Category: Wellbeing

Three Ways to Kill Boredom

When you have some downtime, it’s only natural to start feeling a bit bored and unmotivated and when I am feeling like this, I am generally faced with three options. The first, lay on the couch and channel surf. The second open a bottle of pinot gris and start chugging. Or the third somehow find the motivation to get off my butt and do something with the day. Surprisingly, using the below three steps, I more often than not am able to motivate myself and end up achieving something. And ultimately, I then celebrate my achievement with a glass of pinot gris. Happy that I both got something done for the day and happy that I lasted until after 3pm for my first glass.

Write a To Do List

My first step is to list out things I need to do today. I include everything – brushing my teeth, having a shower and any jobs I need to do. A to do list helps you visually see everything that needs to be done in your day and gives you a sense of achievement as you start ticking jobs off one by one. Another potential benefit – according to a Baylor University study, writing a to do list may aide in falling asleep at night (1). The study advised that writing down tasks that need to be done may help off-load anxiety of thinking about what needs to be done at night. Whilst they advised further study is required to strengthen results – it can’t hurt, right?

declutter your life

Spare 30 Minutes to a Pamper Sesh

Grab a face mask, a magazine and pour yourself a cup of tea. Finish the last ten minutes with mindfulness meditation and feel revitalised and refreshed. Make this time about you and just relax. If you don’t have a mask at home why not make one? I have used the Marie Claire avocado and cocoa mask and really enjoyed it – see the recipe here (2).

declutter your life

Pick a Cupboard and Clean It

Nothing gives me greater satisfaction then resolving a cluttered cupboard that has somehow ended up being the “shove and hide things” cupboard. There is plenty of research out there that demonstrates a link towards positivity and decluttering but for me – it’s about being able to access things easily and quickly. The removal of chaos. And reducing the amount of dust that gets collected by items I no longer use. It is nice to sit back with a glass of pinot gris and look at the sense of organisation decluttering achieves.

declutter your life

Feeling Stressed?

Read about mindfulness and how this can help you switch off.

Let’s face it – our lives are jammed packed and stressed to the max. Whether it’s balancing study with friends and work, or family, work and children, it is difficult to switch off.

This is why it is even more important to forget everything that is going on in your life and relax. Mindfulness is a great way to do this. Mindfulness is about paying attention to what is happening in the present moment. Your breathing, your feelings, sounds, taste. In doing so, you become more aware of each moment and have a deeper appreciation.

Mindfulness origins stem from the Eastern world; however has become popular in western society as a way to relax and reduce stress. In fact it is believed that mindfulness can also improve sleep, reduce chronic pain, increase emotional intelligence and help manage depression.

Another area of research that is growing is the benefits of mindful eating and the positive impact on weight-loss (1). To do this you need to sit down and unplug from your meals, eat slowly and savour your food, make eating a sensory experience and be your own hunger expert (2). It helps us gain a deeper appreciation of every meal transforming our relationship with food on the why and how we are eating (3). Have you ever had a nice glass of red that you get lost in the moment?

We think practising mindfulness is just as important as exercising our bodies which is why we have included mindfulness in our database. If you are feeling a little out of sorts, why not give it a try? We have included three of our favourite mindfulness videos below for you to try.

1. Mindfulness Mediation – Guided 10 Minutes by The Honest Guys – Meditations – Relaxation

2. Mindfulness Mediation to Help Relieve Anxiety and Stress by WiseMindBody

3. 20 Minutes Mindfulness for Being Present by The Mindful Moment

(1). Healthbeat. Mindful Eating May Help with Weight Loss. Harvard Health Publishing Harvard Medical School. https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/mindful-eating-may-help-with-weight-loss
(2) Jennifer Weinberg. The Mindfulness Diet: The Link Between Mindfulness, Blood Sugar, and Weight. The Choppra Centre. https://chopra.com/articles/the-mindfulness-diet-the-link-between-mindfulness-blood-sugar-and-weight
(3) Headspace. Mindful Eating. https://www.headspace.com/mindfulness/mindful-eating