Mindful Monday Week 38

Keep It Simple

Hi, Thinking Out Loud here :D
Welcome to Mindful Monday, Week 38

Here is the link for this week's playlist. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/63ToLykHD5QdC4OME8pzsm?si=1df3812a97ab4485 

I hope you enjoy listening whilst you read, and I hope you find the music relaxing. 

If an ad plays, please stop reading and wait for the playlist to play again. The playlist will be timed for you to read to the end of this blog post, with maybe one song running over after reading. 

Get a drink, maybe even a snack, and find a comfy seat so you can relax. Let go of all worries and enjoy the next five deep breaths. Please prepare for the first breath in by breathing out.

Now time for your first deep breath; take one deep breath in through your nose for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Breathe out through your mouth for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Two more to go; breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Last one, deep breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Now go back to your regular breathing pattern. I hope you feel calm and relaxed.

For the past couple of weeks, I have written poems; this week, I have decided to do a bit more of a chatty post. This week with it being December, this MM is going to be Christmas related. As you will have seen, the title is Keep It Simple; it’s so easy to get lost in the Christmas buzz and get carried away. Often, this ends in pressure and, if we are honest with ourselves, not enjoying Christmas as much as we should. 

So what can we do to change this? Well, we could plan, which I’m sure a lot of people already do, so instead of planning and still being under a lot of pressure, let's simplify the lead-up and the big day. Buy what you can early and online if possible, maybe even click and collect; I would, however, suggest not ordering a food shop online as a lot of the time, supermarket staff don’t have a long time to get things off of your list and substitute what is close, in some cases things are far from close, so to save yourself from disappointment do a big shop early, or do little shops often and get the things you really want in the first few shops. 

Presents can be bought online; a lot of places these days do click-and-collect, so you don’t have to pay for postage which is a great saver if you are buying a lot of gifts. If you do buy online and get them delivered, you can get things gift-wrapped; it costs a little extra usually, but this will help you when it comes to the week before Christmas and, yet again, that pile of presents you have that still need wrapping, at least this way you will have fewer presents to wrap.

Now Christmas dinner, buy things that are premade, don’t go making everything from scratch. Frozen roast potatoes can be just as good as homemade roast potatoes, gravy from a packet is just as good as well, plus people probably won't even notice. Get guests or family members to each do a dish or bring a dish or plate of something. Get a few people also to bring a dessert, hopefully not the same dessert. 

By handing out different dishes to people to make it isn’t all left to one person who is slaving away in the kitchen, also whoever maybe hasn’t contributed with food for whatever reason can be on clean up duty, this hopefully will help in keeping it simple. You can even get kids involved with baking; I know as a kid, I loved baking and helping out, especially when it came to making the Christmas cake, and gingerbread men. 

I hope these few suggestions help with making this year's Christmas a little simpler, and less stressful and allow everyone to enjoy it. Please leave a comment below with maybe your own suggestions on how to make Christmas simpler, or maybe comment with what you are doing. I would love to read what you are doing for Christmas this year. Please remember not all comments will show, but I do read them all and moderate them, so please be kind; I am only one person.

Let's finish with a three-deep breath breather.

Take one deep breath in through your nose for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Breathe out through your mouth for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5..  Hold for 1... Final breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Last breath out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. No hold here; you can now go back to your regular breathing pattern.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this week's Mindful Monday. I really do appreciate everyone who takes the time to read them and listens to what I have to say.

Love always 

Thinking Out Loud xx :D

Keep it simple; it doesn’t have to be extravagant, or elaborate; it’s a fancy Sunday dinner, and gifts can be small, homemade, or bought locally; they don’t need to be branded. Anything you do this year will be enough; let those you have around you help, take a load off of yourself and let yourself enjoy the day as everyone else does. Remember that what you worry about, no one else will be, don’t let it bother you. If you’ve forgotten something or not done something you don’t need it, your day won’t be ruined, and everyone will still have a great time, so don’t forget to Keep It Simple. 

 

Mindful Monday Week 37

Fierce

Hi, Thinking Out Loud here :D
Welcome to Mindful Monday, Week 37

Here is the link for this week's playlist. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4HQAPdFDealvkHvI4Oskqq?si=ac86e8afb65f4b4e 

I hope you enjoy listening whilst you read, and I hope you find the music relaxing. 

