So that was it then. A good time was had, lovely company, excellent presents, lots of very rich food, and Mr Chalk and I found the inn to be quite comfortable and peaceful to retire to after each busy day (see my previous blog for details of sleeping arrangements).
There has been a bit of a musical theme to this Christmas. To their delight my son Olly entertained our elderly guests with some wonderful jazz piano standards on Christmas Day, as Mr Chalk and I cooked the dinner. It did feel a bit like an old peoples home at times, but at least everyone was happy. On Boxing Day evening we all sat down to enjoy that wonderful Victoria Wood comedy musical 'That day we sang'. A real 'feel-good' piece, such clever lyrics, I particularly liked Enid, the heroine's song when she was lamenting about her boring, narrow life, with gems such as 'no Kenya, certainly not when ya, tights are 45 denier. Marvellous.
Also, quite spookily, Mr Chalk and I bought each other tickets for musicals, as part of our Christmas presents to each other - Dirty, rotten, scoundrel from me to him and Miss Saigon from him to me. Make of that what you will. They are also on consecutive nights, so warranting a little stay in London which will be lovely.
Music is such a powerful thing, and I am a particular fan of musicals for that amazing feeling of being uplifted and energised - wrapped up in a great big musical hug.
Musicals are also a wonderful energetic contrast to the music I play in my therapy room, which is very calming and peaceful, and promotes those 'alpha waves' which occur in hypnosis. I love this sort of music too, and it has a very important part to play in my hypnotherapy sessions.
One of the things I shall be doing over the holidays is looking at my therapy room playlist, and possibly revising it a little. I shall look forward to playing these for my clients in 2015, helping them to achieve a deep state of calm and serenity, a wonderful antidote to the stress and anxiety of modern life.
Happy harmonies,
Wendy x
Saturday, 27 December 2014
Sunday, 21 December 2014
Plenty of room at the (Premier) Inn
We hadn't planned it this way, but - having a house full over Christmas, and realising that our spines are not made for air beds any more - Mr Chalk and I shall be staying at a nearby budget hotel over the festive season - and, it may seem strange but you cannot guess at how relieved I am. Having checked the website yesterday we were pleased to find that, contrary to the well-known and loved Christmas story, there was actually plenty of room at the inn, so on Christmas Eve night we shall make our way to that little town beginning with a 'B', in this case Bramford and not Bethlehem. It should not take us quite so long as it did Mary and Joseph, as we will be Volvo riding, not donkey. I am also hoping that the inn will be fairly comfortable, having seen the adverts with Lenny Henry, I feel reassured that this will be the case, and there will be a minimum of livestock that we shall be sharing our room with.
Some people hate to be away from their homes at this time of year, but I must admit that I am quite looking forward to having our own space to sleep and get showered and dressed will be quite wonderful. We have enjoyed the years spent with the boys climbing into bed with us when they were little on Christmas morning, and now that they are 18 and 21, the Christmas holiday period takes on a different hue. So, Mr Chalk and I will have the luxury of freshly laundered sheets, and our own bathroom, while our guests can enjoy the chaos of our house. This will mean that we can go back to our house each day feeling refreshed, not having to share a bathroom and also then escape the throng in the evening. This will make for a calm Christmas and although I shall still be doing the cooking and hosting (which I do enjoy as a matter of fact) there is this wonderful in-built escape plan. Bliss.
However you are spending Christmas, I do send you my best wishes for the holiday season, and a very health and happy 2015.
Wendy x
Some people hate to be away from their homes at this time of year, but I must admit that I am quite looking forward to having our own space to sleep and get showered and dressed will be quite wonderful. We have enjoyed the years spent with the boys climbing into bed with us when they were little on Christmas morning, and now that they are 18 and 21, the Christmas holiday period takes on a different hue. So, Mr Chalk and I will have the luxury of freshly laundered sheets, and our own bathroom, while our guests can enjoy the chaos of our house. This will mean that we can go back to our house each day feeling refreshed, not having to share a bathroom and also then escape the throng in the evening. This will make for a calm Christmas and although I shall still be doing the cooking and hosting (which I do enjoy as a matter of fact) there is this wonderful in-built escape plan. Bliss.
However you are spending Christmas, I do send you my best wishes for the holiday season, and a very health and happy 2015.
Wendy x
Sunday, 7 December 2014
Hypnotherapy for depression
The desperately sad news of Charlotte Bevan and her new baby daughter being found dead in the Avon Gorge, after disappearing from hospital highlights the all too common problem of depression in new mothers. As Charlotte already had a mental health problem, it is baffling that she was able to leave the hospital so easily and unnoticed by staff, but we cannot know all the circumstances.
As someone who has suffered from post-natal depression myself, I can identify with that despairing feeling which descends on you at a time when the world expects you to be on cloud nine. This is often what makes it so much more difficult, and the horrible thoughts that can go through your mind at this time make you question your ability as a mother.
We cannot know what was going on in poor Charlotte's mind, but it is clear that much more support should be given to people like herself, and indeed anyone suffering from depression or mental illness.
If you feel that you may have depression, it is vital that you seek help, and going to your GP is the first important course of action to take. It may then be suggested that you take a course of anti-depressants and perhaps some therapy.
Hypnotherapy treatment can be taken alongside conventional treatment, and I regularly see clients who are taking some sort of medication. What I find is that the calming nature of the hypnotherapy as well as the powerful positive suggestions are very effective at helping people to begin to feel better very quickly.
If you would like to know more about how hypnotherapy can help you, do please contact me on 01449 780352 or 07817158429, or email me - wendy@wendychalk.co.uk.
Best wishes,
Wendy x
As someone who has suffered from post-natal depression myself, I can identify with that despairing feeling which descends on you at a time when the world expects you to be on cloud nine. This is often what makes it so much more difficult, and the horrible thoughts that can go through your mind at this time make you question your ability as a mother.
We cannot know what was going on in poor Charlotte's mind, but it is clear that much more support should be given to people like herself, and indeed anyone suffering from depression or mental illness.
If you feel that you may have depression, it is vital that you seek help, and going to your GP is the first important course of action to take. It may then be suggested that you take a course of anti-depressants and perhaps some therapy.
Hypnotherapy treatment can be taken alongside conventional treatment, and I regularly see clients who are taking some sort of medication. What I find is that the calming nature of the hypnotherapy as well as the powerful positive suggestions are very effective at helping people to begin to feel better very quickly.
If you would like to know more about how hypnotherapy can help you, do please contact me on 01449 780352 or 07817158429, or email me - wendy@wendychalk.co.uk.
Best wishes,
Wendy x
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