Day 57 #600DayDiary : Relaxing when you feel distinctly unrelaxed! @KublerRoss @annavitals #changecurve #exercise

How often have you known what you need & yet resisted it?
It’s incredible how quickly things can change. Today I know I require to relax, to help improve my symptoms.

I’ve had another difficult night’s sleep & am in pain again. I can feel that a relaxation & meditation would really support me and yet … I’m resisting it and telling myself I don’t feel like it / don’t feel well enough.
Quite a paradox to be aware of what I require & resist it at the same time! And I’m not proud of myself that I defaulted to a poor reaction ….

It took eating that piece of toast & jam (not usually part of my diet) for it to click that I was rushing through the Kübler Ross change curve!

Background on Elisabeth Kübler Ross’s Change Curve (originally based on stages of grief) HERE
I also acknowledged that although meditation/relaxation seemed like what I should do , I just didn’t feel in the right frame of mind to approach it.
When encountering resistance … It’s always great to ask – what else?
What were my other options of how to achieve a more relaxed physical state to help ease my discomfort?
I LOVE this infographic from Anna Vital

and although I also love this cartoon 🙂

when I allowed myself a moment I knew it was progressive relaxation – the tightening & relaxing of different muscle groups , followed by a gentle version of my physio exercises, that would best help me access a more relaxed state.
I put on one of my favourite mediations, using it more as background & lay one the floor, gradually tensing & relaxing different muscle groups, breathing in deeply & exhaling. I gradually felt like trying the gentler version of my physio and although it was no earth shattering fitness routine – the gentle movement did me the works of good. My mood improved & I felt more positive again, even if the symptoms were still there.
This was all then beautifully supported by the delicious nutritious dinner, that was lovingly prepared for me that evening.

Seabream – yum! ❤

Day 54 #600DayDiary : Sorting & clearing brings a blast from the past! @ella_carey Have you created a time capsule? #memories

Have you ever had that experience when a song or a scent can transport you back to a specific moment – a clear memory – as if you were there?
I had that today when I sorted through a box labelled “miscellaneous“
I’ve lived in my lovely home now for 7 years and I realised, there were still a few boxes in the garage that I’d never sorted out from when I’d moved in!!
Now I know …. I can hear some of you saying “if you haven’t needed it for 7 years, just throw it all out without looking”. I didn’t want to do that!! 🙂

So instead, I identified that there were 3 boxes and I’d sort through them over several evenings – I opened the 1st and found it quite quick to do … Mostly CD’s that have long since been loaded onto iTunes (I remember the days I dreamt of getting a Saturday job in a music shop, because all my student earnings seemed to be spent either there or on getting photos developed!! 🙂 )

The 2nd …. Hmmmm lots of papers & redundant things that did need clearing out!
The 3rd was the most innocuous. It was one of those grey cardboard office storage box, medium size

I opened the lid, expecting to need to be brutal or get the shredder out … Instead I found I’d inadvertently created a time capsule from circa 1994 – 1999!
Gig tickets (apparently called a “music map” if I can stick them in an album or something! 😉 ), letters ( including a particularly poignant beautifully written letter from my boyfriend at the time!), photos, trinkets, a little pocket book diary of events that had seemed vitally important at the time! 😀
I was no longer sorting through a grey storage box … I was gazing at a time capsule – a snapshot of my life, including time I’d spent abroad. Memories to be treasured! I’d been transported through time by lifting the lid of this box

In fact, this then led me to discover something else ….
While writing this diary post, a Google search including the words Paris & Time Capsule led me to this novel by Ella Carey, The Paris Time Capsule published in April this year … So I felt compelled to buy it! I especially like the fact it’s inspired by a true story – looking forward to reading it!

