As the clock strikes midnight tonight, we will be all be wishing each other a happy new year (or at least those of us who have stayed up for the duration) but do you ever really stop to think what 'happy' means to you?
Is it the absence of misery or sadness? Or a huge surge of joy? Or perhaps just a general feeling of warm fuzzy contentment? Or a mixture of all of these?
In our hectic, all too busy lives, we can find ourselves sometimes just going through the motions and working on auto-pilot, so that we very often fail to be aware of those special moments of happiness, and they just pass us by. This is a shame, as if we really start to be more aware of living in the moment, we can truly notice those moments of joy, or contentment or calm (call them what you will) and I believe that by noticing those special moments, we find that they have a magical tendency to amplify, and multiply.
If you have not yet made a new year's resolution, why don't you make it your aim this year to find out what really makes you feel happy, and notice all of those things - whether its a baby's smile or a lovely meal - that contribute to that wonderful feeling.
May I wish everyone a happy (whatever that means to you) 2013!
Wendy x
Monday, 31 December 2012
Thursday, 20 December 2012
Wishing you all a peaceful xmas
As I was looking through client notes the other day, it suddenly occured to me how lucky and priveleged I am to have the opportunity to touch peoples' lives in some way.
One of the reasons I embarked on this career was to do with the fact that I find it endlessly interesting and inspiring to listen to others' stories, and this remains as strong, or perhaps stronger than ever. I feel humbled that clients open up their lives to me and put their trust in me. And I find it amazing how strong the human spirit is, when I encounter those people who have been through the most incredible challenges and they then come out the other side.
These are stressful and difficult times for many, but we need to be aware that inside every one of us there is a strong inner core which gives us the ability to overcome all sorts of difficulties, and find a lasting peace and contentment.
If I have been able to help my clients in some small way to discover that strength and peace within, then that is really quite awesome.
Love and best wishes to all clients past, present and future,
Wendy x
One of the reasons I embarked on this career was to do with the fact that I find it endlessly interesting and inspiring to listen to others' stories, and this remains as strong, or perhaps stronger than ever. I feel humbled that clients open up their lives to me and put their trust in me. And I find it amazing how strong the human spirit is, when I encounter those people who have been through the most incredible challenges and they then come out the other side.
These are stressful and difficult times for many, but we need to be aware that inside every one of us there is a strong inner core which gives us the ability to overcome all sorts of difficulties, and find a lasting peace and contentment.
If I have been able to help my clients in some small way to discover that strength and peace within, then that is really quite awesome.
Love and best wishes to all clients past, present and future,
Wendy x
Sunday, 16 December 2012
Give yourself a break
At this time of year, many people tend to be quite worn out - with all the stress of christmas preparations, the bad weather, all the nasty bugs and viruses going around as well as the short days - so I thought that it would be a good idea to share some of my ideas for taking care of yourself through the harsh winter months.
First of all, take a tip from nature. Many creatures and plants have the bright idea of hibernating or semi-hibernating, so why not us? Use the dark nights to curl up in bed reasonably early with a good book, and you will find that you are more likely to enjoy a good night's sleep, and wake feeling refreshed and re-energised. If you are the type of person who benefits from the odd nap, go with what your body is telling you and have 20 minutes or so during the day (no more than this, however, or you may not sleep so well at night).
Make sure that you eat well, and do not overload on carbs. There is a lot of stodgy food (and alcohol) about this time of year and if you overload yourself with sugar and carbohydrates, you will feel much more tired and lethargic. I find that for most of the time a good, balanced diet with lots of low GI (glycaemic index) foods - this means foods which ensure your blood/sugar levels remain even, such as porridge, lean proteins, wholegrains, nuts and pulses as well as fruit and vegetables - is a fairly safe bet, although it is normal to want to indulge in the tempting stuff occasionally.
Try as much as you can to eliminate stresses in your life. I know that this isn't always possible, but if you can keep things as simple and calm as you can, then you will feel much less stressed. I was finding that I was listening to a lot of news programmes on the radio, and watching them on the television. Now, for a lot of the time, I tend to listen to Classic FM and am feeling much better for it.
