HART. Wellbeing

10/07/2022

22/05/2022

I am slowly getting back to it following my maternity leave and have a few 1:1 and school/nursery spaces becoming available next half term. Please get in touch ❤️❤️

22/05/2022

22/05/2022

A very energising yoga session this week. The children loved travelling back in time in our time machine powered by our breath and imagination. A fun filled session full of bravery affirmations, dancing, mindfullness and yoga!

19/05/2022

A great bargain buy at Aldi UK yesterday. Only 99p 😲🥰. Elis enjoyed testing out this fun yoga game at bedtime. He is always full of energy before bedtime so this really helped him calm down and get rid of some energy with slow movements and connecting with his breath. Can't wait to use it in my classes 🧘‍♂️😴🧘‍♀️

13/05/2022

Todays yoga session with the lovely little yogis at Riverside nursery in . We has so much fun saying hello to the sun and exploring the planets 🪐🌍🌌. They were absolutely brilliant and an absolute joy to work with can wait for next week's session. They want me to take them dinosaur hunting... 🦖🦕

13/05/2022

Friendship Friday

Loneliness is the theme for so a great topic to explore to finish off the week.

We have all felt lonely at times. Some more than others, but it’s definitely something that everyone has in common.

Feeling lonely doesn't have to mean being alone. This is often misunderstood. You can be perfectly happy in your own company and not feel lonely at all. In contrast, you can also be surrounded by people and feel like the loneliest person in the world. So loneliness can be subjective and mean different things to different people. In general, a person feels lonely when there is a gap between their desired level of social contact and their actual social contact. It can also be a feeling of not being understood by the people surrounding you or feeling very different to those around you.

Loneliness in itself is not a mental health condition but both are closely linked and have an effect on each other. Loneliness can increase the risk of mental health conditions and mental health conditions can also put you at higher risk of loneliness.

Being open about your loneliness can be helpful. For me becoming a mum for the first time, and living hundreds of miles from my family and friends was one of the loneliest and toughest times of my life. It was a massive shock to the system; going from working every day and going to the gym as I pleased, going away with friends at the weekends (living a pretty carefree life) and seeing lots of people to being stuck in the house tiny helpless little human to take care of and not knowing what to do or where to go. It did get easier with time and some strategies put in place, but as an adult making friends is not the easiest.

You are not alone in feeling lonely, it is something that is more common than you think. To end mental health awareness week please share your experiences of loneliness in the comments to help others see that they are not alone.

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13/05/2022

Thirsty Thursday

(A day late as took over yesterday!)

We are often reminded that we need to drink more water to stay physically healthy and it’s a well-known fact that drinking enough water improves cognitive function. But the same is true for our mental health. These are all very closely related. After all, it is our brain that is responsible for regulating our emotions so the improved cognitive function can only mean good things for our ability to manage emotions and life’s challenges.

Research has shown that the amount of water we drink directly influences our mood and is linked to depression, anxiety, confusion, fatigue and low moods. Some reasearch has shown that when those who usually drink a lot of water reduce their intakecan feel tenser, less content and less calm. The same research showed that increasing water intake improves mood regardless of how much water you usually drink.

Increasing your water intake is a really simple and easy way to improve your mental health. Here are a few tips on ways to stay hydrated.

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11/05/2022

It’s all too easy for us to focus on the negatives, especially when suffering from poor mental health.

Our brains are wired to protect us and are constantly looking for dangers in our environment. Our brain will remember negative experiences over more positive ones storing those perceived negative memories easily in our long term memory. This is our brain’s way of protecting us; encouraging us to avoid situations that it perceives as dangerous. Psychologists call this Negative Bias and it was very useful thousands of years ago when our ancestors were facing daily threats to their lives. Not quite so useful these days. It leaves our brains quite brains can confused, leading us into thinking that some situations are dangerous when in fact they may be just a little uncomfortable.

For instance, if your boss points out a flaw in a project you’re working on or a teacher points out a mistake in your child’s work or you lose your train of thought and stumble over your word in a presentation. Your brain will automatically remember the negatives so to encourage you not to put yourself in that situation again simply because your brain perceived it as dangerous because your body’s stress response would have been triggered.

All of this will lead us to recall insults or criticism over the praise and think about negative experiences over positive ones. This can in turn can have a massive effect on the way we make decisions and experience our life and can impact negatively on our mental health.

Because our brain works in this way we must make a conscious effort to concentrate on the positives. It takes more effort for our brain to process and remember positive experiences so giving it a helping hand is a good idea. Reflecting on the wins from each day with your children at the end of each day will encourage your brain to remember the positives rather than the negatives. I like to have a chat with my 6 year old or write in his journal each night recording all his little wins from the day. (I like this to be the last thing we do before he goes to sleep so we tend to have a chat about any challenges or worries during dinner or while we get ready for bed.) Here are some questions you could ask your children before bed to help them reflect and remember that they are wins in every day.

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10/05/2022

Today we will talk about the importance of talking about our feelings; the good ones and the not so good ones! But especially the not so good ones. Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health challenges identified in children and adults.

