Creating Sparks That Last & All Things Relationships

No running in circles required If, like me, you're wondering how on earth the holidays are almost upon us, you're in the right place. Crazy isn't it that we say this same thing every year and yet every year, we have the same 365 days to prepare for it. But life happens, stuff gets in the way and we just. get. busy! So here are my no-nonsense tips to surviving the holidays and keeping your relationships intact, whether with your children, parents, friends, colleagues or spouse (or your cat, dog or mouse 😼🐶🐭). Be still - I'm serious. Stop, breathe - really breathe - like deep into-the-belly breaths. Take just 10 minutes to do what you love -  Don't have 10 minutes? Pick up the phone and call a trusted human to relieve you of your busyness for 10 minutes. If they care for you at all, they'll do it and you can return the favour when they need it. Don't know what you love to do? Jot the first 3 things that come to mind and start there. Move your body - I c...

The remedy to hustle culture? We’ve all been there. Caught in the scroll. One minute looking at an aesthetically pleasing post with icons depicting going for a bath, getting out in nature, and meditation. The next are posts on getting less sleep, waking up earlier, and working while other people party.   Self-care or hustle. Happy or successful. Going by social media, it seems you can’t possibly have both. Interestingly self-care is often seen as the remedy to too much hustle and the inevitable burnout from working too hard, for too long, on too little sleep. Prompting the question: Are we practicing self-care for the right reasons? It’s a blurry line. Do we need self-care as a result of how hard we are working or do we need it simply to feel good within ourselves?  In an ideal world, it would be the latter, we’d practice self-care because it feels good and it’s what we want to do. However, this is not an ideal world and we do not always get the option to do what feels good wh...

How Do You Portray Yourself to the World? Your body is your home. Have you ever wondered what compels you to return home at the end of each day? What draws you into that space? What magnetism attracts you to the energy there? Whilst I can’t answer on your behalf, here’s what I know from someone who has lived in 2 countries, semi-permanently lived in a third and travelled for a year without a place to call home yet feeling ‘at home’ in each accommodation. Self-awareness in your space: You are with yourself constantly. How do you perceive yourself? Does that align with how the world sees you? How you wish the world to see you? I’ve noticed that the things that bring me peace are the very things that define me. They denote that eternal question of ‘Who am I?’ Not in a career or relationship perspective, just me, in my own space and not what the world sees from the outside. So what are these things that bring me peace, and how do they relate to who I am and how I portray myself to the wor...

Self Care Ideas https://unsplash.com/@taiamint [The last in our Self-Love mini-series] “You’re always with yourself, so you might as well enjoy the company.”   Diane Von Furstenberg Last week our post was a little on the long side. I really didn’t want to leave anything out because I felt it was all so important for our wellbeing. This week though, we have a 1 minute self-care video to watch. Enjoy the soothing music and simple self-care suggestions. Show yourself a little love    If you’d like to read last week’s post in snatches, here’s the link: The Art of Restorative Self-Love https://unsplash.com/@avasol How do you know when you're starting to need a little extra self-care?  For example, I get very sweary and I don't normally speak like that, so I know that it's time to pay attention to my stressors and find healthy ways to eliminate them. Do you have a self-care routine or ritual?

That Depends on YOU Dear Reader And by you, I mean how you are treating yourself Yes, you have responsibilities and commitments and people who depend on you, BUT, you have to care for yourself first if you are to have anything left to give - Elora Canne https://unsplash.com/@quincoetzee I wrote the following article to help with my recovery, after an out-of-the-blue mental breakdown at work. So I know that the tiny steps I have outlined WORK. They will significantly impact your mental state positively and your outlook for the day ahead: The Art of Restorative Self-Love As a recovering Meltdown Survivor, this is what I’ve learnt.   No-one can love another, male or female, until you love yourself entirely. Not with the vanity of feeling better than anyone else and not by exerting power over another. Self-love involves being gentle with yourself in all interactions, even when you are gently letting go of a person who no longer embraces your desire to live calmly. No human bein...