In the meantime, I need to find a more fitting box for my own time capsule 😀

Day 51 #600DayDiary : Your ideal chillout playlist? @jackjohnson @newtonfaulkner @benhoward @morcheeba @emelisande

It’s time to relax & unwind 🙂

How do you love to relax? Music? reading? sport? that covers a multitude of activities! ;), time with friends & family? a soak in the bath? down the pub? meditation? getting out into the countryside?

Actually …. and perhaps more importantly – How do you become aware when you require to relax? Do you have a daily ritual or routine to start your day or unwind at the end of the day?

I’ve really noticed this week, that incredibly quickly I’ve been drawn back into the corporate psyche (still love this TED Talk on the topic ), gradually increasing my hours as the week goes on, decreasing my focus on relaxation (& physio!).
I left work this evening, really pleased with the day I’d had and how I’d gone about it …. however aware that my mind was still swirling with thoughts about work topics a couple of hours after getting back home.
It reminded me of an old KitKat advert that said ” no one ever looked back on their life and said – ‘ I wish I’d spent more time in the office!’ Have a break, have a KitKat” I wanted to change this 😀 and I knew exactly how …

I enjoy many different ways of relaxing – however sometimes I find it difficult to feel in the right mood to meditate or maybe it’s raining, so going out for a walk isn’t as appealing 😉
The one that NEVER fails for me is a great playlist 🙂

I have different playlists for different moods / activities and today I felt like listening my chillout playlist …. I begin to relax the instant Banana Pancakes or Love Is Rare comes on 🙂
I’d love to know any chillout tracks you’d recommend or your go to playlists on Spotify?

Day 42 #600DayDiary : O’ Captain, my captain – #Chooseday Tuesday feels more poignant today. RIP Robin Williams

People often mention Monday blues or Hump Day on Wednesday – for me, it’s always been Tuesday.
Sometimes Tuesday gets me with a feeling of “Really? I went yesterday? I went in all bright & breezy and made an effort yesterday …. I have to go back in today?”

So, I was just reminding myself of the importance of choice, choosing your attitude & creating your own day … Chooseday Tuesday.
When I saw the sad sad news that Robin Williams has died, suspected suicide.
Good Morning Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting – to name a few.
O Captain my Captain
Poignant, tender & sadness day – combined with many memories across the globe.
Love & Choices xx

Day 41 #600DayDiary : Focus, priorities & putting your needs first @TEDxBrum @twiningsTeaUK

I originally started this post on Monday – 11th August – my 1st day back into the office, after a period of working from home due to an injury. I’m completing it today reflecting how I felt at that point … Although the week moved around pretty quickly 🙂 ❤

Today I went back into not this exact space, something fairly similar though

I got in early and before I realised I’d gone into office mode – I was checking emails, looking at meeting schedules, prioritising my day ….

Thank goodness, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted this

A box of herbal tea. I had begun my 1st day back in the office environment and had already forgotten my intention- to put my needs first.
It shifted my whole day 🙂 I went & made a cuppa, watered my neglected plants (thank you to the colleagues that had attempted to keep them alive 🙂 ) and wrote out the list of the many things that were flooding into my awareness, now I was physically in the office.
Then I went to chat & catch up with a few colleagues – to catch up & hear what had been going on for them – before taking another look at my list and choosing out of the many things I’d written, what I would selectively decide to complete that day.

It may sound very British – I allowed myself the time, with that cup of herbal tea to bring myself back to what I wanted from my day, how I wanted to go about it & who I wanted to be, while I was going about my day 🙂

Then I got home & spotted the release of tickets for a local TEDx Brum event in November – with a very interesting theme (see the cover photo of this post).
DIY felt very apt, on a day when I had done it myself – I had created my own intention & choice of how I wanted my day to go & I had achieved that …. With a little help from some camomile & peppermint tea 🙂

Day 35 #600DayDiary : Sleeping for healing

Short & sweet today …. It’s been lovely & sunny – so I tried a longer walk to see how my body would react and understand my limits.

