Total Wellbeing Blog

Give your skincare a boost this New Year!

If you want some great tips on boosting your skincare this New Year, visit Face Natural for a whole host of skincare and beauty tips including one of mine on the great benefits of essential fatty acids for beauty from the inside out!

Also including tips for a soft derriere, aromatherapy, eating for beauty, benefits of hemp seed, 10 step guide, natural tips for acne sufferers and much more... Click here to visit.

The New Year Resolution Survival Guide!

Millions of us start the New Year full of good intentions about what we want to achieve only to have our resolutions fall by the wayside midway through January - sound familiar? So why is it that resolutions tend to be so difficult to keep...

New Year resolutions tend to be more of a ‘wish list’ than planned goals and for this reason that they are not always taken very seriously, or end up very successful. We have very high expectations of them (or should I say ourselves!) in very little time and with very little planning involved.

It’s no wonder that with our top resoutions being things like getting out of debt, getting in shape, giving up smoking, a new career or finding the love of our life that we fail at the first hurdle - hardly things that can be tackled with a quick fix and a lot of wishful thinking!

To help you along with yours - whatever they may be, here are my 5 top tips to giving those resolutions a better chance of survival this year...

1. Focus on what you do want rather than what you don't want. Many of us focus on what we don't want when we set resolutions - things like giving up smoking and losing weight may seem like great motivators at the time but they cannot sustain our focus for long. Instead, think about what you do want, for example - to save money, smell nicer, have more energy. We tend to get more of what we focus on so make sure it is something positive!
2. Give them a fighting chance. Know how you are going to achieve your resolutions - if they are important to you then they are worth giving some extra thought to by planning in advance.
3. Try something different. Chances are, you have tried to tackle a certain area before and there is reason why it didn't work. Sometimes we lose faith in our abilities when something doesn't go to plan and this means we struggle to give it our commitment this time round. If something didn't work for you last time, it may not be the right solution for for so you will need to find out what is.
4. Think small steps - quick fixes don't make for lasting change and there aren't many things out there that bring us overnight success. What does bring success however, is consistency and action. Working towards what you want one day at a time - small steps for big results.
5. Don't start on January 1st - most of us enjoy celebrating on New Years Eve with a few drinks or a very late night so we aren't always on best form to start working on our resolutions on New Years Day. Pick a reasonable date that gives you enough time to plan how you are going to achieve what you want and then you will be able to give your resolutions the attention and commitment they deserve!

If you need more help with your development and goals for the year ahead, our FREE weekly wellbeing tips might be just the dose of inspiration you need. Click here to find out more…

Count Your Blessings

It has been some time since I wrote about the positive effect of gratitude - such a powerful way to appreciate your life and count the blessings that you have. This appreciation for whatever is good in our lives right now keeps us focused on the positive and paves the way for more of the same to come our way.

I don't know what is going on in your life right now - I'm sure some of you have had a painful year, some a very challenging one and some a year of progress and positive change but whatever your circumstances, taking some time to think about the great things that you have right now is a powerful way to celebrate the past year and start the New Year on a positive note.

If you are one for New Year resolutions then you may want to consider adding this simple one to your list - keep a 'Gratitude Journal' and write in in every day. Just a list of 10 things that you are grateful for each day can keep you focused on the good things in life. Don't underestimate the power that such a simple journal can have on your outlook and the attraction for all things positive to come your way...

Christmas Wellbeing

As well as being a magical time of the year to get together with friends and family to celebrate, it can also be a very hectic time - last minute shopping, parties, and outings, visiting relatives and getting work finished so that you can take holiday with a clear conscience.

It can be easy to forget your wellbeing this time of the year - we are surrounded by rich food and alcohol and tend to take less care of ourselves generally. It is hard to keep up with exercise routines and getting a full quota of sleep when we don't want to miss the festivities.

This time of year should be enjoyed - we work hard enough on the lead up to Christmas to make it a great one. Here are some top tips to help you along the way...

• Let go of the need to be perfect. We all want our time with friends and family to go well but you won't enjoy it if you are worrying about everything. A friend of mine said that one year her Christmas dinner was 2 hours late because she drank too much wine and it was the first time she had so many people to dinner...but she had a great time! You can still enjoy it without trying to control everything to the last detail.
• Forget the diet - yes, shock horror! The more you try and restrict what you eat, the more you will want everything you think you shouldn't have and will only end up disappointing yourself.
• Substitute. We may not keep up our normal exercise routines over the holidays but exercise can be great way to help our digestion and boost our energy. Walking is a great substitute and with all those visits lined up, a perfect way to get some extra exercise in to feel great.
• Alcohol - most people over indulge this time of year and I am no exception. Drink plenty of water in between tipples to ensure you don't spend most of your holiday sleeping off a hangover.
• Take time out. Relax - spend some time indoors just chillin' out. The hectic rush surrounding this time of the year can send our stress levels sky high if we don't keep them in check so make you have some 'me time' planned.
• And finally - make it your quest this year to just enjoy yourself. For many of us, it is an opportunity to spend time with loved ones, let our hair down and indulge a little more than usual. Go with the flow and vow to enjoy yourself this year.

Whatever you have planned - make sure you have a wonderful time!

Your Inbox Will Always Be Full!

This morning I decided to stay home - I have a whopper of a cold and besides not wanting to inflict myself on everyone, I just needed some time relaxing to help my poor head recover! This morning, the debate in my mind about whether I could go to work started. I have things that are important this week that need to be done, things I have asked people to get back to me today with and I won't be there and things that must be done by Monday that I don't fancy the prospect of doing at home this weekend!

It reminded me of something I read once that said 'Your inbox will always be full' - I can't remember where I read it or who wrote it right at this moment but in other words, it is reminder that no matter how much we do, there will always be things that are more important or urgent that need doing and that if we don't do them today, they will still be there tomorrow.

Sometimes, no matter how pressing and urgent everything seems, we just have to push it all aside for a while and just focus on ourselves. The more we try and make ourselves do things when we are feeling ill, tired or run down, the worse we feel eventually. So if like me you are not feeling your normal self today, stop, put your feet up and relax for a while.

Everything will still be there tomorrow. Today, you can just concentrate on you...