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How to have a calm Christmas
Review of Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton (2019, 227 pages) As much as I love celebrating Christmas with my nearest and dearest, it can be a really stressful time of year! It is easy to get caught up in the preparations, trying to meet expectations, and frantically attempting to create the ‘picture perfect’ Christmas that you see on social media, all while juggling work commitments and the numerous events that begin to fill up the school calendar. You might find that after ‘the big day’ you are feeling worn out, fatigued and promising yourself that next year will be different. In Calm Christmas and a…
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Gaining insights from your journal writing
If you have ever kept a journal you will know that it can provide a rare space in your life where you can just ‘be’, away from all the noise and distraction of daily life (and the influence of others!) Within the pages of your journal you can be open and honest about how you are feeling, entertain your latest creative ideas, explore new directions for your business or career, and work through your problems. It is the most attentive listener and will never wade in and try to persuade, advise, or judge you. Combined with coaching, and talking things over with people in my support network, I have found…
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Acknowledge your wins and celebrate them!
Here we are at the end of another year! Before you start thinking about New Year’s resolutions or goal setting, take a moment to look back, reflect on how this year has been and consider what you are taking away from it. In the process of doing this, it is important to recognise the successes you have had, to acknowledge the effort and positive decisions you have made, to take the time to give yourself a well-earned pat on the back, and express gratitude to those who have supported you along the way. Read on to find out why you should make a habit of celebrating your wins, not just…
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Keeping your cool at Christmas time
Now that the shops have had all the Christmas gear out for a good few months, and we are well and truly in the run up to the ‘big day’, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on how I have prepared for Christmas in the past so that I can take a few of the lessons that I have learned from those moments and aim for a more chilled experience this time around! I want to be able to kick back and relax come 25th December so, as a bit of a ‘note to self’, here are some of the points I am going to bear…
