We all know that being grateful is good for us, but did you know there is strong scientific evidence to suggest that a regular gratitude practice can have a profound and positive impact on our brain?
Many of us eat the same way we do everything else amid a busy day...mindlessly, whilst rushing and probably multitasking.
We find ourselves guilty of eating lunch at our desks, whilst on the phone or in the car….
Let’s face it, life today with our endless to-do lists and non-stop stream of emails and messages, can sometimes feel overwhelming. One simple way you can start to take back control is by establishing a calming morning routine. As the saying goes, win the morning, win the day.
Checking your phone first thing, multi-tasking and rushing out the door, are likely to tip you into ‘fight or flight’ – activated by the sympathetic strand of your nervous system.
We have been breathing since the day we were born and take on average, 20,000 breaths a day. So you’d be forgiven for thinking we must know what were doing if if were still alive. But research tells us that the way we breathe can have a powerful effect on how stressed or calm we feel.
Most of us will suffer periods of stress or anxiety at some stage in our lives. And for many of us, the pace and pressure of modern life mean it’s a reality we live with daily.
Here are my top five products for mild to moderate stress and anxiety to support your nervous system and calm your fight or flight response.
Research tells us most adult’s need 7-9 hours’ sleep per night, yet the average person is only getting six hours or less. An hour a night may not seem like much, but when you add it up over a week, a month and a year, the cumulative deficit can’t be ignored.
The most common causes for mild to moderate insomnia are poor sleep hygiene and stress. As a first step, it can be helpful to step back and assess your sleep routine to help you bank that much needed shut-eye.
We all know intuitively that getting out in nature is good for us. After some fresh air in a park, a day at the beach or time in the bush, you just feel better.
But until recently, substantial scientific evidence to back up anecdotal claims and old wives tales, were few and far between.
The way you start your day can set your nervous system up for stress or calm.
If you engage in activities that promote the parasympathetic strand of your nervous system (rest and digest) in the morning, the more likely we are to stave off unnecessarily triggering our fight or flight response throughout the day.
We always just feel better when leaving the yoga studio. But why is this? How can spending time on the mat help us feel less stressed and instil a sense of calm and joy?
For those of us who practise yoga, we know that as we move through each asana, we shift from feeling stressed and into a more relaxed flow, a more relaxed way of being.
The use of social networking has become the cornerstone of modern communication, but despite the many positive benefits, from a mental health perspective, concerns have been raised about the negative impact of excessive use on the health and wellbeing of users.
We spoke to relaxation expert, Faye Lawand, about how we can get back in control of our social media use to achieve find calm, ease and joy again.
In a world of constant stimulation, many of us have lost touch with how we feel and have a distant relationship with our body and it’s wisdom.
But movement teacher Claire Eli is on a mission to use her craft to help us “slow down, breathe and explore the relationship between our body, mind and spirit”. We chatted to Claire about the power of movement to help us day to day with unwanted emotions and her personal experience with using movement to bring her back from trauma and burnout.
Meet Ange. Certified Health Coach, speaker, writer, Mum of two girls and founder of the Gratitude Project. Ange has coached hundreds of women and inspired thousands through her blog, to adopt a gratitude practice and live their best life. Fiercely passionate about encouraging self-love, Ange is the cheerleader for living an authentic and aligned and openly shares her struggles beyond the filter in her quest to help others. We sat down to chat to the open-hearted Soul-preneur about how cultivating a daily gratitude practice can help you find happiness.
Selfmade Multi-Millionaire, International Mindset Coach , 2x No.1 Best Selling Author and one incredibly heart-centred and purposeful woman - we could all learn a thing our two from Sunniva Holt.
Sunniva helps women find their purpose and create a life they’ve always dreamed of. With stress and anxiety affecting us now more than ever, we asked the world renowned coach how mastering our mindset can be the key to stopping uneccessary stress.
Meet Coco. Health blogger, yoga and meditation teacher and self-confessed wellness junkie.
Based in London, Coco is a mental health advocate, open about her struggle with anxiety and set on sharing her experience and wisdom, so that others can live a life of love, meaning and happiness. She is an absolute wealth of knowledge on all things wellness, particulary self-care - the ultimate antidote to anxiety amongst the rush and constant connection of the 21st Century.
Professional trainer and coach, Tee Robins, is debunking the outdated myth of working harder and faster to get the best results, with her aptly named business, HUSTLE and Hush. For us serial achievers who have grown up believing this to be true (and have been rewarded for it with promotions and career success), it can take a while to unwire this pattern of working.
But Tee's coaching sees her marry practical strategies and wisdom to help us understand how to strike the perfect balance between the HUSTLE and the hush, so that not only do our we thrive in business but most importantly, in life too.
Chelsea Evans of Mindfully Made, is an advocate for self-love, is passionate about starting a dialogue around mental health and is spreading the word about eating and living with mindfulness, intention, and presence. She shares with us, why, when it all feels too busy and overwhelming, slowing down to eat mindfully or meditate can be just what’s needed to give our minds some much needed space… even if at that moment it feels counter-intuitive.
Carlie Victor is the founder of Real Active, an active-wear brand that gives 10% of profits to mental health charities. Carlie has struggled with anxiety and depression, and along with having dreams to start her own business, wanted to help others by giving back and volunteering - which she is now doing! She is a wealth of wisdom on all thing wellness, thanks to trial and error on her own journey. She shares with us how lifestyle choices play a key role in her health and happiness.
Doug Moore is a man on a mission to get us to switch off from technology and embrace a digital detox on July 1st. An advertising creative turned artist and yoga teacher, he’s passionate about raising awareness around digital addiction and it's correlation to mental health. Doug chats to Mind Bright about the effects of being constantly digitally connected and why embracing some tech free time could be just the answer to a happier and more fulfilled life.
In a world of constant stimulation, many of us have lost touch with how we feel and have a distant relationship with our body and it’s wisdom.
But movement teacher Claire Eli is on a mission to use her craft to help us “slow down, breathe and explore the relationship between our body, mind and spirit”. We chatted to Claire about the power of movement to help us day to day with unwanted emotions and her personal experience with using movement to bring her back from trauma and burnout.