February is here, the month of love, so it’s the perfect time to look at what you love in your life right now, and what would you love to change/happen and be doing this year?
An Emotion such as Love is so powerful and important, as it gives you drive and determination. Relationships are also so important. The relationships you have with your family, friends, and community can really matter but what about the relationship You have with yourself!
Do you ever look at how you treat yourself?It’s important to recognise if you put your self down our put limiting beliefs out there that stop you doing what you love.
It’s a good idea to look at what your current personal priorities, Identify how much they mean to you and the impact they have on you.Also It’s good to look at How much responsibility you have towards these priorities.
Can you make them change if there not what you want anymore, can you take control of them? if you are able to be in control what can or would you like to work on first, to make your life better and more enjoyable?
The happier you are, the more likely that you will find those around you are!I find it helps with all of the juggling and work life balance we all have to deal with at times making sure time out for yourself is factored in and planned.
There is no time like the present, me time can happen, you need to just ask yourself these questions to get the ball rolling and start to make plans!
It’s helpful to look to ask yourself and Work on these 4 questions:
1, if I could do anything what would I love to be doing?
2, What would I love to happen this year that’s within my control?
3,What do I love and enjoy in my life and how Can I factor it in more to my routine?
4, look at when you can start some of the above, Pick a date when the first step is going to happen! It’s more likely to come true if you write it down and commit to it!
Remember you are steering your direction, you can change it,make a life you love with the things that you have the control over and have the power to make change.
Sometimes life is hard and we all at times are dealt cards that are unexpected, negative or out of our control! and these can therefore take us off course. But with the things that you do have control over and are able to have responsibility for positive change, why not make it all lead to something you want!
Remember there is no failure in trying! Don’t regret things make things happen you deserve to be happy! You can’t change yesterday but tomorrow is yours for the taking…………enjoy!
It’s so true that the power of your mind and your mind set is Huge. If you don’t believe in your self or invest yourself then why would others, you get out what you put in.
The power of your thoughts in your mind can carry you a very long way,or they can simply stop your from moving forward at all.
Your mindset can change at times and sometimes very rapidly. It’s important to recognise what strategies support you when this is in a negative way and what helps you become a more positive version of yourself.
Learn how to control your thoughts more when negativity starts to show, look out for the early signs, get your support strategies into action ASAP. Do what help’s keep yourself focused and on track to what you want to achieve, don’t self sabotage.
You really have the power to lead yourself to where you want to go, but you also could be the person who’s hold you back! so unlock the positive mind set you have and take on positive changes to get you to your goals.
Wondering, How to make your mind set as positive as possible to work for you, so you can make new exciting steps you want in your life, review the way in which your doing things towards your goals. Don’t get stuck in a rut, nothing motivational will come from things that don’t challenge you.
Review your steps towards your end game/goals. Make sure you’re enjoying what you’re doing still and if you’re not look at other ways you can achieve the same steps but in a way that is more motivational, fun and inspiring for you to go forward.
M:
Meaningful, make sure the goal means something to you, that you want this! That this is for you and not for others or to please them or anyone else. The more meaningful the goal is the more drive, determination and passion you will have in doing this and seeing it through.
I:
Interesting, make sure it’s something that you want to do that pushes you to smash out side comfort Zone, make it exciting, full of new things to learn, take part of /do and of course choose the way that you feel is the most positively challenging for you. If the steps aren’t inspiring you look at alternative ones you can still take to get to your end goal, different steps still leading to the same outcome and your goal.
N:
Nothing stopping you, you know the steps you need to take, plan, prepare and show up. Make things happen, remember every small step counts towards the bigger picture and goal’s you have. Go to bed knowing what you have planned for tomorrow. From exercise plans, to food prep and menus, activities, tasks, to-do lists etc be organised and plan to succeed not to fail.
D:
Determination, keep yourself motivated, surrounded yourself with positive things, people and log the steps you have made, read, watch and listen to things and people that inspires you to keep going. Watch Blogs of the journey others are taking and have took from start to finish to make their goals happen, let them inspire you, show you that they didn’t give up, showing you evidence, you too can do this! Like they did.
S:
Start, set a date and make it happen.the first step is always the hardest. Write it down Mark it on the calendar or diary, the day I made my life change for the better (tomorrow) why wait!
E:
End game, keep your end game clear in your mind, what it is that you want! every time you find it hard, that you’re losing your willpower, remember why your doing this, let the thoughts of your end game push you forward and trough the tough times. Imagine and try to visualise the end,how you will feel being at this point, where you wanted to be and how good that will feel and look. What other opportunities will this then create for you?
T:
Train, train, train. Learn what you need to do to achieve what you have set out to do, build yourself up along the way with the discipline you need to support this goal and all the steps you take. Learn, evolve, develop, conquer, achieve, eat, sleep repeat.
It’s that time of the year when Christmas is around the corner and I feel it’s important to make sure you ask yourself; Is any of my Christmas planning filled with things that I want ? Does the planning reflect What is my ideal Christmas?