If an ad plays, please stop reading and wait for the playlist to play again. The playlist will be timed for you to read to the end of this blog post, with maybe one song running over after reading. 

Get a drink, maybe even a snack, and find a comfy seat so you can relax. Let go of all worries and enjoy the next five deep breaths. Please prepare for the first breath in by breathing out.

Now time for your first deep breath; take one deep breath in through your nose for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Breathe out through your mouth for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Two more to go; breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Last one, deep breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Now go back to your regular breathing pattern. I hope you feel calm and relaxed.

Fierce 

By Freya A Hatfield

Stand your ground, be strong,

Don’t let the world change who you are,

Be fierce, stay true to who is on the inside,

Don’t quiver or shake when life gets a little hard,

It’s ok to be a little scared, but don’t let it hold you back,

Be fierce, be proud of everything you have achieved,

Tamed or untamed, let your voice be heard above the crowd,

Let it be as loud as you want it to be, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise,

Be fierce, let love in, let love grow, and let it be the best thing you’ve ever had,

If something isn’t right, don’t waste your time; move on to better things,

Don’t stay stuck on things that happened in the past; live for today and the future,

Be fierce, grab opportunities as they come and when they feel right for you,

Like a lion, be strong, powerful, brave, courageous, proud, and keep loved ones close,

Life can be challenging, but knowing you have loved ones near can make it easier,

Be fierce, always stay true to who you are, and be proud of who you are,

Always be fierce with anything and everything you do.

Let's finish with a three-deep breath breather.

Take one deep breath in through your nose for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Breathe out through your mouth for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5..  Hold for 1... Final breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Last breath out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. No hold here; you can now go back to your regular breathing pattern.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this week's Mindful Monday. I really do appreciate everyone who takes the time to read them and listens to what I have to say.

Love always 

Thinking Out Loud xx :D

Be fierce, be proud, hold your head high, and always let your voice be heard.

Mindful Monday Week 36

Perspective

Hi, Thinking Out Loud here :D
Welcome to Mindful Monday, Week 36

Here is the link for this week's playlist. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0y4QXK0yxrOXW36H8xjYLt?si=c15c63bc9aaa4cf6&pt=1a45e1a3c6acfb0453594efaafce9959 

I hope you enjoy listening whilst you read, and I hope you find the music relaxing. 

If an ad plays, please stop reading and wait for the playlist to play again. The playlist is timed for you to read to the end of this blog post, with maybe one song running over after reading. 

Get a drink, maybe even a snack, and find a comfy seat so you can relax. Let go of all worries and enjoy the next five deep breaths. Please prepare for the first breath in by breathing out.

Now time for your first deep breath; take one deep breath in through your nose for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Breathe out through your mouth for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Two more to go; breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Last one, deep breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Now go back to your regular breathing pattern. I hope you feel calm and relaxed.

Perspective
By Freya A Hatfield

Our perspective can be changed by a single thought

A change in heart or a shift in our mood.

It can be as straightforward or as difficult as we let it be,

what changes is how we view a situation.

With a change of perspective, a lot more can happen,

Our thoughts can be lighter and our minds clearer.

With a change of perspective, we can alleviate pain, frustration,

And what might have been holding us back.

With a perspective change, it's not just our mood, thoughts or minds

that change, but also our egos can become smaller, less showy and pushy.

We can be more accepting of other people's opinions and ideas, 

We can be more open to change and possibly easier ways of doing something.

Our perspective can be changed by a single thought

A change in heart or a shift in our mood.

It can be as straightforward or as difficult as we let it be,

what changes is how we view a situation.

Perspective can also be changing our expectations of a person or a situation,

Changing how we see them and how we expect them to behave.

Do we expect them to be just like us?

Do we expect too much of them? 

Because our standards of doing something is different to theirs.

Do we ask too much of ourselves?

Do we expect too much of ourselves?

Because we think that might be what other people expect.

If we change our perspective and ask ourselves.

Am I enough as I am?

Do I need to prove myself constantly for the things I do?

If I do something differently, will it impact my life for the better?

Do others do for me what I do for them? 

With these questions, I hope they make you think,

I hope you make the changes that need to be made.

If you answered NO to am I enough as I am, 

I say you are enough as you are, and I hope you see it in time.

