A Wonderful World

      Our minds are extremely powerful. Our brain and body are connected, it’s an energy, and we can change our physical world by changing thoughts and beliefs. It begins with what our brain perceives and because we are in control of our thoughts, we can control our perception. How we perceive things directly effects how we think, which then effects how we respond and behave. It’s a cycle. Thoughts create feelings. Feelings create behaviour. Behaviour reinforces thoughts. Our bodies are direct products of our minds, though we can often mask it externally, our body holds on to and is effected by how the mind thinks. So if we take care of the thoughts, the feelings and behaviours can be altered as a consequence. This is the strategy behind cognitive behaviour therapy. We’re able to take back control of our whole being. One of the thoughts or feelings of course being ‘stress’, we often feel stressed because of how we think about something rather than how things actually are...

MORE OF MY FAVOURITE PODCASTS ON THE BLOCK. I’m back with another 5 of my favourite podcasts, their hosts, what they cover and why I’d recommend them to others. 1)   1)  BOBO AND FLEX: This is a vital listen, important and educational but also equally fun and inspirational. Hosted by friends Bobo Matjila and Lillian Ahenkan (Flex Mami) they bring us a psychology and lifestyle podcast. It’s particularly fascinating as it’s cross-continental, Bobo was born in South Africa and raised in New York and Flex is Ghanaian-Australian. They’re passionate about bringing conversations surrounding identity, intersectionality and mental health to podcast platforms and every episode challenges your beliefs, perspective and what you know. They’re constantly teaching me something new and encouraging listeners to question the way we function, behave and think in the world we live in today. They facilitate discussions on taboo subjects, sexual liberation, dating and critical thinking, huge top...

                                                              International Women's Day (IWD) is a day that’s celebrated globally on the 8 th March , honouring the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. A time to commemorate women's achievements, raise awareness about women's equality, speak out for gender parity and fundraise for female-focused charities. Purple, green and white are the colours that mark the day. Purple signifies justice and dignity. Green symbolizes hope. White represents purity, albeit a controversial concept. The colours originated from the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) in the UK in 1908. Covid-19 has changed or stopped many things this year, but International Women’s Day continues to be remembered. Usually, the day is marked around the globe with performances,...

              Perhaps we should reframe the phrase 'New Year, New Me'. Every year as we get closer to New Years Eve on the 31st of December, considering our 'New Year's Resolutions' becomes a common tradition, thinking about what we would like the New Year to bring us, or perhaps certain behaviours or habits we would like to alter or work on. Personally, I have always found a certain pressure comes with this outlook, and instead of being something to question optimistically, it can often become stressful and slightly anxiety inducing as our minds can focus on what we may view as negatives regarding ourselves and set certain goals for the New Year to change ourselves as if we are magic or superhuman, setting our standards too high. Sometimes, with this mentality comes the term 'New Year, New Me', the idea that we are going to become someone new as one year ends and another starts, someone better or perhaps closer to the 'ideal, perfect human'. However...

  'There are simple yet effective ways to help others throughout lockdown and onwards' With my 'Love in Lockdown' series focusing on stories surrounding good will and selflessness throughout lockdown, I've been passionate about sharing tales of happiness, comfort and support to bring us together through this challenging time, put smiles on faces and most of all, encourage others to do the same. Encouraging caring for ourselves and others in ways that we can, and learning about the work of charities and how to help out is an effective way of doing that. A friend of mine has kindly been working for two charities throughout Lockdown, whilst continuing to work in order to fend for herself, she has been selfless and giving in using some of her time around her own work to support these two charities. One of which is 'City Harvest' , a London surplus food redistribution charity, and the second is a drug and alcohol recovery service. It's hearing from individu...

'In these challenging times, kindness is needed more than ever.'   Each year, 'World Kindness day' is celebrated on the 13th of November . Of course, kindness goes a long way whenever and wherever in life, really kindness day is everyday. But rather than the day being the one day we give, it's more about a day of reminding ourselves the power of kindness, humanity, giving and celebrating what even small acts of kindness can do for both the giver and receiver. Kindness is free to give and priceless to receive. With today being 'World Kindness Day' and Covid19 having its impact on the world globally, kindness is particularly essential in caring for both ourselves and others, positivity, love and support. With the current circumstances affecting us all, any act of kindness, no matter how small, can assist both comfort and community amongst this whirlwind. With acts of kindness comes a feel good feeling for the individual receiving and for someone who gives, in ...

'Although we may not all be in the same boat, we are all in the same storm'   Although a second lockdown is no plain sailing for any of us, we are all in the same storm of what we now know to be 'Coronavirus', a 'global pandemic' or 'Covid19'. That's something to be reassured by in this chaos, you are not alone.  However, the boats we sail through this storm in, are all different. Some boats are sturdier than others, despite the storm being the same. Everyone has their own battles throughout this challenging time and it has affected us all in a variety of ways. But, the important thing to remember is a second lockdown means we made it through a first, and there is no doubt we can make it through again. There is no 'perfect' way of living through a lockdown, we all have own our coping mechanisms, circumstances and preferences, but in having experienced a lockdown back earlier in the year, we can reflect and think about what wasn't helpful ...

A body is a body, just as a human is a human, although we have our differences, we have the right to all be treated the same when it comes to living on earth.   ‘Bikini body' or 'beach body ready’ should be nothing other than what it spells out. A bikini, a body, and you’re ready. Bikini, swim shorts, swimming costume, summer wear. Nobody should feel they don’t have the option to wear what they desire because of the body they are in, despite what the media may inform us, don’t spend your time preparing for summer or trying to change yourself when it’s already ready when summers here, it’s ready as you are. I’m an advocate for viewing our bodies as our home and accepting it in its neutral state with neutral response. I stand for body confidence. I stand for body positivity, although it is something I cannot be part of myself, I still agree with it. Often we incorrectly label ‘body positivity’ thinking it’s the same thing as body confidence, when they are actually different....