Never begrudge donating your time

Never begrudge donating your time

Volunteer, philanthropic or unpaid board positions – they are good to do when you have the time, incliniation or desire and when we take on these roles, they have to work both ways. If there is any risk of you begrudging the hours you have to donate, then either the time isn’t right for you now, or the role doesn’t fit; if this is the case, walk away. There are so many situations where you…

Old or New?

Old or New?

There are times when we need to reflect on everything we have around us and assess whether or not it’s still working, old or new, broken, no longer fit for purpose, or out of date and unskilled. Is it doing what it’s meant to do? Is it taking too long? Think of your mobile phone and how long you have owned it? The older it gets, the more outdated it becomes, and the older software…

Questions And Answers

Questions And Answers

So many of the situations we get ourselves into, positive and negative, are direct and indirect results of an action or a lack of action. In other words, our choices! Some would say that it’s down to wisdom, maturity and experience, but is it? How often do you ask the right question, listen without prejudging and trust your gut feel when it comes to supporting others and looking after yourself? The subject of mental health,…

Puppy Love

Puppy Love

Sitting on the kitchen floor with 10 labrador puppies climbing all over you, they’re not doing anything for you intentionally, just playing and being very cute and cuddly. For you, it is heartwarming, energising and can even be medicinal, as they take you back to a place of total innocence and pure joy. Personally, I get all of this as a result of giving a small amount of my time. How much time do you…

Open Your Eyes

Open Your Eyes

There are signs everywhere – on the roads, in your house, your body and of course, in your horoscope. No matter where you look, there are signs. How you filter them is the question. What do you read? What are the signs that you pay attention to? And why do they stand out in comparison to all the others? Not being a Neuroscientist, I wouldn’t want to start quoting incorrectly as to what the reticular…

Active Mindfulness and Meditation

Active Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindfulness and meditation normally involve a belief that we have to sit still, , turn off our mind so it can become completely blank and just exist in an alternative state resembling some sort of zen space. The reality is very different. I’ve never been particularly good at the art of mindfulness and meditation and to me they mean pretty much the same thing – Mindfulness is the awareness of “some-thing,” while meditation is the…

Trust Your Support Network

Trust Your Support Network

Trust your network, trust your Mental Wealth Team. Ask them for their help, thoughts and advice and then act upon what information you get. There’s no point in having a support network if you don’t use it, don’t seek their opinions, and worse still, if you don’t take action on their advice. Trusting my network was really brought home to me recently when I had a particular challenge; it was not a life-challenging situation but…

The Effect of Collective Help

The Effect of Collective Help

The cumulative effect of helpful friends and collaborative partners providing small amounts of help and support once, twice, or multiple times can be massive. Putting the onerous burden of necessary support onto only one or two people is destined for failure and resentment, whereas asking many helpers for a relatively small amount of help can have a substantial impact. Relying on one person to help you fix all your problems is challenging because the amount…

Starting Again

Starting Again

Coming out of lockdown feels like we’ve been living somewhere different for almost 18 months, and now we are returning home. We’ve only been able to enjoy our home town, not been able to explore much of our home county, we’ve not visited other cities or travelled around, and there have been no overseas trips to talk about. Time to start up again.  #MentalWealth. It all feels like we’re starting again; for some of us,…

What Happens Next?

What Happens Next?

After over a year of lockdowns, isolation, furlough and uncertainty, what will happen next in your world? Overseas holidays may not be on the agenda yet, finances may be in a good state or desperately uncertain; what decisions are you going to make to help manage or improve your self-care? #MentalWealth. What Happens Next? There are said to be loads of opportunities on the horizon for businesses across the board; sadly, there are too many…