It was lovely being outside in the sunshine & with the grass & trees 😀
However, when I got home, I couldn’t face my lunch … I felt overwhelmingly tired and had to take a nap

This isn’t like me and was quite a shock … It took me a while to realise after my 2 hr nap … That my body required the sleep to rest & heal.
It was making it’s boundaries & current limits pretty clear 😀

I had a pretty nice dream too, of my favourite gelataria in Rome … Can you consume calories by eating dream ice cream? 😀

Day 34 #600DayDiary : What’s your intention? The importance of laughter :)

I’d got into a routine I’d liked 😀 each morning creating my list of the top 3 things I wanted to achieve that day and not adding anything else onto the list until the 3 things I’d chosen were complete. The list doesn’t have to be all chores 🙂 In fact, it’s better if it’s not motivated by a sense of ‘duty’ – instead a list of 3 things you really know you want/desire/intend to achieve that day e.g. I included sunbathing one day 😉

Consciously choosing my priorities and how I intended to spend my time each day. It felt good. And then, as with any habit, you can slip out of it … I have had family come to stay and I suddenly realised my daily intention setting kept being put on the back burner. I was fitting around others or going with the flow and that’s fine, as long as you are consciously choosing too! 😉

I got a great reminder of this while I was editing a recent radio interview with Nick Chaeng – the Master Ding Academy – Midlands representative
You can here the interview on my Mixcloud by clicking here

Nick starts the interview by quoting Master Ding, we’d been chatting about the importance of laughter and he said “If you make it too serious the energy cannot flow”.
That really resonated with me as I listened again …. I realised – It was time to infuse some laughter into my day 😀

So glad I created the time in my day to edit this radio clip. Not only is it something I enjoy doing, I wanted to share it and it brought me a great reminder about intention & laughter – as well as of the great Tai Chi workshop we’d experienced

Day 25 #600DayDiary : @BarefootFest – gong bath, t’ai chi, singing & burlesque :)

What a magical, relaxing, friendly, healing jam packed Barefoot day! 🙂

Today, we got up at 6:30am and got ready to head over to Barefoot Festival nestled in the grounds of Prestwold Hall, Loughborough.

We were covering the festival on behalf of Radio Warwickshire and once I’m done editing, I’ll be adding more onto my Mixcloud profile as well as weaving clips into RW shows!

It was my first visit to Barefoot and I was drawn to the ethos & description of the festival. As their website says: Barefoot Festival™ is all about getting back to basics, getting grass in between your toes and taking time out from the pressures of modern life! Try something you’ve never done before, spend quality time with the family, meet like minded new friends. You won’t find big fancy sponsors at Barefoot Festival™, we’re a grassroots community gathering and all profits are ploughed right back into improving the facilities at our events. Relax, unwind and refresh yourself with a weekend in the beautiful great British countryside!
Having just recently dodged surgery, this appealed on a personal level, as well as wanting to explore & report back for others!
I have to be careful & look after myself as I continue to heal naturally …. How perfect then, that I was able to be supported & driven to the festival by my amazing sister (thanks Jenny! ❤ )

We arrived (smoothly & lovely friendly atmosphere straight away), just in time to join the gong bath

Lying there, allowing waves of sound to wash over me – I already knew I was in the right place 🙂

It’s a small intimate festival and has been going for 5 years, with people telling me they already look forward to meeting up with their “Barefoot friends” each year.

We tried t’ai chi next with Nick Cheang from the Master Ding Academy

Something I definitely want to explore again in the future. And Nick had such a warm funny teaching style.

Everyone we met was lovely, relaxed, laid back and the festival felt really well organised.

