A cup of calm – what happened when I reduced my caffeine intake
*This post contains gifted products* For the longest time I’ve been telling myself and others around me that one day, I’m going to cut back on caffeine. Just when I thought that day was never actually going to come, Adagio teas got in touch asking if I would like to try some of their teas and write about them. Perfect. I’ve never seen myself as a true ‘caffeine addict’ who…
Monthly mindscape – Silent
How on earth are we coming to the end of summer? Time moves in incredible ways, doesn’t it. I hope you’ve all had a wonderful August, I’m really looking forward to writing this month’s short story. I’m listening to Trills, a band that I think is the *perfect* soundtrack for writing. The image I’ve chosen to inspire this month’s story comes from Cathy (@lostinafire). I’ve been following Cathy for some…
Night-time anxiety: tools to quieten your mind
When I’m feeling anxious, one of the first things to be affected is my sleep. My body will be tired, but my mind stays wide awake, turning over worries about the future and ruminations of the past. Conversations from the day will play on repeat as I question what I should have said instead. I’ll toss and turn, wrestling with my bed sheets, feeling irritated by every noise and sensation…
Looking up – a shortcut to calm
A couple of months ago I went with Dan on the train somewhere (London, possibly). At the station we were both a little tense after some words of frustration were shared (about what, I can’t recall). As I sat, waiting for our train, I looked up. The sky was bright blue and the clouds were fluffy, white, perfect. A small breeze was pushing the clouds around in the sky, morphing…
How to stop and smell the roses
I had a conversation with a friend over coffee recently and they were telling me how happy they were. They said things were going well in work and life and that things were just… falling into place. They also said that this makes them uneasy. They’re worried about what’s around the corner. They think this moment of happiness can’t possibly last – so what’s going to go wrong? They said…
Monthly mindscape – dizzy
OK, hands up who else is officially ready for a festive break? *puts up own hand* This year has been pretty great, but I am so ready to slow down. And with this in mind, I’ve decided to slow things down here on the blog too. When I thought about the things I have planned for the Worthy Humans Unite Facebook group and looked at my current schedule, I realised…
Questions to ask yourself when you’re overwhelmed
Recently on Instagram I posted about being overwhelmed and it was one of my most liked posts… ever. It could have been down to the pretty picture of my hands holding a coffee cup, but I think it was the caption’s topic that got people’s attention. Overwhelm is a topic I talk about because it’s something I tend to struggle with. The time it hit me worst was probably last…
Building a meditation practice
I’ve mentioned meditation from time to time here, but I realised recently that I haven’t actually dedicated a whole post to it yet – which is pretty surprising, because it’s a practice I love. I thought I’d share with you what I get out of it and offer some advice on how to build your own practice. But what I want to start with is a disclaimer – and that’s…
How to calm a busy mind
On a lunch break this week I was juggling a tuna melt panini in one hand and my book in the other. Crumbs were falling all over the place and I was dangerously close to dropping melted cheese down myself. I took a breath, put my book down and told myself to just eat the damn panini. I wanted to reach for my phone, but I resisted. I decided to…
An anxious gal’s guide to networking
I’ll be honest, I kind of hate the word networking – what I really mean here is attending events and meeting strangers. But ‘An anxious gal’s guide to attending events and meeting strangers’ didn’t work so well as a title. You all know the events I mean though. Perhaps they are work events, maybe you’re going to blogging conference or Instagram meet-up. Whatever it is, if the idea of walking…