Our perspective can be changed by a single thought

A change in heart or a shift in our mood.

It can be as straightforward or as difficult as we let it be,

what changes is how we view a situation.

Let's finish with a three-deep breath breather.

Take one deep breath in through your nose for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Breathe out through your mouth for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5..  Hold for 1... Final breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Last breath out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. No hold here; you can now go back to your regular breathing pattern.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this week's Mindful Monday. I really do appreciate everyone who takes the time to read them and listens to what I have to say.

Love always 

Thinking Out Loud xx :D

A perspective is just a viewpoint, not an end result.

Mindful Monday Week 35

Plan

Hi, Thinking Out Loud here :D
Welcome to Mindful Monday, Week 35

Here is the link for this week's playlist. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4OWunoFMMvmLsrwg5iDOMk?si=caacb590d38f45b6&pt=b1cbf15b334327cb27b019e3017695e2 

I hope you enjoy listening whilst you read, and I hope you find the music relaxing. 

If an ad plays, please stop reading and wait for the playlist to play again. The playlist will be timed for you to read to the end of this blog post, with maybe one song running over after reading. 

Get a drink, maybe even a snack, and find a comfy seat so you can relax. Let go of all worries and enjoy the next five deep breaths. Please prepare for the first breath in by breathing out.

Now time for your first deep breath; take one deep breath in through your nose for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Breathe out through your mouth for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Two more to go; breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Last one, deep breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Now go back to your regular breathing pattern. I hope you feel calm and relaxed.

When someone says plan, it can seem boring and daunting, planning for the future, planning a big life event, even for myself as a writer planning a book. It can seem like a big mess of ideas, battling to be the one that gets picked. In all honesty, I would have to say I am not much of a planner; I would rather wing writing and life in general; that’s not to say that I don’t have plans, as I do; I just don’t write them down or plan them out, so if one of my plans happens it is quite out of the blue for it to have happened. I’m undecided if this is a bad or a good idea. What I am learning as I get older is planning seems more and more like a good idea. Like everyone, I have big life ideas, big things that I want to achieve and most of these things I know I can only achieve most of these things if I plan for them and work hard to achieve them. The main thing is planning for them, having an end goal to work towards, and having smaller targets to aim to keep on track with reaching that end goal. 

So how do we plan and stop it from seeming boring or daunting? 

The short answer is to write bullet points, and each one of those is a goal for a bigger plan. Now the long answer is pretty similar to the short answer, but with each bullet point, write a bit of a description with each point, what you aim to do, how you aim to achieve it, and when you want to have reached that particular goal. Then decide your ultimate big plan, when you want to achieve that and how you aim to achieve it. Each point can be a month or a year, however long you want it to be. I often hear what is your big five-year plan, ten-year plan and so on. If you want to do those, please feel free to do so, but going straight into doing a five or ten-year plan for some of us, I know, will be a bit intense, so start small and eventually aim big. 

Here is a little bit of my plan that you can use as an example. This is based on writing.

• Weekly blog uploads (here is where I would stop for the short plan) - this means picking a day every week, spending about an hour or so writing the following week's blog post, and maybe more weeks if I know I have a busy few weeks ahead. This also included editing and creating a playlist for the blog post to share when uploaded. 

This is an ongoing weekly plan, so I aim to start and finish it weekly. (this is a much longer and detailed plan)

• Publishing (short plan) - getting works I have done edited, sent to beta readers and final edits done to a standard that is acceptable to publish, whether that be self-published or done through an agent. 

I aim to hopefully be published by the end of this year or, at the latest, very early next year (long plan)

• Creating (short plan, also vague as it covers a wide variety of things) - this means anything that I get ideas for, mostly writing but not limited to writing. 

This is an ongoing plan for creating when ideas come to me. (long plan still vague but some form of ideas to it).

I hope these three ideas help; I know only some people reading this post will be writers, but I hope the general idea of how to write a plan comes through. I’m not an expert; this is just how I write my plan. How you make yours might be different; please do what works for you.

I would love to read about your plans in a comment below and only share what you are happy to share. Remember, not all comments show, but all comments do get read, so please be kind. I am the only person running this page, and I moderate all comments.

Let's finish with a three-deep breath breather.

