The benefits of crafting to mental health are well known… indeed, as Mind’s Crafternoon on 5th December set out to show, it boosts self esteem, it creates positive neural pathways and it generally takes absolute concentration to learn and perform a craft. Today is about considering what craft you’d like to learn in 2021 and setting the wheels in motion. It takes 10,000 hours to … Continue reading Christmas of Hope 2020: Start a New Craft
I know if you’re reading this blog that the words ‘selfcare’ will not be a mystery to you. You know that five or ten minutes out of a busy life to appreciate a well made cup of coffee, look at a tree, rub beautifully scented handcream gently into dishwasher hands can add grace and gratitude to a busy life. Today, I’d ask you to think … Continue reading Christmas of Hope 2020: Give the Gift of Self Care to a Friend
Yesterday was 6th December and so, officially, St Nicholas’ Day. However, it was Advent Sunday so I chose to concentrate on that instead. I can’t remember (from my dark past as a Catholic) whether the Advent Sunday takes precedence over the Saint’s Day, or indeed whether St Nicholas still remains as a Saint in the pantheon of the Church. Who cares? St Nicholas still remains … Continue reading Christmas of Hope 2020: Channel the Spirit of St Nicholas
Have you ever had one of those absolute moments of laughter when you lose control of your body? Shoulders shaking, sides aching, head thrown back, tears streaming from your eyes, absolute release of every energy in your body moments of laughter? They happen so rarely in our lives, and are so precious when they do. Laughter acts as a perfect release for so many emotions: … Continue reading Christmas of Hope 2020: Laugh Well
Sleeping well must be one of the most severely undervalued gifts a person can have. It’s not til you spend a few nights tossing and turning unable to sleep, or waking in a sweat with a panicked dream and then lying worrying that you realise how valuable that eight or seven or six hours a night is. And it is scary how often one sleepless … Continue reading Christmas of Hope 2020: Sleep Well
Christmas is synonymous with feasting, eating well, overindulging. The rich food of Christmas accompanied by the alcohol and sweet drinks that sum up Christmas to many add up to a recipe for indigestion and heartburn. In the olden days, of course, this feasting was necessary: a way to make use of the lifestock that needed to be removed to preserve enough winter fodder for the … Continue reading Christmas of Hope 2020: Eat well Over the Holidays
Lockdown II started at midnight and, so far, has had absolutely no impact on my life except that I didn’t open all the shutters in the office. I still have my view, I’m still sat answering the phone, taking the messages and typing wildly to get through a pile of dictation left by my husband overnight in some wicked reversal of The Elves and The … Continue reading This Time Next Month…. We’ll be Crafting Hard. Crafternoon for Mind.uk 5th December 2020
The UK definitely seems to be heading towards a second country-wide lockdown. Let’s face it, a lot of people feel like they never got out of the first one, properly. With the exception that children went back to school and University (and, goodness knows, that is stressful to experience as a mother) there were a lot of workers who never got their rhythm of working … Continue reading How to Survive and, hopefully, Thrive during a Winter Lockdown
How to Hygge the British Way 