This time of year can come with so much pressure because we all put ourselves under pressure for everything to be “perfect”
Make sure you don’t use a lot of your energy on things that don’t promote your happiness nor do things that may add extra financial pressure.
Christmas really is a mixed bag when it comes to emotions too, ether it may be due to past experiences or loss of persons or a change in personal circumstances. Christmas is different for everyone.
This time of year is also typically when our routine goes out the Window and as nice as it is to have days off from the norm, I find this impacts me. If you need routine or notice if you don’t have routine that you struggle with the change of pace, just make sure you keep some of the structure you personally need. For me I need to still clear my head and push myself physically, so I have to stick to strategies that allow me to do this, for me this is my running, and Exercise, I need routine over the festive holidays to keep me on track.
A tip of survival is to avoid a stressful Christmas and just remind yourself to consider your own feelings on things; what matters and what really does not matter …. such as perfection!
Spend your time wisely, and try not to put pressure on yourself, it’s ok if it’s not the perfect Christmas you had in your mind. If things are fun and make you happy and you get to surround yourself with those who matter to you then isn’t that a success in itself?
This year I am trying to aim for the following steps and tasks for myself;
1,Go with the flow days, were I go with how I feel and enjoy the lack of pressure and expectations I put on myself.
2,Social days with those who make me feel happy, uplifted and good.l
3,Days to be productive, to get those things done that I didn’t get a chance to until now, and want to have done ahead of the new year.
4,Fresh air outdoors days where we can just get outside on a crisp winter day and enjoy ourselves.
5,have Creative days, it’s important to feed your creativity and if you want to make something or bake or attempt something new just do it!
6, If you find your mind has a few thoughts swimming around about the near future or for the new year etc try to make the time to acknowledge what you are thinking about, make time to write them down. Following on form this….
7, Allow Forward thinking time, It’s good to ask yourself;
•What do I want for 2023?
See what come to mind. Get it down on paper it’s more likely to be something you commit to if you see it written it comes to life.
8, It’s good to also be reflective and learn from 2022 what you enjoyed, didn’t enjoy and what you have learnt from these things. Ask yourself if they present again Can you approach things differently, can you change these things, again what do you want and how do you feel?
9, it’s good to ask yourself,what where my memorable happy times of 2022? reflect back at the year’s highlights, whenever possible use visuals such as photos, Keepsakes etc things that made you feel happy and what was it about this moment and memory, can it be recreated for example ‘photo of a lovely place you walked with friends why not plan more walks and dates to do this again, make it part of a life style for 2023.
10, Give yourself time, the gift of time to sit down for a moment and listen to your thoughts and feelings; find your creative space, your pause moment and let things come to you that need to be considered, process then and write down any questions and goals they set.
Remember the past has happened and can’t be changed but you can be the change you need to make your Christmas and new year 2023 yours!
With autumn well and truly here, it’s a season full of change and I use it as a season to prep for the winter and enjoy all the wonderful inspiration autumn has to offer. It’s a great time to declutter, forget spring cleaning enjoy “Autumn Organising”.
This time of year, I like to make changes to my living environment as I know over the coming weeks I will spend more time indoors as winter approaches. I like to change items in my living space as it creates a new mood and therefore a new energy in my home. My living room is the heart of my home so I always focus on this space and of course my bedroom. Things I aim for is looking at soft lighting as this keeps me feeling positive in the darker days as unfortunately unlike summer there isn’t long amounts of natural light so this is important to me and of course colour, I tend to change colours in my home once for spring/summer and then autumn/winter, choosing colours you are drawn to is so important. Right now, I am drawn to a cosy soft forest greens and warmer shade of Grey, For my living space. I like to change my throws, cushions, flowers and try to minimise things ahead of Christmas. This also could be items you can change, update, up-cycle or find on-line with little to no cost.
Autumn for me can affect my mood I notice now that I start off feeling a little flat when October approaches. However interestingly, Autumn tends to be a great season for me personally to focus. Autumn for me has a pattern I notice where anything I set out todo goal setting wise works. It’s important to work out if you have a season which you are at your best! Make a mental log of what season works best for you, this is a great tool and should be used when planning something that needs lot of focus and motivation, as this is when you’re at your optimum peak of positive mindset!
My Personal Autumn must dos are;
1, Take a bag and fill it with anything in your house you feel you’re ready to move on from, no-longer wear,use or need. Fill the bag and send it off to your local charity shop collection bags that come through the post or find out what food banks etc in the area are accepting at this time.
2, Try a new recipe and make something hearty to enjoy. I personally love using a slow cooker this time of year for seasonal vegetable stews, soups and dishes.
3, Pick a space in your home such as an area your drawn to and want to change. Try quick go-to changes first for example if it’s the sofa in your living room change the cushions and throw and see if it makes you feel uplifted or any different feeling to the space, more cosy, calm etc. Put up new photos and pictures that inspire the changes and new things going on in life right now, positive Visuals are great!
