Hello & welcome to my weekly blog – ‘be happy it’s Friday!’
It’s another beautiful, sunny day here in Yorkshire; a cool breeze rustling the leaves of the trees surrounding me and a gentle buzzing of a plane doing loop the loops over]head. I am smiling at the bed sheets all blowing in the wind and the fact that I am just about to head out to get my legs waxed and nails painted. All very clear signs that it is holiday time! Why I have to put pressure on myself to wash everyone’s sheets before we go away, is beyond me. I blame my mother. She did it. Ergo, I do it.
Does that mean my boys will do it? I doubt it… but I can already see that they are beginning to follow in our footsteps, copying our habits without even a word being spoken. Over the summer holidays so far, the boys have been less inclined to do what I have asked them to do, but more receptive if I am doing it too. For example, getting off screens and going in the garden. Only if I close down my laptop and dead head the roses, will they shut down an Epic Game, YouTube or Netflix and mow the lawns, water the pots or play a game.
It reminds me how much of a role model we play as parents or significant adults in a child or children’s lives. How do I want my boys to grow up and what is the most important thing I want for them in adulthood? Well, that is easy. To be happy and healthy. I can tell them to be happy and I can tell them what to do to be healthy. But given this line of thought, it is far better to be happy and healthy myself (and ourselves – I will include James in the responsibility of being a role model), so that they follow suit.
Being healthy is pretty easy for me as I love healthy food, love exercising and also love sleeping and resting! This week I got the boys to help me with a meal demo I recorded for the Heal Yourself Happy Hub. How better to inspire them to eat well than to get them to contribute to the cooking. It ended with Tom eating a whole pepper like an apple! They loved it, we spent time together and they ate everything on their plate. We will be doing more of that over the summer as it was so much fun. Next on the list will be the Zesty Muffins that disappeared rapidly from the table at the weekend at a BBQ – little did the kids know they were dairy free (for me), gluten free (for Willy) and refined sugar free (for everyone’s teeth and guts!). You can find the recipe below, by the way..
When it comes to exercising, the boys are like dogs – we have to get outside and do something daily. And we are pretty good at doing that as a family too – whether that be walking our dog, going for a run around the block, cycling the local trails as a family with other families or next week, it will be lots of swimming ashore!
They may not like it, but rest and sleep are key in their health as they grow and also for us in order to maintain health for the long term. I love sleep, often don’t get enough but I do make sure they do. And they both love a meditation to fall asleep to, particularly Willy who is very sensitive and often needs his busy emotional mind calming in order to fall asleep. Our favourite is one where I take him off up on a cloud where a little animal joins him to give him a private message.
And so, to happiness. After all these years of talking happiness in various guises, the more I come to the conclusion is that it isn’t something that can be created or forced. Happiness is just a feeling you get when everything is good with the world, when you can let go of everything that isn’t so great, even for just a moment. Yes, I know people say ‘happiness is a choice’.. but is it? Having been rock bottom, that choice is just not as easy as the flippant remark sounds. From the darkness, choosing happiness isn’t a clear-cut option. What I did find, is that doing a little something that can make you happy or being with someone or people who make you feel happy, safe or loved can remind you of happiness. The more you are reminded of the feeling, slowly you can start to actually feel it.
In doing just that, I created a life that has made me happy – I do all the things that make me happy daily; I have created a career out of it and I spend time with people I feel safe with, loved by and who make me laugh.
So that is what I am showing my boys and I hope for them, that they copy that most of all. And even when they shouted at me on the way to holiday Sports Camp this morning that I loved my work more than I loved them, I stand by my decision. I love them. I love what I do. And I can do both. And would they really want to come and sit with me at the beauticians? Probably not – although this time last year, I was stopped mid-wax as the Chinese below us caught fire and the boys were delighted at the 5 fire engines and massive hoses that hurtled in to the little town of Bedale!
Happy Friday everyone!
Last week I launched my first eBook! If you missed it, you can still get your free copy of ‘5 minutes to a Happy Mind’, click the link: https://mailchi.mp/8d6dac590ea0/happymindebook. You will find 20 different exercises to bring peace and calm to your day in just 5 minutes. These have all be tried and tested by me, my private clients and my children. Enjoy!
Heal Yourself Happy News!
- 2 Day’s to a Happy Belly Plan – Amazing results coming in! The plan I wrote myself to lose a few pounds and calm my IBS belly and digestive issues is now in trial with some friends and having amazing results! Jenny has completed the 2 days, has lost weight, feels great, no longer reaching for crap when she is hungry and loved the recipes and will be making them again. Claire is mid way and already finding that it is a real habit tamer and she is no longer reaching for snacks. Both felt so much better after just one day. Watch this space for your link to download your copy… coming soon.
- Join the HYH Hub in July and get a free 30 minute coaching session. This month, we are focussing on our Gut Health and the part it plays in your overall health and a focus on Weightloss for anyone wanting to feel great on holiday this year! There will be guest appearances with my boys, showing you how you can include children in cooking and eating healthily. The Hub is a community with group coaching and accountability where you get all the guidance, top tips and support I give my private clients for only £32 a month (you can join and leave at any time). You can get all the details here: https://heal-yourself-happy.com/online-group-membership-2/
- Summer drop in’s. Over the summer holidays, when you want a sanity check or even just some ideas to help you stay healthy with all the kids food around- book in a 121 call with me and let’s get you straight. Watch out for availability on the Heal Yourself Happy Facebook page at the beginning of each week.
