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Blog New year resolution

Jan 17

learn how to break your habit, not your resolution

It was the ancient Babylonians that started the tradition of setting New Year's resolutions. 4,000 years later, it’s something...

Copy of Search - Canva

Oct 13

learning to live with uncertainty: practical help for uncertain times

Sick of living in lockdown? Who isn't, right? Winter is fast approaching and the coronavirus continues to affect our...

Blog post - NFASI Day 3

Mar 25

notes from a small stay at home island: day 3

Notes From A Small Stay At Home Island: Day 3 Aka: everyday insights in a time of crisis. Food...

Blog post - NFASI Day 2

Mar 24

notes from a small (stay at home) island: day 2

Notes From A Small (stay at home) Island: Day 2 Aka: everyday insights in a time of crisis. Today...

Blog post - NFASI Day 1

Mar 23

notes from a small (stay at home) island: day 1

Notes from a small (stay at home) island: Day 1 Aka everyday insights in a time of crisis School’s...

Blog post - IWD (2)

Mar 08

being the change we wish to see in the world: IWD 2020

“Deeds not words” Emmeline Pankhurst. Since I turned 50 earlier this year, I've been in reflective mode. More...

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💥 We need to stop glamourising stress. 💥 We need

💥 We need to stop glamourising stress.

💥 We need to stop making exhaustion the norm.

💥 We need to stop making people feel that they’re not doing enough unless they’re burnt to a crisp.

💥 We need to stop preaching self-care and instead start creating conditions that support it.

❤️ and share if you agree

#selfcaretip
#selfcareisntselfish
#selfcareishealthcare
#selfcareposts
#selfcareeveryday
#exhaustion
#stressawareness
#stressreduction
#stresslevel
#stopglamourisingexhaustion
#stopglamourisingstress
#burnoutprevention
#burnoutrecovery
#midlifewomen
#midlifeawakening
#midlifecoach
#midlifewellbeing
#adrenalfatigue
#stressmanagement
#stressedout
#brenebrownquotes
#hale
#altrincham

Was I the sole survivor of a zombie apocalypse?

Was I the sole survivor of a zombie apocalypse?

In my 20 years of living in Manchester, I’d never sat on a completely empty tram before

Oxford Road - usually a busy, bustling main road full of honking cars, buses, students and what always felt like a million other people going about their day - was all but deserted

The comforting feeling of the sun on my face as I walked was a stark contrast to the anxiety I saw on the faces of the few people I passed along the way

I didn't know at this point that my husband would also be a survivor of this post-apocalyptic world: I was on the way to the hospital where he was waiting for the cancer to be removed that had been found only a small number of weeks earlier

I already knew that all but the most urgent operations had been cancelled, but once in the hospital, my brain simply couldn’t compute: beds and nurses - the two most scarce resources in the usual normal - were in plentiful supply

I knew in an instant, and beyond doubt, how serious the pandemic was in that very moment

It was the calm before the storm

They were ready and waiting

For the first time, I felt scared.

-----
One Year On

Yesterday we celebrated one year on from that day

I was reminded of my instant reaction to the news of his diagnosis: make the most of life because it’s not f***ing around

It was good to be reminded of this as we all prepare to move forward into life beyond the walls of our home

Some will jump on the nearest fairground ride and scream to make it go faster. Then may realise they don’t like the ride

Others will feel uncertain, reluctant to choose until something looks familiar or safe. And, in doing so, they may miss the ride, and find it harder to get on once it’s already going fast

Me?
I’m intentionally choosing now which ride I want to get onto, so that I’m ready to step on when it’s there and to speed up with it

Because life really is too short not to create an intentional one

Which ride are you choosing?

#oneyearon
#365dayslater
#intentionallife
#lifebeyondlockdown
#purposefullife
#livethelifeyouwant
#livewithpurpose
#livingconsciously
#consciousliving
#consciouslife
#changeyourlife
#mentalfitness
#emotionalfreedom

#worldsleepday - anyone relate? #menopause #cantsl

#worldsleepday - anyone relate? #menopause #cantsleep #insomnia #insomniaproblems #menopausehealth #cantsleepmemes #sleepgap #mentalhealth #sleepforhealth #sleepformentalhealth #sleepmenopause #midlifewellness #menopauseawareness #exhaustion #menopauseexhaustion #3amclub

My heart feels very heavy this week. I’ve talked

My heart feels very heavy this week.

