Frazzled…? It’s been a long year and many are limping on hoping for brighter days to come. If it all feels a little ‘groundhog day’ I have collated a few ideas for you to try out.

I like the point made by the activist and author  Glennon Doyle; if ‘be happy’ is too simplistic or unrealistic for you try to ‘sit’ with your emotions. Some reflection of how you are feeling now can lead to acceptance. The chances are you will feel different tomorrow, if not sooner. Distraction can work wonders, try changing your environment or get stuck into a task or project.

If you haven’t already could you create something crafty; learn from YouTube how to crochet perhaps? If you are stuck inside how about identifying the birds you see from your window.

Looking after others (and our planet) in small daily ways can impart a sense of satisfaction. Could you aim to buy locally produced food, support a pop up venue or market, select Fair Trade and Red Tractor-certified items. If you go out to shop does your store accept recycling such as batteries or certain plastics? Often you can donate to a food bank as you leave the supermarket. I like multitasking.

Having read countless books in the last year I have really enjoyed the social aspect and widening my reading by being a member of a book club. I found this in Survival Lessons by Alice Hoffman (recommended).

“It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us […] right action and right conduct”

– Frankl, quoted by Alice Hoffman.

I started 2021 by listening to an audio book of The Positive Habit by Fiona Brennan, an easy read with mediations to practise on waking and before sleep (yes, I frequently fell asleep listening – great to calm a busy mind). And lastly a lovely publication as an antidote to more bad news.