I joined the vocal workshop next led by Sound Code Sirius
The photo header on this post is of that workshop, which took me by surprise. I’d thought it was going to be a vocal workshop, learning more about singing …. It was actually an introduction to their world music & some beautiful chants. I felt so relaxed at the end and look forward to hearing more from them.
After exploring (and buying a few things! 😀 ) it was time to push our boundaries and head to the Big Top for the 4pm Burlesque Workshop lead by

It was such a great way to sample so many different experiences & plenty of opportunities to relax & unwind or be more active in some of the other areas.
All I can say is …. Grab your friends, tent, yoga mat and get there next year!
A great festival that stays true to it’s essence.
And yes …. I was barefoot most of the day 😀

Day 24 #600DayDiary : Choosing to “be” & allowing others to “be”

Just be.
2 simple words …. How easy do you find it just to “be”?
In fact, right now, I’m typing this on an ipad, with the TV on in the background (not my choice, I’d have radio or playlist 😀 )

Today, I spent some lovely time in the park, intending to read & then looking up and seeing the beautiful trees & river – I put my book to one side and allowed myself simply to “be”.

And it was lovely. So peaceful (in fact, my sister took a photo of me & someone made that comment … that I looked “peaceful”.) ,half an hour in the park, no phone, ipad, music or even a book. Just me. And that is enough.

Allowing others the space to be – that’s a lesson I’m increasingly learning/reminding myself of as well … I want to help, especially for those I love. ❤
And when they are blue, I feel it too. However I also understand that sometimes what people require is their own space , to be allowed to find their own path – even if I try & stand there with a torch.
Instead, a hug & to know you are there for them – that is what I choose to offer. And after a while they will be their true positive radiant selves again. ❤

Funny, I started this diary thinking it would be about physiotherapy & surgery – I am learning so much each day & know that during these 600 days my life will contain many more ‘growth opportunities’ 😀

an extra point :
Great news today in our family. 2 of my family who were waiting to hear back about jobs, got the jobs they applied for 😀 Yay!

Day 23 #600DayDiary : How To Be A Woman

There was quite a heavy feel to the start of the day, for one reason or another … So when this phrase popped into my head, I chose to focus on it Reasons To Be Cheerful 1,2,3

Choosing to recognise that someone else’s problems – whilst they may worry me – do not require me to be unhappy & I can’t always help or heal them.

Which brings me nicely to ….Caitlin Moran’s book published in 2011 – How To Be A Woman
I know, it’s been out a while, quick on the uptake hey! 🙂
It was actually discussed in May 2013 by our bookclub … I bought the book and started it and then had to travel with work and didn’t make the bookclub 😦
My initial reaction at the time is shown here on our event page
However for some reason today, when I picked a book to take to the park & read in the sunshine, I was drawn to this one.
And this time, I LOVED it. I valued, appreciated & laughed out loud at it.
So many quotable parts, however I just recommend you read it and I want to continue enjoying it 🙂

The chapter titles alone are fabulous. I’m only on Chapter 9 “I Go Lap Dancing” – however even that made me smile to remember when a friend asked to host a Burlesque (very different to lap dancing, of course!) and invite our French group – I actually received a written complaint from one of the group members, with vague threats if I allowed a burlesque night to be promoted via our group … (on the grounds she believed Burlesque to be degrading for women). I remember politely replying to ask, what was she basing this on? had she ever seen a burlesque show? …. When she admitted she hadn’t and I told her, I hadn’t either, so neither of us could make an informed judgement – it seemed to diffuse the situation 😀

Reasons to be cheerful: (In any day, there are always many more than 3 reasons to be cheerful 😀 ❤ )

1) A gorgeous summers day
2) A supportive encouraging doctors appointment
3) Some lovely time catching up with a friend, who had a lovely surprise to share with me
4) I dared myself & sent an email following up on a desire of mine (we shall see!)
5) Hearing my sister laugh ❤
6) A soak in the bath with a good book & bath salts
7) Getting all my physio exercises done
8) Oooh, losing 2lbs – that felt great this morning! 😀
9) Loving reading “How To Be A Woman”
10) Enjoying watching the series 2 finale of Nashville …

which, with it’s strong female characters, brings this full circle in some way to How To Be A Woman 🙂
xx