Month: March 2014

Birthday…

Birthday love

So, I grow older. Today I am thirty one. I love this! What an absolute gift to have another birthday amongst the love of my family and friends. Seeing my little boy rip open my gifts this morning has put the biggest smile on my face! Eleanor Roosevelt once said

‘I think, at a child’s birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity.‘

I hope that with all my heart I have managed to give my son this, I was blessed with parents who did this for me and I will cherish that over other gifts, however pretty!! Seneca said, all those years ago that ‘A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer.‘ Clever guys those Romans! As an educator whose bag is emotional health and well being, I totally agree and try to share this ethos with my colleagues. If a child gives you a rock. Cherish it, have a big, fat wow moment! It is not the rock that is the big deal. It is the fact that they chose to give it to you!!!

So, live to day as though it is your birthday. Celebrate your wrinkles, saggy bits and grey hairs – they are absolute medals of the passage of your life! They are what you have been through and who you are.

 

Much love on this, my birthday!!

🙂

 

Reset yourself…

camping

Artificial light allows us to work and play into the wee hours, interfering with the natural light-dark cycle that, over most of human history, began at sunrise and ended just after sunset. But there’s a price to be paid for this modern shifting of biological clocks: research shows that long term indulgence in these late sleep schedules leads to unwanted weight gain and obesity, mood problems, substance abuse, and, of course, morning sleepiness. Light and sleep are critical to good health.

Relaxation strategies such as progressive muscle relaxation and visual imagery have been shown to be extremely effective treatment components for reducing stress and anxiety. These proven techniques encourage mental and emotional health and provide tools for people who suffer from sleeping problems, anxiety and worries.

So, this weekend spend time lying in the soft grass, reset yourself with nature or camping or walking, spend time imagining you are sitting in a peaceful cave or are flying like a bird. These relaxations aim to develop confidence and creativity, I however, will be found travelling through Westeros in my reading corner once my little man is sound asleep…

Be well 🙂

From IP 004

My BEAUTIFUL Vango Airbeam…thing of beauty xxxx

Tabula Rasa…

Image

Tabula Rasa, a Latin term meaning blank slate

Suggesting that the mind begins as a blank slate. According to this notion, everything that we are and all of our knowledge is determined by our experience

I recently read and article written by Dr Kathryn Asbury, discussing her new book ‘G is for genes’ where the nature v nurture debate was explored. The nature versus nurture debate is one of the oldest issues in psychology. The debate centres on the relative contributions of genetic inheritance and environmental factors to human development. Some philosophers such as Plato and Descartes suggested that certain things are inborn, or that they simply occur naturally regardless of environmental influences.

As an educator I have seen the influences of both throughout my career, but would love to know what others feel on this matter…

Be well 🙂Â