Take one deep breath in through your nose for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Breathe out through your mouth for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5..  Hold for 1... Final breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Last breath out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. No hold here; you can now go back to your regular breathing pattern.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this week's Mindful Monday. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read them and listens to what I have to say.

Love always 

Thinking Out Loud xx :D

A plan can be anything you want it to be as long as you put it into action and work towards it; a single thought of the day can become the biggest plan you ever make.

Mindful Monday Week 34

Joy

Hi, Thinking Out Loud here :D

Welcome to Mindful Monday, Week 34

Here is the link for this week's playlist. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3C3gljEbqvPMp3N6yv7lUT?si=c6552e7da26d4b27 

I hope you enjoy listening whilst you read, and I hope you find the music relaxing. 

If an ad plays, please stop reading and wait for the playlist to play again. The playlist will be timed for you to read to the end of this blog post, with maybe one song running over after reading. 

Get a drink, maybe even a snack, and find a comfy seat so you can relax. Let go of all worries and enjoy the next five deep breaths. Please prepare for the first breath in by breathing out.

Now time for your first deep breath; take one deep breath in through your nose for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Breathe out through your mouth for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Two more to go; breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Last one deep breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Now go back to your regular breathing pattern. I hope you feel calm and relaxed.

I often talk about what we can do for ourselves, how we can make things easier, or about our own lives in general. Today I want you to try and spread a little bit of joy for someone else, maybe take their rubbish bin to the curb or bring it back to their house if you’ve just had your rubbish collecting day.

Perhaps you might want to help someone with their shopping, maybe packing their bags or even paying for it, perhaps they’ve had one of those days, and they’ve left the house without their money so can’t pay for their shopping (it happens, and I know we all have those days.) you might want to give your friend a little bit of time child-free so they can get through that ever-growing to-do list or to just simply let them have some time with their feet up.

Maybe your friends don’t have kids but have fur babies. You could offer to take them for a walk while your friend has some time to get some jobs done around the house or again put their feet up.

If someone you know is renovating their house and it seems to be getting a little too much, put on some old clothes and lend them a hand for as long as you can spare. Renovating can be fun but sometimes can seem never-ending. That little bit of help will really make all the difference. Perhaps there is some building work down your street, and maybe you could get the builders some drinks and food while they are busy. 

Your spreading joy could be writing a card to someone and letting them know what an amazing person they are or how good they are doing with something specific that you know they may be thinking differently. Any nice words go a long way.  Whatever way you spread joy today, I hope you do it with a smile on your face and an extra spring in your step, as I’m sure this will also bring a little joy to you.

Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below with how you have spread a little bit of joy today. Remember to be kind; not all comments show as they get moderated, but I do read all comments, and I’m only one person running this page, so it takes a little time for comments to show.

Let's finish with a three-deep breath breather.

Take one deep breath in through your nose for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Breathe out through your mouth for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5..  Hold for 1... Final breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Last breath out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. No hold here; you can now go back to your regular breathing pattern.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this week's Mindful Monday. I really do appreciate everyone who takes the time to read them and listens to what I have to say.

Love always 

Thinking Out Loud xx :D

Spreading a little bit of joy can make someone else's day a lot brighter.

Mindful Monday Week 33

Forgiveness 

Hi, Thinking Out Loud here :D

Welcome to Mindful Monday Week 33

Here is the link for this week's playlist. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3m30GjsaWfcTXiSlsfoshb?si=091849dc34d949b1 

I hope you enjoy listening whilst you read, and I hope you find the music relaxing. 

If an ad plays, please stop reading and wait for the playlist to play again. The playlist will be timed for you to read to the end of this blog post, with maybe one song running over after reading. 

Get a drink, maybe even a snack, and find a comfy seat so you can relax. Let go of all worries and enjoy the next five deep breaths. Please prepare for the first breath in by breathing out.

Now time for your first deep breath; take one deep breath in through your nose for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Breathe out through your mouth for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Two more to go; breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Last one, deep breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Now go back to your regular breathing pattern. I hope you feel calm and relaxed.

Forgiveness

By Freya A Hatfield

Letting go of pain and wrongdoing can be challenging; forgiveness isn’t always easy, 

yet it helps us in moving on; it is often easier said than done, 

though that doesn’t mean it is impossible to forgive.

Sometimes we hurt ourselves.

Therefore we have to forgive ourselves.

