Category: MENTAL HEALTH

Appreciation or Gratitude?

As a child I was frequently admonished for being ungrateful. My mother told me often how good I had it because I wasn’t born during the war (WWII) and that I should be grateful we had food and a roof over our head. In later years, our GP, the ‘family doctor,’ echoed this sentiment when he suggested how fortunate I was and how grateful I should be for studying at university at a young age rather than having to wait for years as he had, and once again because of ‘that war.’

And of course, there was much – and then some – to be appreciated. I remember the sun streaming in through the curtains one Easter morning, bringing the promise of Spring and warmer weather and Easter eggs. And even though I was ashamed and embarrassed at first, I appreciated and loved my godfather for pointing out my competitiveness in a board game. Nobody else had gone to the trouble and I would never forget.  Continue reading “Appreciation or Gratitude?” →

Time, Life and Me – Now One and the Same

How often do we say “I don’t have time,” “If only there were more hours in the day,” or “I need time for me, everything I do is for everyone else”?

Common, tiring and ever so draining, constantly wanting more time, never feeling there are enough hours in the day to fit everything in. Our lives are so full of things to do and places to be, it makes sense we feel this way.

I can totally relate to all of this, as in the past I used to squeeze as much as possible into a day. Looking back, my days were gauged by how ‘good’ they were based on how much was achieved or completed. Continue reading “Time, Life and Me – Now One and the Same” →

Self-Care

What do you think of when you hear the words, ‘self-care’?

What does ‘self-care’ even mean?

From my experience there are many different understandings and levels of self- care.

I know I have always practised self-care in one way or another, even when I was not conscious of it being a ‘thing.’ The question is, “Could what was considered to be self-care in the past, now be considered as disregard or self-abuse?”

As a child I practised the basics that were to shower daily, wash my hair and clean, file and paint my fingernails and toenails. I ate food that I thought nourished my body. As a teen I would take the time to apply my makeup and choose beautiful outfits to wear. I had little rituals like moisturising my lips and always doing some form of exercise so my body was strong. Continue reading “Self-Care” →

Self-Worth, the Stars and the Universe…

What exactly do we mean when we say someone has low self-worth? Do we mean that they do not value themselves and their place in the world? That they place others as more important or worthy? And if we agree that this is so, does that imply that they do not feel they matter, or does it mean that there is something to fix, and once fixed, then the worth can kick in and the rewards that life can offer will be attained, or at least come within reach?

That has certainly been so in my case, and I can still have spells when all of a sudden my sense of worth plummets. I have a week when life is getting on top of me and I’m surrounded by reflections showing that I’m not up to scratch – the house has suddenly become messy, the sink clogged with unwashed dishes for a few days on end. Work feels tedious, people annoy me, or I feel like I’m not bringing as much value to my job as I could. Continue reading “Self-Worth, the Stars and the Universe…” →

The Miracle of Me-You

Some years ago, in the course of my work in Oncology, I went to see a young person who had just had major surgery around the abdominal area. For some reason the skin had not been closed over the site and a large bandage was in place.

“Would you like to see?” said the young person enthusiastically, gently lifting back the bandage for a brief few seconds.

An astounding sight met me, particularly the colours and the beautiful symmetry of the working organs. There was a creamy white, a dark, rosy but shocking pink, a lavender brown and a mild, milky grey, all nestled together like pebbles that had fallen next to each other on a beach. So still, yet with a purpose towards the larger body, sustaining it to move, to laugh, to live. Continue reading “The Miracle of Me-You” →

Frozen Soup & Stick Blenders… What they Taught Me about Self-Care

A few years back, I was attending a Universal Medicine course and was sharing accommodation with some fellow students.

One of the students was eating what looked like very tasty soup and I asked her where she bought it.

She told me she brought it with her from home. I looked at her quizzically and asked, “You travelled with soup?” “Yes,” she replied. She told me she always has some in her freezer and travels with it so that when she’s at her destination, she can eat something that is home-cooked and nourishing. Continue reading “Frozen Soup & Stick Blenders… What they Taught Me about Self-Care” →