#Friday 23.0: Harmonise the mind

What do you think? Let me know…..

#Friday 22.0: When the universe is sending you a message…maybe listen

Each week I will (try and) share a small segment of something useful I learnt. While this is for my own amusement I hope it resonates with my lovely readers.

Give me some background Potato…

A couple of years ago a group of friends and I registered to take part in a 5km Tough Mudder event. Tough Mudder are endurance events run all over the world, in which participants have to negotiate various obstacles (usually very muddy) over a certain distance. This video will give you some context:

How did you get on?

Well, I didn’t! A week before the event, for which I had been doing quite a bit of training, my left ankle flared up, badly limited my mobility and that was the end of it. The best I managed was to accompany my friends to the event and be the in house photographer. The upside was I managed to grab quite a few good pictures, some good memories for them on the day.

Fast forward to the present

In November 2021 we again registered for the Tough Mudder event (to take place on 2nd April 2022), as I still had my previous unused place so had it transferred. This one was 10km and I purposely kept my training low and steady. Everything was going to plan until I felt a slight discomfort in my left foot on 19th March…..crap! Today is the 1st April and as I write this post, I also have a draft email ready to be sent to the event organisers to postpone my participation….again! I am a little gutted!

..And this showed me?

While I appreciate there are bigger problems in the world, we can’t just discount our own, no matter how big or small. For me to churn out any positivity from this, then maybe I should read the signs, and such events are not for me. Maybe some force out there is trying to tell me not to attend and saving me from what could be a bigger problem. It’s the writer’s perception and the readers belief…but for now this helps me get over the disappointment. But, it has also shown me how lucky I am to have such a caring family, and I am ever grateful for all the running around my wife and kids have done just so I can rest up my foot and recover as best as possible. It also means I am writing this post in a much happier mood. In true writer style I wasn’t shy of a few words on how I was feeling, hope you enjoy them.

My Bright Outlook Photo

The time on my laptop signalled 5pm and I contemplated whether to go cycling. While the sun had disappeared the weather remained mild.

Don’t dwell

I didn’t dwell on the decision and quickly got changed before the risk of putting it off. Water bottles filled I grabbed my bike and cycled to my local riding track. For me it was important to get out today, too much on the media about you know what!

The sky showed the path

The cycling track I go to is around 1.5miles all the way around. 30mins into my ride the light began to fade, but not before I saw this while riding up a gradual hill.

Light at the end of a long road

As the sky opened up to welcome back the sun I felt a sense of renewed hope. We are consuming too much news and its scaring people. Let’s be sensible, kind and thoughtful. Enjoy mother nature and all its wonderful creation. This new cold will melt against the heat of defiance.

…and for my time

 

Stay safe! Stay healthy! Stay happy!

What Not To Say To Those With Mental Health Issues

Hi All. Featuring an article by our community writer Nikki on the subject of Mental Health. There is so much written about this subject, with increasing (and rightfully so) coverage and awareness around the world. A personal post which will provide a deep insight and which has raised a lot of awareness for myself. Thanks for sharing Nikki.

Blogger Community

There are many ways to be empathetic and compassionate to someone who is experiencing problems with their mental health. There are just as many ways to unknowingly belittle someone and make them feel even worse about themselves. So let’s run through some of the well meaning common things people say to the mentally ill thinking it will help them when the opposite is true.

If someone is in a bad mood or quick to become angry or irate…
Don’t ask, “Are you off your medication?” or “Did you forget to take your happy pill today?”

If someone is struggling, tearful, and feeling beaten down…
Don’t give them lame platitudes like, “You have to pull yourself out of it,” “You gotta pull yourself up by the boot straps”, “You have so many things to be happy about and thankful for, snap out of it.” You might as well punch us in…

View original post 1,393 more words

Crisps Rehab – Day 5

Don’t worry, you haven’t missed days 1 -4, I didn’t want to tempt fate by writing so early in case I turned back to the dark side.  Six days ago, after munching through a packet of hand cooked crisps, I looked down at my ever-expanding belly and thought, can I cut this snack out and start a road to recovery?  What is that road to recovery you ask?  To completely change my diet but eradicating snacks of all kind by the age of 40, I have five years left.  So my first victim, the crisp packet.