This, like forgiving someone else, isn’t always easy

In order to move on, we have to make peace with the past

Accept our own wrongdoings, and welcome the future with fresh beginnings.

Forgiving doesn’t have to mean you have forgotten what’s happened,

It can mean you are being the bigger person, choosing to take the higher road,

You are by no means giving in or giving up; you are moving on with your life,

Letting the past stay in the past and allowing yourself to heal.

By forgiving, you are leading the way, settling the dust, and making a new start,

You’re allowing someone else to make the choice to correct their wrongdoings,

By showing them that time has passed, you have healed, and now they too can move on,

You are saying we all make mistakes, we all mess up, but we can all move on from the past,

Forgive with kindness, love in your heart and knowing that one day someone may need to forgive you.

Let's finish with a three-deep breath breather.

Take one deep breath in through your nose for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Breathe out through your mouth for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5..  Hold for 1... Final breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Last breath out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. No hold here; you can now go back to your regular breathing pattern.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this week's Mindful Monday. I really do appreciate everyone who takes the time to read them and listens to what I have to say.

Love always 

Thinking Out Loud xx :D

Don’t dwell on what can’t be changed; the future is never guaranteed, so forgive while you still can, and let arguments, bickers and disagreements stay in the past, heal, move forwards, and know that we all make mistakes that may in time need to be forgiven.

Mindful Monday Week 32

Breathe

Hi, Thinking Out Loud here :D

Welcome to Mindful Monday Week 32

Here is the link for this week's playlist. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1shgL4imgP44TBTi0uH2sU?si=05b26532243f45d7 

I hope you enjoy listening whilst you read, and I hope you find the music relaxing. 

If an ad plays, please stop reading and wait for the playlist to play again. The playlist will be timed for you to read to the end of this blog post, with maybe one song running over after reading. 

Get a drink, maybe even a snack, and find a comfy seat so you can relax. Let go of all worries and enjoy the next five deep breaths. Please prepare for the first breath in by breathing out.

Now time for your first deep breath; take one deep breath in through your nose for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Breathe out through your mouth for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Two more to go; breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Last one deep breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Now go back to your regular breathing pattern. I hope you feel calm and relaxed.

For many people, summer holidays are now over (in the northern hemisphere at least, I know down here in the southern hemisphere we still have ours to come. After this next two-week holiday before that last term. I can almost feel those beautiful summer days.) For the most part, children are back at school, and life is starting to get back into routines; those lazy summer mornings and long summer evenings, I’m sure, are now nearly a distant memory. Your little ones are starting new adventures, and I genuinely hope they have a fantastic year. For those who have just started their first year of school, I hope they have a fantastic start. I hope all of you mums, dads, grandmas, granddads and caregivers are doing ok as you let your little ones go, learn and grow on this new adventure. 

For those of you who have kids who don’t find going to school easy, I hope you find new ways this year to make it seem less daunting; I was once one of those kids, so I highly sympathise with you and your child and send you both hugs of encouragement and strength.

Those who are entering their final year of school, let this be your best year yet, have fun, get involved and make the best memories with your friends; I know parents you will be telling your kids they will miss these years; I’m here to say to your kids listen to your parents, it’s true, once you’ve left you do miss your school years, and this is coming from someone who really wasn’t the biggest fan of school.

Now that you are a week or more into school routines or back-to-work routines, if you’ve taken time off work for the summer, take the time today to breathe, relax, and reflect on the break you’ve had. As you breathe, also look forward to the year you have ahead of you, with new prospects, adventures and maybe possible changes. Accept what you want to accept, take what you want to carry over into this new school/work year, and leave what you don’t need behind in last year. Take opportunities as and when they show up, be the best version of yourself and let this year be your best year in work, personal life and school.

For those of us in the southern hemisphere, school holidays are just around the corner (when I wrote this, we were two weeks away from holidays, I know now, at least in NZ, school holidays have just begun for two weeks). I hope those of you who are going to be on holidays have an amazing break and that your kids have the time they need to recuperate and breathe before their final school term of the year. I hope you all treat each other, relax, and prepare for the next term. 

For any seniors who are heading into exam season soon, breathe and good luck; I really mean that you’ve had a few challenging years, but take what you have learnt, take what you know and do your best, as long as you are proud of what you have achieved that is the best thing. I am so proud of you for how far you have come; you’ve kept at it; there might have been times when you wanted to quit, but you didn’t, you stayed, and you’ve done amazing. 

