

No – two letters, one powerful word. And guess what? You can say it. Define your boundaries and stick to them. By doing this you are protecting yourself from things that deplete your energy reserves and affect your mental health in a negative way. Being firm but fair will gain the respect of those around you.

Be thankful

It is imperative that we take time out to be grateful. Life is never perfect – there is always something we are striving for. Considering all the things we have to be grateful for brings forth a sense of inner peace and calm. Those who believe in manifestation will attest that in order to manifest the things you desire, you must first be thankful for everything you have. Gratitude journals are a delightful way to do this. Just 5 minutes each morning to note down a few things you truly appreciate will start your day on a positive note.

Self-love takes practice and I hope this list prompts you to think about the ways in which you can weave this into your life.

Take Notice

Opening up our senses…

Being present is opening all your senses.

It is how we get to connect with our conscious and our subconscious mind. Taking notice of where you are and feeling the presence of your body and really connecting through your movements.

By movements I mean looking, touching, sensing, smelling and earring. Let yourself be, listen to your body and your environment.

Is the sky watching you? Talking to you? What message can you decipher in the clouds above you?

Are you feeling rejuvenating by the tree you are lying next to? Is the wind whispering to you and what is it you are hearing? I would go on and on, but I think you guessed it. Practice Active listening and give yourself time to be mindful about your experience or adventures.

It is really like a journey back to childhood and realising that we are surrounded by us we are part of this universe in which we exist and that is why taking notice and slowing down is paramount to our wellbeing.

Are you breathing? I am sure you are but my question runs deeper than that. Are you aware of the breath are appreciative of the breath are you thankful, grateful for the breath of life? Which breath are we all mostly anxious excited and impatient to hear? The one of a new born, isn’t it? One of the most beautiful experience of life. In my opinion I was so blessed to have experienced it 4 times 3 as my ow children were born and 1 as I was a birthing partner.

All wonderful, right? But how come we don’t cherish this breath, how come we take it for granted. The practice of taking notice is that deep that you stop and appreciate the things in our lives that seems normal as extraordinary.

Yes having that conscious appreciation of every little action or even big ones no one will eventually experience the same life and adventures so it is all about what you incorporate in your life that will encompass that feeling.

This is my total and honest take on taking notice – pun intended. I love that feeling, and I would encourage every one of you reading this blog to seek professionals who will be able to create a clearer path for you in this journey. I am talking through hypnotherapy through nature connection coaching, through reiki or spiritual help and through religion if that is where you feel your purpose lays.

Taking notice is being aware of your body and thanking it for carrying you every single day. This is where you thank your legs and feet to help you get to different destination, your heart for beating poking you through every emotions.

Thanks for taking the time to read and see you soon!

Patience

Time to Emerge!

And reconnect…

Hello to all!

Have you ever had the feeling that your winters often rhymed with hibernation, well for myself it has been a feeling that was pretty much constant for a good part of 2019?

Often when going through periods dealing with emotions, you can feel like all is gone or nothing can bring you joy or happiness. My thought of this is that emotions are often like a river or the sea the tide is often high as it is low.

As I have been sharing on social media post or videos, healing is part of my journey, so in January I decided to emerge from the cocoon and embrace mothering myself, being a little selfish and allowing myself to receive the joy and happiness I deserve.

All in all, it’s work in progress…

In part of this healing adventure I am on, I decided to experience different ways to find peace and calm, but also to get restorative energy.

I was drawn to Forest Bathing and was curious about this Japanese practice called Shinrin-Yoku (which means spending more time around trees). A mindful practice of contemplating quietly trees and being in nature connecting deeply to our surrounding. It is proven to reduce stress levels and depression but also boost energy levels.

You must be open minded and allow yourself to be immersed in the process. And no, it is not about getting rid of your clothes and running around naked in the forest (lol).

Allow me to talk to you about my experience of Forest Bathing with the lovely and insightful Natural Connector, Deborah.

Before meeting I got a little message from Deborah, letting me know how the day was going to go and what to prepare which was great because it allowed me to mentally prepare for the experience.

I spent the week talking it over with my friends, colleagues and anyone interested to listen in my excited plethora of information on Forest Bathing, well at least what I had googled.

On the Sunday morning, as I set out to leave my house, I glimpsed at my husband’s inquisitive gaze, I laughed and left with butterflies in my stomach.

We all met at the intersection beginning of the Forest, we were a good group of about 10 to 15 people I guess, and we all seemed excited even in the cold weather.

Deborah introduced us to the concept and what sticked with me at the time is when she said the Forest bathing was like “Yoga through Nature”. The journey lasted about 3 hours and it was broken down with activities and silenced wonderings. Deborah knew every nooks and crannies and guided us with a safe and caring manner.

The activities we did all along aligned with our existential beings, through the five elements of nature, Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth.

I felt so many feelings on the emotional spectrum, I was projected back to childhood as I rediscovered the intensity of energy within the forest. Not only I emerged but I reconnected with myself at a deeper level.

The birds singing, their callings, the breeze against my cheekbones and the refreshing scent of the soil, all like a grounding element that had gone missing in my life.

This experience allowed me to be generous with my emotions without limits taking my body to a calmer place of pure bliss and love.

If you ever feel like you want to try Forest Bathing, which I would highly recommend why not join Deborah, and prepare yourself to receive a discharge of joy and delight.

Until next time, prioritise your self-care.

Patience