Fears, worries, problems and challenges are all part of childhood and adult life but we don't always talk about them, especially not in front of our children. Some think that talking about feelings is a sign of weakness or they are afraid to express their true selves leaving them feeling shame or guilt. When we feel like this our children pick up on it and will make them feel like their feelings shouldn't be expressed, leaving them bottling things up. They will think that adults don’t have worries so they shouldn’t have any either, leaving them feeling shame and even more worried. Expressing some age appropriate worries in front of our children will empower them to share theirs. It will normalise talking about feelings and also make it easier for yourself to find the courage to talk to someone if you need to. It will build trust within your family and strengthen your emotional connection. If we talk about the little worries enough then the big worries will be more manageable when they crop up. You and your children will naturally become more in tune with your feelings and learn to identify and express them with ease.

It’s important to create a home environment where all feelings are welcome. Yours and your children’s. Even if you or your children are not suffering from anxiety or other mental health troubles right now, creating a safe and open environment will make it so much easier to identify when feelings are becoming overwhelming. It helps build resilience for everyone involved. Here are a few activities that you could do with your family to normalise talking about your feelings.

09/05/2022

Monday - Mindful Monday

Mindfulness has recently soared in popularity and is seen as a way to practice self-care and improve wellbeing. So what exactly is mindfulness?

Mindfulness has a simple definition: It is fully attending to what’s happening right here right now. It includes being fully present in the moment without focusing on and reacting to your thoughts and not worrying about the past or the future. It is about noticing what is going in your mind and body at that exact moment and acknowledging it without judgement. It is a very calm and quiet practice but the benefits can be powerful and can help change the way you perceive your life.

Mindfulness has been proved to help with many mental health conditions such as stress, depression and so much more. Activities such as
Yoga
Breath work
Meditation
Mindful walking
Body scan
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
All encourage mindfulness.

and it’s easier than you think to introduce into family life. Try one of the following breathing exercises today either by yourself or with your children.

08/05/2022

This week it’s mental health awareness week.

Starting tomorrow, I will be sharing some information each day to help you understand a bit more about mental health and sharing some activities to encourage better mental health for you and your whole family. Our mental health and wellbeing are just as important as our physical health and wellbeing. We all know we need to exercise and eat well to keep physically healthy and that prevention is better than cure. Being aware of your physical health and how your body should function allows you to recognise when there is something wrong which prompts you to seek help and advice. The same is true with our mental health. Learning about mental health and raising awareness will help you understand your mind better and help you recognise any symptoms if they appear and in turn prompt you to seek help and support when needed.

Neglecting our mental health can leave us exhausted, irritable and lonely and is so easily done. We all lead busy lives. Between work, family responsibilities, physical health needs and social arrangements, it's no wonder we find it difficult to find time to focus on our mental health. However, finding the time to make small adjustments to your daily routine should be a priority and will help you and your family lead healthier happier lives.

Here are some scary stats for people living in the UK

05/05/2022

Matrescence - A word we all need to familiarise ourselves with. A great word to share on that was introduced in 1973 by Dana Raphael that is not commonly used or talked about but is something that is experienced by all new mothers that can be quite tough to navigate.

It is a word to describe the transition into motherhood. A transition most mothers are expecting to come naturally and have formed high expectations of. Quite often these expectations are unrealistic and don’t measure up to the reality of motherhood. Becoming a mother is a huge complex transition that brings with it mixed emotions and a change in identity. Psychologists compare it to Adolescence. Becoming a mother is very much like becoming a teenager again. Hormones are once again all over the place, your hair and skin don’t behave the way you’d like and your body seems to have a mind of its own; changing rapidly, you’re questioning who you are, how society sees you. It’s exhausting! Matrescence happens to all mothers and it happens every time a baby is welcomed into the family. Each time a mother’s body, mind and identity and family dynamics are forced to change and adapt. More often than not, these changes and challenges are not talked about, bringing feelings of uncertainty, self-doubt, anxiety, disappointment and isolation. There is a dangerous assumption that everyone else is coping just fine. But more often than not, this is not the case. You are not alone.

Motherhood is hard. Give yourself time and be kind to yourself. Try not to compare your journey with others and talk openly with those you trust. Recognising that the journey into motherhood is not an easy ride and talking about it and sharing experiences will make the transition more manageable. Being aware of the fact that becoming a mother will bring with it this complex mix of emotions can help you adjust and feel more confident as you begin the new chapter.

** Feelings associated with Matresence can overlap with symptoms of postnatal depression but the two are very different. If these feelings are accompanied by other prolonged symptoms such as insomnia, losing interest in the things you used to enjoy, difficulty bonding with the baby, problems concentrating or decision making and frightening thoughts (such as harming yourself or baby) please do make an appointment with your GP or mental health professional.

08/10/2021

Here is my Mental Health Hero off to school supporting with their campaign with his cape full of positive affirmations to share with friends!
Looking after our children’s mental health is so important, now more than ever ❤️
Dyma fy Arwr Iechyd Meddwl ar ei ffordd i’r ysgol bore ‘ma i ddathlu . Mae edrych ar ol iechyd meddwl ein plant mor bwysig, rwan mwy nag erioed. ❤️

01/08/2021

This week we focused on mindfulness and happiness in my workshops at Chepstow Yoga Space and at Ysgol Esgob Morgan

23/07/2021

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Wedi cael diwrnod gwych yn cyfarfod disgyblion hyfryd ysgol heddiw
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Had a fab day meeting the lovely children at Ysgol Esgob Morgan today