If you have two years to go, those two years will fly by; enjoy them. If you have a year to go, it's going to be over before you realise it has begun; take opportunities get involved with groups, take photos and make so many memories. For those who are finishing their final year and leaving at the end of this year, I hope you have had a blast; I hope you’ve made memories that you will carry with you for life and friends who have become like family, take photos, and have an amazing last term of school, the wider world is ready to welcome you with open arms, whatever your next chapter is I hope you achieve everything you wish to achieve. 

For everyone reading this, don’t forget to breathe; if things seem to be getting too much, count to ten as you breathe in and out slowly to calm you a little through these changes, and don’t forget to enjoy them, they might be hard or scary, but before we try, we don’t know how amazing things can be.

Please leave a comment below about how you are coping with the back-to-school fun and work starting again, the holidays that are about to begin, and the final term before our holidays start. As always, only share what you are happy to share. Please don’t share any school or children's names. Remember that comments don’t always show as they get moderated; I do read all comments, so please be kind I am only one person running this page.

Let's finish with a three-deep breath breather.

Take one deep breath in through your nose for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Breathe out through your mouth for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5..  Hold for 1... Final breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Last breath out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. No hold here; you can now go back to your regular breathing pattern.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this week's Mindful Monday. I really do appreciate everyone who takes the time to read them and listens to what I have to say.

Love always 

Thinking Out Loud xx :D

Breath in love and breath out love, take each challenge as they come, breathe through it, and I hope it helps in making your day a little bit lighter and easier.

Mindful Monday Week 31

Steer your own ship

Hi, Thinking Out Loud here :D

Welcome to Mindful Monday Week 31

Here is the link for this week’s playlist. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0SNKfMD23lBhr4hW01SQ4Y?si=58d2311da32d4e03 

I hope you enjoy listening whilst you read, and I hope you find the music relaxing. 

If an ad plays, please stop reading and wait for the playlist to play again. The playlist will be timed for you to read to the end of this blog post, with maybe one song running over after reading. 

Get a drink, maybe even a snack, and find a comfy seat so you can relax. Let go of all worries and enjoy the next five deep breaths. Please prepare for the first breath in by breathing out.

Now time for your first deep breath; take one deep breath in through your nose for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Breathe out through your mouth for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Two more to go; breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Last one deep breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Now go back to your regular breathing pattern. I hope you feel calm and relaxed.

It’s easy to get distracted by what other people are doing or to let others take over what you are doing. I know it can be hard for some of us to speak up and speak out, but trust me when I say the only person who can steer your ship to where you want it to go is you. However, that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone, but you have to be the one holding the helm and deciding where to go; others can help guide you if you get stuck or lost along the way, and by all means, you can help others, but you can’t take over and steer their ship, and they can’t take over and steer yours. 

I want you to, either today or sometime this week, set out a plan of where you are right now in your life, where you want to be, say, in the next six months to a year, and write down realistically how you can within this time frame get to where you want to be. Set little goals for each week and month, so you stay on course. I hope this will help you steer your own ship, and if you are just starting to take back control, then I hope this helps you learn how to control your own life and who you are and want to be.

Please leave a comment below about how you are steering your own ship or how you plan on steering your own ship; please only share what you are comfortable with sharing. Not all comments will show as I moderate them. However, I am only one person and read all comments, so please be kind.

Let’s finish with a three-deep breath breather.

Take one deep breath in through your nose for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Breathe out through your mouth for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1... Breathe in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. And out for five 1..2..3..4..5..  Hold for 1... Final breath in for five 1..2..3..4..5.. Hold for 1..2.. Last breath out for five 1..2..3..4..5.. No hold here; you can now go back to your regular breathing pattern.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this week’s Mindful Monday. I really do appreciate everyone who takes the time to read them and listens to what I have to say.

Love always 

Thinking Out Loud xx :D

Take control of who you are and your life. Go at your own pace; life isn’t a race, and only you know where you want to go. Steer your ship with pride, ask for help when you need it and never let anyone try to take full control of where you are going; they can come along for the ride, but never give them full control. Be your own captain and let the world be your sea, respect it, treat it with love, and you will be respected and treated with love back.