I’ve talked & cried then cried some more.

I’ve felt compassion, connection, seen & heard.

And I’ve also felt sad, vulnerable and furious.

Part of me thinks it feels trite to post something positive about Mother’s Day.

Another part of me feels that it’s more important than ever to do so.

❤️ To all mothers, I celebrate you

❤️ To all who’ve made a conscious choice not to be, I celebrate you choosing the life you want.

❤️ To all who would like a different situation to the one you have, I see you

💔 My thoughts are with one Mother in particular who woke up today without a card or a call from her daughter. #forsarah #mothersday #womensupportingwomen #vulnerabilityisstrength #emotionalhealth #liveyourownlife #chooseyourlife #consciousliving #intentionallife #werenotallthesame #heavyheart

💥 I choose to challenge by helping to change the c

💥 I choose to challenge by helping to change the conversation about perimenopause 💥

Why?

❌ Because women are still making decisions about whether to take HRT or not based on sensationalised news stories, hearsay, misinformation and old data.

🌟 I want women to choose what’s right for them - whatever that is - based on facts, data and a balanced assessment of risk.

❌ Because far too often women are denied proper treatment and prescribed antidepressants

🌟 I want women to be properly informed about perimenopause, aware of the symptoms, to know the guidelines & good practice so that they can self-advocate and get what they need.

❌ Because women are needlessly suffering physically, emotionally & financially

🌟 I want women to be properly supported in the workplace so that we stop 1 in 10 women quitting their career during menopause

🌟 I want women to know that ageing is a given, but that physical & emotional decline in their 40’s & 50’s is not.

🌟 I want women to have voice and a community to help them feel seen & supported

❤ Because we deserve it ❤

#choosetochallenge
#internationalwomensday2021
#internationalwomensday
#changetheconversation
#womensupportingwomen
#midlifewomen
#empoweringwomen
#empoweredwomen
#menopause
#perimenopause
#changetheconversationonmenopause
#menopausehealth
#menopauseawareness
#menopausesymptoms
#menopausematters
#empoweredinmidlife
#perimenopause
#menopausehelp
#menopauseadvice
#menopausecoach
#perimenopausehelp
#perimenopausesymptoms
#perimenopausehelp
#perimenopausesupport
#perimenopausecoach
#midlifehealth
#midlifewisdom
#midlifecoach
#hotflushes
#midlifeanxiety
#midlifewellbeing

💥 You can’t hate yourself happy 💥 Let’s choose to

💥 You can’t hate yourself happy 💥

Let’s choose to challenge the narrative around self-acceptance.

The one that goes something like this:

➡️ “I can’t accept myself because I’m not [insert what you believe makes you not enough]”

Or

➡️ “I’ll can’t accept myself until I’m [insert unrealistic expectation of self based on what you’ve been conditioned to believe makes you valuable]

💣 Being skinny, pretty or popular is not a condition of your value

💣 Being compliant & silent is not a condition of your acceptance

💣 Being exhausted, overwhelmed & burnt out is not a condition of your contribution to society, your workplace or your family

⚡️ Drop the ‘shoulds’

⚡️ Know who you are & dare to be it fully

⚡️ Consciously choose what you want in your life

⚡️ Value yourself & be intentional about getting it

❤ You are enough. Now. As you are. Always. ❤

With love on International Women’s Day

#choosetochallenge
#internationalwomensday2021
#internationalwomensday
#selfacceptance
#changetheconversation
#youareenough
#bewhoyouare
#believeinyourself
#womensupportingwomen
#midlifewomen
#youcanthateyourselfhappy
#beintentional
#beyourself
#empoweringwomen
#empoweredwomen
#knowwhoyouare
#knowwhatyouwant
#putyourselfonyourowntodolist
#prioritiseyourself
#stophatingyourself
#selfloathing

Kitchen discos, celebrations & memes 🎉 The feeli

Kitchen discos, celebrations & memes 🎉

The feelings of inadequacy kicked in

Was I supposed to be celebrating the end of homeschooling?

