Tuesday 17th March 2020 will remain in my mind for a long time to come. My boss had scheduled a company wide ‘test’ working from home day. As the spread rate of Coronavirus started to increase in the UK, our ‘test’ day had been brought forward by a couple of weeks. Little did we know…
Category: mindfulness
The Return of Self Care Sunday
With the tragic death of tv presenter Caroline Flack this weekend, I felt it was time to have some ‘me’ time today. Not only is her death a reminder to be kind to each other, it’s also a reminder that we need to remember to be kind to ourselves. I’ve neglected my self care regime…
Setting Boundaries and the Power of Mute
Isn’t it funny how sometimes the smallest changes can have the biggest impacts on your life? I’ve been having a battle for much of this year with one of my colleagues. He was constantly sending messages in our group chat outside of working hours (and inside sometimes, despite the fact we all work opposite each…
Turning 35
This post was originally published on 3rd December 2018 and updated on 28th November 2019. This weekend, I turned 35. Birthday’s normally create moments of reflection for me. What have I accomplished in the last year, what do I hope to accomplish in the next? So far this year, I’ve been too lost in other…
My Notebook
This post was originally published on 16th October 2018 and updated on 3rd October 2019. I’ve been carrying a notebook around with me for a while now. Even pre-blog. I’ve always loved writing, but I’ve never known what direction to take this ‘hobby’ in. Travel Writing Fresh out of university, I dabbled with the idea…
Self-Care Neglect
As I write this blog post, I’ve been trying to think of a suitable word to sum up how I’ve been feeling during the last couple of months. All I can think of is… ‘meh’. A pretty nondescript word, but sums up how I’ve been feeling. Life has been a little bit all over the…
Solo Traveller
This post was originally published on 4th February 2019 and updated on 11th August 2019. The first time I travelled abroad on my own, I received a mixed reaction from friends and family. Some said good on you. Others thought I was crazy. Won’t you be lonely they asked? Aren’t you scared going alone? Why…
Patience, Fate and Saying Things Out Loud
This post was originally published on 24th November 2018 and updated on 3rd August 2019. One of the reasons I created The Mindful Musings of a Gingernut, was to offload some of the things running around my mind, in the hope that it would free up some space, and in turn, help me to process…
Green Fingered Gingernut
I first fell in love with gardening when I moved into my first house. I was in my mid 20s, with my first mortgage, and my very own back garden. And it was awful. With the neighbours conifer trees blocking out all signs of sunlight, and the stickiest clay soil I had ever tried to…
My Indian Adventure
I recently wrote about the Laws of Attraction and the overwhelming desire I have to visit India. Well, I am beyond excited to let you, my readers, know, that I am making that dream a reality. This Christmas, I fly out to Delhi for a 15 day trip to India. Whilst there, I will visit…
Mental Health Awareness Week
I’ve been thinking about mental health a lot this week. Particularly apt due to it being mental health awareness week. Everywhere I’ve turned there have been reminders about looking after our mental health. Social media has been full of interesting quotes and articles, and celebrities as well as us ‘normal’ folk have been talking about…
Time to unsubscribe
Over the last few weeks my emails have been mounting up. Unusually, not my work ones, which finally seem to be under control after nearly 4 years into the job! My personal emails however, have become ridiculous. I have two email accounts. One which I’ve had for years, and one which I use for all…
Is self care easier if you’re single?
A few weeks ago, I attended a friends hen party. The hen party was fun. But something was troubling me. I was staying in a hotel that night with another friend. While we were busy getting ready for the hen party, she started pouring her heart out to me. It appeared that her marriage was…
Positivity
Have you ever stopped to consider why you attract negative people into your life? I have to admit, it’s something I have often made a habit of. Not on purpose of course. But time and time again, I would find myself attracting friends and partners who were negative and needy. No matter how hard I…
Praia Santa Eulália and Praia da Oura
I’m now back in gloomy, grey, England after a beautiful few days in Portugal. The flight into Gatwick yesterday was slightly unnerving, as we landed in high winds. There were gasps, followed by a few expletives from passengers as we made our descent, but thankfully, our pilot got us back safe and sound (and without…
Miss Explorer v Miss Relaxation
Since I arrived in Portugal, I’ve been feeling torn. My intention was to get away, relax, get some self-care points in the bag, and have some much-needed reflection time. However, my inner explorer keeps trying to lure me away from this. So, I’ve compromised, alternating each day. A day of exploring, followed by a day…
The Simple Act of Showering
It’s funny how sometimes it’s the smallest new tips or habits that can really change how we feel and deal with situations. For me, being quite newly aware of self-care and wellbeing, I’m constantly learning new methods to try and experiment with. Some stick, others don’t. But I know my self-care journey is all about…
The path to self-discovery
Have you ever been known to choose the wrong partner at a time when you are feeling lost? Perhaps at a time when you have been suffering from low self esteem, you fall for someone who ends up making your self esteem even worse? Or equally as bad, you fall for someone who wants to…
Self-Care Sunday
After the wobbles of last week, it’s been a beautifully chilled weekend. Whilst some of the immediate work pressures have been lessened, there is a lot to do over the next few months, with lot’s of evening meetings coming up. I knew I needed to get some self-care bonus points in the bag to help…
Wobbles, Living Alone and Holidays
I don’t think I’ve ever been more grateful for the weekend to arrive! I had a bit of a wobbly moment midweek where I felt incredibly overwhelmed by the amount of work I need to do between now and the summer. Within the industry I work, everything seems to come at once. Deadlines galore, lot’s…
Readjusting
After a wobbly start to the year, a weekend readjusting was much needed. I took a brief trip to the lovely St. Albans on Saturday to meet up with my family. We’ve often suggested meeting half way between Northampton and London, but never actually done it. St. Albans is pretty much bang in the middle…
Signing out of 2018
Well here we are, New Years Eve 2018. The last year has once again been full of highs and lows. There have been losses, heartache, a lot of soul searching, and a lot of self discovery. I may not be where I thought I would be at the beginning of 2018, but I sure know…
New Year, New Goals
It’s that time of year again when we take time to look back at the last 12 months and to look forward to the next. I reflected on much of the last 12 months in a blog I wrote earlier this month called Turning 35, so now it’s time to focus on the next 12 months. I’m not…
Change – Part 2
In Change (Part 1), I wrote about the importance of living life. How life was too precious and too short to plod along, and how sometimes it takes a life-changing event to give us the wake-up call we so badly need. In Change (Part 2), I want to share with you, my readers, how a…
Whittlebury Hall
Yesterday I treated mum to a spa day at Whittlebury Hall. Whilst I have been a few times before, mum had never been, and it was nice to finally be able to treat her. We were both ready for a day of rest and relaxation, and what better way to unwind than in the beautiful grounds…
The Mindful Gingernut 