Money talks – but love binds
It’s not about how much you spend - it’s about quality connection. It’s rather sad when people sometimes feel that their love alone is not enough and that they have to give ‘big stuff’ to express their love. Self-worth often lies behind this over-spending...
Is this a lonely time for you?
Draw on your courage, reach out, connect with the many other lonely people who are in need of your kindness. Often in lonely times we need to offer to others what we most want ourselves – someone to connect with who can give us attention. How about finding...
From the shopping mall to your heart
Exit shopping malls, enter your heart - make gifts, wrap them beautifully, add a special message. That’s why they call it the ‘silly season’ - with the mad Christmas shopping rush, office parties and over-crowded parking areas. Yes, it’s full of buzz, but...
Celebrate together – go for a picnic
Laugh, play games, be silly, celebrate yourself, family, friends, even invite people you hardly know. Never-mind those traditional Christmas cards with picturesque images of fireplaces and snow - it’s summer here in the Southern hemisphere. Why not truly...
NO Brand is your friend
Smart people can do dumb things with money - rather ‘show up’ - don’t buy love. Over the following weeks television and social media will be bombarding you daily with ‘spend’ messages - all in the name of goodwill and celebration. This year why not rather...
Stress gets to us all
We cannot control what comes at us - we can manage our response. The funny thing is that you may often feel that you are getting a rough deal from the world, which, of course may be true. Rather than fighting back at the world, being in control is expressed in how you...
Know your red flags
Awareness enables you to catch and control your response. Make a list of your red flag stressors, and then write down how you responded in each case. Now the subtle part, describe how you felt afterwards about how you responded. This quality of self-reflection enables...
Breathe to break stress
Focus on your heart, breathe in for 4 secs, out for 4 secs. Repeat 10 times. This is the simplest, and probably most accessible stress control technique; you don’t even have to learn anything new. You just must ‘do’ it - sure to help every time! To supercharge the...
Eject the stress
Imagine one hand shooting stress out, the other drawing good stuff in. You can only really manage your stress responses better when aware that you are tense. Are you biting your teeth - clenching your fists - or frowning? When you notice that, use your imagination to...
Practice positive self-talk
Convert ‘I failed’ to ‘I didn’t get it right this time, I will learn from this’. Unhelpful self-talk can easily aggravate your stress. When you might be grumbling internally, or, even worse, criticizing yourself, you can become stuck in a negative feedback loop. So,...
Latest Posts
Baffled about boosters?
A common argument against COVID-19 vaccination is “Surely the vaccines can’t be effective if I require a booster?”
All vaccines work to train the immune system to recognise foreign invaders and produce antibodies that will attack them. But the strength of the initial immune response, and the amount of time the antibodies will last, varies depending on both the pathogen the vaccine is fighting, and the vaccine itself.
Being in the dark
We all know the experience when, at the crucial moment, the rolling blackout hits and bam, you are no longer in that meeting, or the piece of equipment you’re using cuts out mid-job. But we South Africans are creative people and have found ways to manage as best we can. Now, with the anticipated hike in electricity tariffs, we need to be creative about reducing our energy usage.
New Year’s resolutions. This approach will make them stick!
It’s been a rough two years – physically, emotionally and financially. Even those who are usually the most committed to their new year’s goals have had to re-assess as COVID-19 numbers swirled, petrol prices sky-rocketed, and load-shedding made an unwelcome return.
January is a ‘fresh’ time of year – a bit like it feels outdoors after a good shower of rain. You’re feeling refreshed and full of hope that maybe, just maybe, 2022 is going to be better than last year. It’s time to imagine how fit, how healthy, how light your 2022 self will be.
Water. Be aware, too little or too much is a dangerous thing
Some parts of the country are experiencing really hot weather. If you are drinking too little water, you could be at the risk of dehydrating. Our bodies are designed to work at an ideal temperature. When our environment is hot, in an attempt to keep our temperature stable, we perspire. As the moisture evaporates it cools our skin which, in turn, cools the blood vessels and hence our whole body.
COVID-19 – cautious optimism
As we enter 2022, the recognition of the milder physical effects of the Omicron Covid-19 variant brings some hope that the pandemic might be easing, or even coming to an end. That is why Government announced the lifting of many restrictions on movement and activities. You can again go to bars and restaurants – and the beach!