Do take supplements if you feel that you would benefit from them. Vitamin D has had a lot of press recently, and there are many people who are deficient in this particularly during the winter months. Have a look on the internet to find out more.
Lastly, find some time to just 'be' - this means doing absolutely nothing at all for 10 or 20 minutes each day. Call it meditation, self-hypnosis, mindfulness - it is a wonderful way to relax and recharge.
Take care,
Wendy x
First of all, take a tip from nature. Many creatures and plants have the bright idea of hibernating or semi-hibernating, so why not us? Use the dark nights to curl up in bed reasonably early with a good book, and you will find that you are more likely to enjoy a good night's sleep, and wake feeling refreshed and re-energised. If you are the type of person who benefits from the odd nap, go with what your body is telling you and have 20 minutes or so during the day (no more than this, however, or you may not sleep so well at night).
Make sure that you eat well, and do not overload on carbs. There is a lot of stodgy food (and alcohol) about this time of year and if you overload yourself with sugar and carbohydrates, you will feel much more tired and lethargic. I find that for most of the time a good, balanced diet with lots of low GI (glycaemic index) foods - this means foods which ensure your blood/sugar levels remain even, such as porridge, lean proteins, wholegrains, nuts and pulses as well as fruit and vegetables - is a fairly safe bet, although it is normal to want to indulge in the tempting stuff occasionally.
Try as much as you can to eliminate stresses in your life. I know that this isn't always possible, but if you can keep things as simple and calm as you can, then you will feel much less stressed. I was finding that I was listening to a lot of news programmes on the radio, and watching them on the television. Now, for a lot of the time, I tend to listen to Classic FM and am feeling much better for it.
Do take supplements if you feel that you would benefit from them. Vitamin D has had a lot of press recently, and there are many people who are deficient in this particularly during the winter months. Have a look on the internet to find out more.
Lastly, find some time to just 'be' - this means doing absolutely nothing at all for 10 or 20 minutes each day. Call it meditation, self-hypnosis, mindfulness - it is a wonderful way to relax and recharge.
Take care,
Wendy x
Saturday, 1 December 2012
Fear of missing out
I seem to be seeing more and more people suffering from stress and this can have all sorts of reasons such as work and home life challenges as well as financial burdens. And it also seems to be that for most people these days there is no 'down' time and there is the feeling that you are missing out if you are not constantly on Facebook or twitter.
This need to be in touch or FOMO (fear of missing out) is, I feel, at the root cause of many peoples' stress and anxiety, although they would probably be loathe to admit it. In fact I am sure that, for many, they feel that being connected all the time is a comfort to them, as otherwise they would feel isolated and cut-off.
As always there is a balance to be struck. Modern technology is, even for me a self-confessed technophobe, a wonderful thing. There is so much that can be learnt from the Internet, and it was great that we could see and speak to our son back here in Suffolk from our Balinese retreat. However, when we become unable to get through 5 minutes without checking our phone, then maybe it is time to admit that there may be a slight problem. No-one is truly indispensable or needs to be accessible all the time and it is important to be self-aware if you feel you may have FOMO as this can soon become an habit which is difficult to break.
If you feel that you need help with this type of problem and would like to learn how to 'switch off' do contact me on 01449 780352 or email me on wendy@wendychalk.co.uk.
Best wishes,
Wendy x
This need to be in touch or FOMO (fear of missing out) is, I feel, at the root cause of many peoples' stress and anxiety, although they would probably be loathe to admit it. In fact I am sure that, for many, they feel that being connected all the time is a comfort to them, as otherwise they would feel isolated and cut-off.
As always there is a balance to be struck. Modern technology is, even for me a self-confessed technophobe, a wonderful thing. There is so much that can be learnt from the Internet, and it was great that we could see and speak to our son back here in Suffolk from our Balinese retreat. However, when we become unable to get through 5 minutes without checking our phone, then maybe it is time to admit that there may be a slight problem. No-one is truly indispensable or needs to be accessible all the time and it is important to be self-aware if you feel you may have FOMO as this can soon become an habit which is difficult to break.
If you feel that you need help with this type of problem and would like to learn how to 'switch off' do contact me on 01449 780352 or email me on wendy@wendychalk.co.uk.
Best wishes,
Wendy x
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