And if so, why did I feel like a party pooper?

I don’t feel like a superhero just because I’ve got through it

Not because I’m beating myself up about anything I’ve done or not done.

But because we’re just good at getting on with it, aren’t we?

We’re socialised to do it:
💫 put everyone else’s needs before our own
💫 enable others to do well at the expense of our own hopes & dreams
💫 squeeze more in while we squeeze ourselves out

My reason to celebrate is that in doing what’s necessary, I haven’t completely lost myself in the process

But it comes at a cost:
➡️ lowered expectations
➡️ compromise & sacrifice elsewhere

I listened to a podcast recently about how we juggle:
🔵 rubber balls that we can drop and they bounce back
🔵 glass balls that will break if we drop them

How often do we forget to treat ourselves as a glass ball?

I’ve been talking in my Facebook group about finding something for us - by whatever means necessary

Most of us have

We’ve been lucky. Privileged. Grateful.

For many, the glass ball that is their own life lays shattered on the floor

And as the world starts to speed up again, they are left trying to piece together the shards, with leftover modge podge, trying not to hurt themselves on the sharp edges

Searching for some glitter to sparkle again

There’s no lesson plan or BBC Bitesize video that can help with this

--------
So, I don’t feel like dancing just yet

I don’t need accolades, high fives or a cape

I need silence, solitude & nature, time reflect & re-group

I need to readjust boundaries, expectations & roles

I need to pay back the debt I’ve taken from my own wellbeing bank

I need to get my own needs met

That feels like the real reason to celebrate

#homeschooling
#backtoschool
#getthepartystarted
#wellbeing
#parentalburnout
#burnout
#glassball
#workfromhome
#workingfromhome
#adrenalfatigue
#selfcare
#emotionalwellbeing
#getwhatyouneed
#unmetneeds
#yourneedsmatter
#youmatter
#emotionalresilience
#feelbetter

Can you smell? #smellysneakerchallenge #anosmiaawa

Can you smell? #smellysneakerchallenge #anosmiaawarenessday @fifthsenseuk

I can’t smell I’ve never been able to smell For y

I can’t smell
I’ve never been able to smell

For years, I never met anyone else who couldn’t smell.

In the days before Google and these squares, I didn’t even know it was a ‘thing’

I thought it was just one of my ‘quirks’

Until my mid 20’s, when a chance conversation with a doctor I worked with led to some investigations and a diagnosis called Congenital Anosmia.

But it would still be many more years until I met anyone else like me.

Until I posted about it on here.

And, as a result, I came across the amazing work of @fifthsenseuk

I over time I've met @anosmicfoodie @ezjolife @girlwhocantsmell @paranosmia @smellsyouremember @smell_you_never and listened to @thesmellpodcast

And, more recently, I’ve become connected to many others as the events of the last year have shone a light on the devastating emotional impact that smell loss can have on people’s lives and mental health.

An impact which is massively underestimated, which is why today - Anosmia Awareness Day - is so important.

Now more than ever.

So today, in my stories I will be spotlighting all the amazing work that’s being done to raise awareness & provide support to people who are affected.

Please share - or tag anyone you know who’s affected.

#anosmia #anosmiaawareness #anosmiaawarenessday #congentialanosmia #aquiredanosmia #parosmia #phantosmia #alltheosmias #smellloss #smell #sensory #anosmialife #anosmic #congentialanosmic #senseofsmell #icantsmell #anosmiaproblems #nosenseofsmell #icantsmellanything

TGIF 🙌 Trust Gratitude Inspiration Fun Which one

TGIF 🙌

Trust
Gratitude
Inspiration
Fun

Which one are you feeling today?

#tgif #tgifriday #fridaymood #fridayfeeling #friyay #trustyourself #gratitudeforlife #fridayinspiration #funfriday #fridayfun #whataweek #itsfriday #howareyoufeeling #feelingeverything #feelingisnormal #brenebrownquotes #feelinggrateful #howareyoureally #reframefriday