Anyone that really knows me, knows how much I love pets. I do not intend on owning a cat as I do not like them being on my countertops, but I have nothing against them other than that. Growing up on a farm, I have always had animals around me. The last five years in the Middle East have been strange not having a pet but then I am always busy. I have thought about fostering a dog many times but always talked myself out of it. Even 6 weeks ago, until I saw a post for a rescue dog that had an injured leg and who was so scared of people around him. I knew I wanted to foster this dog and that I had, at the moment, the time that he needed.
Continue reading “I fostered a dog, and it has made my year and it has been great for my mental health and well-being”Category: General Well-being
Different topics and discussions around well-being in general
Returning to work/school and anxiety
I have had many conversations over the past couple of weeks both professionally and personally about the return to work/school, in relation to the person themselves or their children. I have spoken with people in Europe, at home in Ireland, Australia, and here in the UAE. Each country has different measures on how they are supporting everyone and what precautions need to be put in place.
Continue reading “Returning to work/school and anxiety”Toxic positivity
The two words do not really sound like they should go together. Positive is seen as a good thing, the definition describes it as someone who tends to have an optimistic outlook. Someone who tends to, which does not mean that they always do have an optimistic outlook. I would say I am a positive person. Some may even say too positive, but I do not see the world in rainbows and unicorns. But what if I am too positive for some people and what does it mean for them?
Continue reading “Toxic positivity”Second chances
I am sure this is a term that you have heard or used yourself at some point in your life. What was your first thought when you read the title? The first thought most people would have is either second chance in life or second chance in love. Second chances are so much more though. For today however, I am not going to focus on the reasons why people might not deserve second chances. Each case and person are individual. I want to give you my insight and then it is for you to decide, especially if you are debating, if someone deserves a second chance or not.
Continue reading “Second chances”The big break-up, that isn’t always talked about – breaking up with a friend
Breaking-up
I was having a discussion with a friend the other day; we have both gone through such breakups and realised that there is very little out there about coping and dealing with a friendship break-up. Even when I googled it today, one of the first things I noticed in the question box was, “Is it OKAY to break off a friendship?”
Continue reading “The big break-up, that isn’t always talked about – breaking up with a friend”The power of music
It is not sure where music came from and how long it has been around for. Music can mean different things to different people and to different cultures. There have been lots of studies into how music can affect our minds and our thinking, how it can link in with emotions, even how patients suffering from memory loss illnesses being able to remember how to play pieces of music. Music therapy is starting to make a name for itself and it should. If something can have such a powerful link to our emotions, it should be used to support us anyway it can. Music is also often linked to different occasions and celebrations.
Here are some of the benefits that music can have on us and why we should embrace music more.
- Association with something or someone. I found living apart from people special to me and having songs that it makes me think of them, brings me closer to them in ways.
- Helps relieve stress
- Helps you express and understand your emotions
- Improve productivity
- Fills in silence during difficult times
- Can help you concentrate on a task
- It can lessen the impact of pain
- Helps you exercise
- It can help with depression
- Supports maintaining good memory
- Can improve one’s mood
- Helps you relax
- Can aid better sleep
- Helps with social anxiety- by singing a song in your head, it can help make you feel more relaxed in situations and keeps your mind busy
All the above are possible, and yes, there are certain factors that will influence how music will impact how you are feeling in a negative way. But at the end of the day, all feelings are okay. It is how we manage them that is important. And if music is something that helps bring out the emotions at the right time and enables us to deal with them, why not introduce music into our lives more and embrace what it can do?
Being Aunt!
To celebrate World Aunt Day on the 26th July, which I just found out is a thing, I am going to take a new direction with my post today. I get told a lot what a great mother I would be, as I am such a good aunt to my nieces and nephews. But being an aunt and being a mother are two very different things. Yes, there are some similarities but at the end of the day, an aunt is only a part-time/when it suits them kind of parent.
Continue reading “Being Aunt!”Crafty days!
Why do we think art therapy, amongst other therapies that are not just talking based, are becoming such a big hit?
Crafting is great for our mental health and wellbeing along with keeping our brains active.
Continue reading “Crafty days!”How to start your day, and keep going. Changes to make to your day, to make it better!
So there has been a lot going on lately, we are not going to talk about it in this post I promise. I had a laugh at my own expense the other day. I never really do things the way “you should” or the way everyone else does. I spent March and April getting fit, eating healthy and seeing no one. I will not lie there were parts of this I really enjoyed, I had a really good routine and I was becoming fit and healthy. My goals were becoming achievable. Somewhere after that, I got a bit bored with getting up early, I was doing extra stuff in the evenings for myself, which meant getting up early a bit harder also. Now where everyone is getting back to their fitter selves, I am going the other way. So, I have come up with some tips to introduce into my life to get me back to where I was and feeling great again. It is not about getting fit and healthy and being whatever my ideal weight is or yours. These are changes to make you feel better and motivated to achieve more from your day, no matter what that is. You can find many, many more but what I have written below is your starting point and then build your own for what you want to achieve.
Continue reading “How to start your day, and keep going. Changes to make to your day, to make it better!”Unspoken language and communication in a multi-cultural/multi-technological world Part 2
So last week we discussed what non-verbal communication was and how it can alter and affect how we interact with each other. We discussed the impact of it through face to face communication so now we will look at the impact on the technology side, whether that be by phone, video calling or any other form of media.
Continue reading “Unspoken language and communication in a multi-cultural/multi-technological world Part 2”