4, Pick a new scent, try a new perfume for you, a candle for your home, I went with an Autumn scented candle, lots of Sandalwood, pumpkin spice (a personal favourite)Amber and burnt Orange to bring the crisp Autumn feeling in the home!
5, Have a go-to basket for inspiration and when you’re feeling inspired to do something like goal set, list right, plan-things or get creative. Have things in the basket like notebooks, pens, books, craft projects you want to do this season. This positive pod,means they are all conveniently ready for you, prep again is key!
6, With the darker night’s drawing in, I like to review my exercise routine, either get equipped for running in the dark or make routine changes and try some new remember winter creeps up on you so plan your new exercise routine now. Remember with exercise preparation is key!
7, This time of year can get expensive especially in todays current economys challenges, so maybe look at any positive changes that you can make to your shopping and outgoings, sometimes being organised with homemade lunches, prepared meals from scratch not only healthier but cost affective to, these things can really help make a positive spin on the pennies
8, Have list of things you want to go and do this season, step outside the comfort zone and do something that challenges you in a positive way, from new classes, learning, reading that book, visiting new outdoor spaces or trying a new hobby or exercise, go for it!
9, Go through your kitchen cupboards/pantry and see what you have that’s in date, but you won’t really use that you could give to your local food bank most super markets now have a trolley at the front you can give items to. You could even get some extra bits to give, I like to get pasta to add to my items I donate.
10, This is one of my favourites, get your diary full of social catch ups with all your friends, it’s so important to keep connected especially with people who make you happy! Organise face time or zoom catch ups outdoor walk meet ups,social distancing of course.
11, Something you might want to do is set a goal that can be complete between now and Christmas or winter ask yourself,
Q: By Christmas I would like to (blank)
Fill this answer in with something you would like to achieve in these time frames.
12, I like to go through my clothing and make a capsule wardrobe (collection of a few essential items) and put a few full out fits together that I want to wear and that make me feel positive. Things that make me feel more well’ me’ It’s fun to sometimes get ideas for AW22 fashion, hair, accessories and makeup for inspirations.
Mental health awareness week 2022, the importance of looking after you, your mind and your being. The power of your mind is so powerful, it is so important to not underestimate it and the impact it can have, how rapid this impact can become, whether positive or negative in its outcome.
We all have mental health just as we have physical health however, it is not always something we look at regularly supporting and training, or exercising and reviewing. It would be wonderful to think we soon will be in a world where we could openly ask each other ” how you feeling today and how’s your mind”, without it being uncomfortable.
We all have those moments in life where things can cause us to feel lower in our mood. This often affects our mental health. Times of this “low mood “ or any ongoing sadness can happen to any of us at any time, feeling as if it comes upon us without any warning. It is important to recognise your own personal triggers. It’s important to ask yourself
1,what are my triggers?
2,What sends my stress levels over the edge?
3, Is there any changes you can make to help you manage these things?
4, what helps you to keep going when you feel like this?
The triggers could be anything, such as a memorable date, topics you are sensitive to and don’t want to face yet, family, relationships, self-limiting beliefs, traumas, life events, medical reasons, life pressure, public speaking, anything! It is so important to take the time to look at any trigger patterning you have.
By looking at triggers you can possibly unlock a resilience strategy for yourself that just might help you cope better when you are in need.
Emotional stress can be really overwhelming, it can impact both your physical and mental state. Strategies to support your resilience can work wonders in helping you through this time, along with of course any support groups, professional outreach etc available to you.
Examples of resilience you can use when this happens are things such as supportive building blocks to help manage your stress levels. Some of mine are below:
• When life is busy I have to make sure I have me time
• Personal head space-time, walk, read, chill out somewhere away from everything to just clear your mind (a pause moment)
• Something that is physical such as sport; for me my main choice of activity to spend my “me” time on is running
• Something that makes you feel a sense of belonging such as socialising with the right community
• Things I enjoy, things that make me happy, as happiness is so important! Such as hobbies (Creative Diet)
• Try to goal set my activities into my weekly plans, looking at how I can review and improve and identify the priorities I have. These keep me on track and both my physical and mental health are in better shape for it (Muscle Motivation)
• Predict my stress triggers. When I know something is coming up that is likely to cause stress good planning is key. I look at what I can do to manage it as best I can, and what best supports me
• Make sure you tell someone. If I am worried about things or stressed, just saying things out loud to someone can make a huge difference as you then own your true feelings
• Choose to hang out with people on your level. Someone you can text, call, meet and have that support with
• I ensure I take regular pause moments; so important!
• Even when you don’t feel like it connect with the world daily so you don’t become withdrawn.
Remember you are often not alone with these feelings and it is so important to tell someone. Don’t suffer in silence, it will only get worse. There is know weakness in asking for help.
Wishing your all the best of mental and physical health this mental health awareness week and beyond.
Brain Biscuits Coaching 