De-Stress

23/02/2026

“Few things are as important to your quality of life as your choices about how to spend the precious resource of your free time.” —Winnifred Gallagher

20/02/2026

Have you ever laughed when you weren’t supposed to…? Now you can know why:

Suppressing laughter in solemn settings can backfire. Here’s what brain science says about why ‘church giggles’ feel unstoppable.

16/02/2026

The weekend weather provided great metaphors — wet and miserable, sleet and icy blizzards and now showers and blue skies!

A thought to share as we continue our personal development journey:

The stress we experience isn’t created by actual circumstances— but rather by the thoughts and judgments to which we attach meaning. And it’s in our power to change those judgments in a heartbeat. If we choose to.

When we experience a stressful thought for what it is— just a thought, not reality —we can let it pass through without letting it persist in our head like an unwelcome relative foisting themselves on us.

11/02/2026

Some thoughts for those looking to improve …

02/02/2026

William James observed that when we say we are thinking, we are often only rearranging our prejudices.

27/01/2026

It’s self-evidently true that older people have more birthdays…

Research shows a positive attitude towards ageing can make people feel younger and live longer. Here's how to fight ageism in your own life.

25/01/2026

Living with anxiety can be difficult. Anxious thoughts can often trigger a physical stressful reaction— for which there are several antidotes to calm the body. One of the best is box breathing: pioneered by the military to help captured soldiers cope with aggressive interrogations. It’s an easy technique.

Get comfortable if seated and do some slow steady breathing. Then:

1. Exhale through the mouth for a count of four.
2. Hold your lungs empty for a four-count.
3. Inhale through the nose for a count of four.
4. Hold your breath for a count of four.
5. Exhale through the mouth for a count of four
Repeat the pattern five times or more.

Try it! Especially if you’re not feeing stressed so you can start to make it a habit; this technique has no downside. And it can be done anywhere.

19/01/2026

January can be a tough month — dark, cold, cheerless. But as this BBC article shows, there are ways to raise our spirits:

It might be the most miserable time of the year but there is something you can do about that.

04/01/2026

27/12/2025

Peace of mind doesn’t come for free:
we earn peace by doing difficult things.
Confronting our fears, tackling uncomfortable conversations that need to be had, and getting stuck into the issues we’ve been avoiding.

For one thing, these were often all much easier than we imagined— and for another,
peace of mind is the reward.” —
After Darius Foroux

15/09/2025

Here are a few reminders to support you, or someone you love, on those hard days:

💙 Emotions change like the weather. This storm will pass — just keep holding on.
💙 You’ve survived every hard day you’ve had so far.
💙 This is one moment, not your whole story.

If you or someone you know is feeling helpless, hopeless, or in a mental health crisis, go to

If you have emotional concerns that are affecting you, find a centre to call now. Support is available for yourself or someone you know.