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Daily Steps To Mindful Living

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The Tattooed Dad and His Daughter – How To Keep Cool in Ballet Class

The trouble with parenting is that nobody ever gives you a manual on how to do it. Sure, we can recall instances of our youth when the choices our parents made affected us positively or negatively and we can remember thinking, “I’ll never do that when I’m a parent.” We can build on those times and it helps shape who we are and who we want to become. It prepares you for the hard stuff; it toughens you.

That being said, nobody ever mentions the weird stuff…

It was today. I woke up very excited to take my four-year-old to her first ballet class. My Iowa Hawkeyes’ miserable season had come to an end and Saturdays are now officially dance days. This was a class my daughter asked to go to. She prances around the house in her pink tutu and ballerina slippers, pretending to be whatever character just blasted her way across the “Disney Princess Highway.” I am head-over-heels, absolutely, 100% smitten by her; if she wants to dance, then she’s going to dance! We enrolled her in ballet the first chance we got. [Read more…] about The Tattooed Dad and His Daughter – How To Keep Cool in Ballet Class

Originally posted on June 3, 2012 @ 11:58 pm

Is your workplace making you ill?

As I write this blog post I can feel my neck and back aching from sitting at a desk all day. I’ve also got a touch of eye strain and I think my knees are a bit locked up. What a mess I must sound! But my discomfort has inspired this blog post, which asks the question: is your workplace making you ill?

The combination of long hours, stressful working conditions and a poor diet can leave us susceptible to all manner of health problems. So perhaps it’s time to look at your work environment and habits to see if they need an overhaul.

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Creative Commons License photo credit: dave gunzenhauser

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Originally posted on February 28, 2012 @ 8:01 pm

Tips for the mindful traveller

I’ve not mentioned this before, but I’ve been writing my blog posts for the Daily Mind whilst travelling through South East Asia.

It’s been an enlightening journey in many ways, but I was particularly struck this week by the behaviour of my fellow travellers. We’ve been visiting some fascinating sites, from the Buddha park in Vang Vieng, Laos, to the Grand Palace at Bangkok, yet so few travellers seem to be living in the present moment and absorbing what they are seeing. Most people are busy clicking away on their cameras or filming the view that I wonder how much of the actual experience they are taking in. Others are texting or updating their Facebook and Twitter, telling their friends about what they’re seeing.

I’ve been guilty of this myself in the past, so I’ve decided to make it a bit of a project to be more mindful and present during my travels/holidays in order to fully appreciate the experience. Here are some ideas I’ve come up with, which I think can also be relevant to everyday life:


Creative Commons License photo credit: Venturist
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Originally posted on November 15, 2011 @ 9:51 am

How to streamline your life

If you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself constantly rushing around trying to fit lots of things into the day and never quite feeling that there’s enough time. I think the key here is time management – something that doesn’t come easily to me, I must admit – so that’s why for this blog I’ve decided to speak to a number of health experts to get some tips. I’m going to take a look at how to manage your work life better so that you feel less stressed, and I’m also going to look at how to fit more time in your day for fitness, a healthy diet and meditation.

Work

I like to think that I’m pretty organised, but I do sometimes get overwhelmed at work when I’ve got lots of things to do at once. I asked business coach Catherine Billam for some advice on how to be better at multi-tasking and, interestingly, she claims that it’s “a very inefficient way of using the brain.” She adds: “Doing two tasks at once can reduce your performance by up to 50 per cent, and constant emailing or text messaging reduces intelligence by an average of 10 points on an IQ test.” Yikes! That puts my IQ down by several numbers.

Instead of trying to juggle lots of tasks, Catherine advises cutting your day into chunks and focusing on one type of activity at a time. “Have separate chunks of time for admin, phone calls, meetings, emails, dealing with today’s emergencies, planning, creative thinking and writing,” she says.

Catherine also suggests being clever in the way that you plan your day. “Do the most difficult tasks when you have the most energy and the routine tasks when you have the least energy,” she says.

“Most people are at their brightest early in the morning, so do your hardest creative tasks and decision-making then. If dealing with admin or emails is routine, do that when you have less energy. Most people have a dip in the middle of the afternoon. Do routine tasks then.” I’ve always wondered what to do during the dreaded 3pm slump – now I know!

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Originally posted on October 21, 2011 @ 10:51 am

5 Tips for Reducing Holiday Shopping Stress

The holidays are supposed to be about family, and about appreciating all of life’s blessings. However, it seems that, more than happiness and enjoyment, the holidays equate to stress for a lot of people. Do you look at your loved ones during the holiday season and see nothing but crowded malls and bank drafts? Do you sometimes wish you could switch places with your kids and forget all about the holiday shopping madness? Don’t worry, you are not alone. Luckily, there are ways to counter the hectic pace and frenetic planning associated with checking all those items off your Christmas list. Here are five tips for reducing holiday shopping stress. [Read more…] about 5 Tips for Reducing Holiday Shopping Stress

Originally posted on October 20, 2011 @ 4:09 pm

How to Handle Your First Holiday Together

Getting to know someone is hard enough but when you throw the holidays into the mix it can be a recipe for disaster. With all the surrounding pressures, you will want to deflect as much stress as possible. Planning beforehand is essential because you do not want to have any surprises when it comes to gifts, family or travel. Below are a few ideas of how to handle your first holiday together and if you are lucky you just may be able to get through it unscathed.

together

Talk it Out

Everyone has their favorite and least favorite parts of the holidays. Before approaching all the different aspects sit down and hash out what it is that works for the both of you. This can include traditions, religious meanings, office party attendance and throwing your own party together. The more you are on the same page the smoother it will go. [Read more…] about How to Handle Your First Holiday Together

Originally posted on October 19, 2011 @ 1:54 am