Tag: Look after yourself

The one simple thing which massively improves my life

Regular readers will know I’m in a constant battle to get fit and sustain it. It isn’t easy though, over recent years, I’ve come to realise that there is one simple thing which massively helps me – not just in the battle to shed fat, but also in improving my mental health. Walking. That most …

Turning 50, fearing the aging process, and some fine advice from Clint

I turn 50 in December of this year. I won’t be mentioning it too often here as I’m really not happy about it. In fact, I’m dreading it. Not because I fear there’ll be some big noticeable change in my life, but mainly as this is the landmark birthday which makes me feel I’m truly …

A little bit of weight loss inspiration goes a long way

Losing weight isn’t easy. In fact, it’s bloody difficult. Those of you who have always been slim may scoff at this. Those of you who are currently carrying a stone or three too much will no doubt fully understand. I’ve written about this previously so I’m not going to regurgitate the same old ‘woe is …

Get up and start again

I’ve lost my way with the blog over recent months. Since starting in May 2019, I averaged close to a new post each week for the first two years. However, since August 2021, I’ve written just 25 posts (including this one) – an average of one per fortnight. It is easy to come up with …

Use the 4-7-8 breathing technique to ease stress and anxiety

I listen to Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s brilliant Feel Better Live More podcast frequently, especially his short bitesize episode, and have been using this technique to deal with anxiety and panic attacks to great effect since first hearing it last month. Taken from his episode with Dr Andrew Weil, a pioneer in the field of integrative …

Breaking the stigma – do most of us have mental health issues?

I’ve been agonising for months over whether to write this post, largely as it may be misinterpreted, and people may have widely different views regarding the answer to the question in the blog title. However, a TV documentary we watched as a family this week made my mind up for me. More of that later. …

Do you have opportunities to talk about your mental health?

I’m fortunate to work for a company which places a great deal of importance on the mental health of employees. The Wellbeing team in our HR department are fantastic. They regularly arrange lunchtime catch-ups for staff to understand what support is available and to provide an opportunity for us to talk in a safe space. …

What would happen if you looked at your story and wrote it from another person’s point of view?

I recently watched a snippet of a TED talk which really hit home. The talk is titled How Changing Your Story Can Change Your Life, by Lori Gottlieb. The general theme is that what we tell ourselves shapes how we live our lives – Gottlieb summarises this by saying “The way we narrate our lives …

Benefits of losing weight (I hope…)

Apologies for yet another weight-related post so soon after the one last month but things have changed a little since then. In that post, I wrote about not beating yourself up if you’re finding it difficult to lose weight, or if it takes time to achieve (as it is with me). However, since then, a …

For the good of your own mental health, limit the amount of news you take in right now

The world is undoubtedly a crazy place right now. All we hear is war, death, a refugee crisis, rising costs, poverty and much more connected to these themes. The broader situation will seem even worse though if you’re constantly watching television news and reading newspapers. I appreciate that this may be an unpopular view though …