​It will keep you afloat and moving in 2021.
You can choose to leave it on the beach for now or you can grab it with both hands, your choice.
As you move along in 2021, you will encounter driftwood and debris from 2020 and before. It will come in all shapes and sizes;
Disguised as

​Your lifebuoy will help you navigate around and away from it.
If you take the time to look, you will see the beauty and the Joy surrounding you.
​It is not disguised although the driftwood and debris can make it difficult to see clearly.
It looks like this

​At times it will be a challenge to avoid the debris, and that's ok.
When you feel overwhelmed by it all, I offer a hand of support
​ filled with 

Remember, you will enjoy the journey better if you talk, share, smile, and laugh together. Together we share strength and hope.

WOW!! 
There is so much information out there, I don't know about you, however; I feel that it's utterly overwhelming at times.
How do we make sense of any of it?
When I am looking for advice...what constitutes an expert?
How do I manage to reconcile what seems logical to me with information and / or recommendations from the powers that be or the experts, which does not seem logical to me?
All of these questions have been going round and round in my head at various times in the last few months (well, to be honest, probably all of my life!)
I have a very clear and simple way to get myself out of the overwhelm state and clarify what is the right thing for me.
It´s called Free Flo Living. 
Now I am not saying that it always works first time, or that I always go to it right away.
There are times where, it seems, I like to torture myself a bit, you know, amp up the stress, feed the fear monkey. Anyone empathise with that?

​What is fear? What is excitement?
Is it fear or excitement?

Excitement is predictable fear.
​Pretty much the same physiological process is at work in your body during excitement or fear except, when you are excited it activates the reward centre of your brain at the same time.

Everything that you feel is emotion (or E-motion) . What does that mean? 
The Latin derivative for the word emotion, emotere, literally means energy in motion.
You were born with a sixth sense–emotion.
Like your other five senses, this is not something you learned; emotion is the awareness you have which communicates satisfaction or dissatisfaction/ease or dis-ease.

Pivot point: Your emotions are your unique internal guidance system (Inner GPS), letting you know when you have disconnected from your inner knowing of what is right for you.

​Picture this scenario:
A child is visiting the fairground for the first time. All around him, he sees these incredible rides. It is so new and exciting. They get to the big wheel; it looks enormous. It is going round and round so fast. It is very high. All those people looking down on him seem so far away. As they approach the ticket gate, he feels something in his belly, a strange feeling. It is a strong feeling, different from anything he has ever felt in his 5 young years.
His mother, sensing the change in him, grips his hand tighter and says it’s ok, don’t feel scared. I am right by your side. I am keeping you safe. Oh, he thinks, I’m scared. So, this is how fear feels.

Another child is standing close by. He has the same sensations and feelings when he is looking at this gigantic wheel. His mother senses the change in him too, and as he grasps her hand, she looks at him and says, this is going to be so exciting for you, a new experience, and I am right by your side, keeping you safe. Oh, he thinks, I’m excited. So, this is what it feels like to be excited.

Both these children will have a unique experience during the ride, and they will associate the feeling they have in different ways throughout their life.

This example may seem too simplistic for many of you. Yet when you understand how your feelings and emotions affect your body, you can see that this kind of experience, especially as a child, can have a profound effect on your life.

Pivot point: Feeling excited is feeling fear with a KNOWN outcome.
​
Are you killing the thrill?
If you would like to discuss it, feel free to contact me here. 

Think for a minute. When you cut yourself, do you worry that it will keep bleeding out and not heal? Usually, the answer to that will be no-we know that in a healthy body, the blood will clot and the cut will heal.
When you break a bone, sometimes you need to have it "set" so it heals properly. The doctor will align the bone to make sure it knits together optimally, but the body does the healing. If you leave the bone misaligned, it will still knit together and heal. 
The trick is to know when you need to give your body a bit of help.
Some of the times when you need to help your body are:

• Pregnancy
• If you cannot eat a healthy balanced diet
• When you are vulnerable to viruses and bacterial infections

In this post, I would like to focus on strengthening the immune system right now as winter is here, and we have some "little critters" around.
In a nutshell, what happens is whenever you get some kind of attack your immune system kicks in to defend you. It has three lines of defence (soldiers) that keep your body safe. Your body is very clever. 

1. The first line are the protectors - your skin and mucous membrane that runs throughout your body, and your tears, sweat, saliva are all part of the first line. They are the foot soldiers, the infantry. They sound the alarm and often defeat the enemy. 
2. The second line is your innate immune response -these cells are different, they identify and destroy the attacker if they get past the foot soldiers. They are the jet fighters and paratroopers - the big guns. If the enemy is overwhelming, they will send an SOS for more help. They often defeat the enemy and send a message to mount a strategic defence against further attacks. 
3. The third line is your adaptive immune response - this is where it gets interesting. They are the generals - building a solid defence. These cells are specific to the attackers (adapted). This is your inbuilt defence strategy. It takes time to develop and to build immunity. They help your body to build a defence that can quickly and effectively attack the invader next time. They develop your long- term defence/immunity. 

So, how can you help maintain a strong immune system?

• Breathe. Yes, you would not be walking around if you were not breathing; however, conscious, focused breathing is fundamental for a healthy body and immune system.  
• Redress your stress. Stress is healthy, yes you heard me correctly. However, chronic or long-term stress compromises your immune system and leaves you open to attack. By identifying and redressing your daily stressors, you will improve your immune health. 
• Get enough sleep. When you are asleep your body is regenerating, self-healing, and excreting toxins. Lack of sleep can cause the body's stress response to remain activated leading to chronic stress. 
• Stay hydrated. 
• Eat nutritious food. Your body needs energy and nutrition to do its work. A balanced diet is important at any time in your life. 
• Use supplements wisely. 

***** Please remember that we are all very different. We all have different lifestyles and diets. A healthy, balanced diet is always preferable to taking supplements, and just because a supplement is right for your friend does not mean it is right for you. The best thing is to speak to a nutritionist and have a full assessment done. This does not take long. ****

In daily life there are so many things that we encounter, see, hear and even say that make us feel uneasy. They just don´t sit right with us.
One of the most valuable assets you have is to look at things differently, from a new angle. Reframe it. Shift the perception, and your perspective will change. You then see the broader picture. Reframing takes a conscious intention to look at things in another way, and then the possibilities are endless!
​
When you understand that how you feel about anything has an emotional connection, which influences the way you react, you can change the way you feel instantly. 
And the most important thing at any time is-how you feel!

How you feel is where your power lies. ​

​Have you ever seen a picture you liked but thought it would look better in a different frame? The same thing happens when you put your thoughts in a new frame. They may remain the same, but you change the perception and the perspective, which changes the way you feel. These thoughts are yours, and you are the one who has given them meaning, so you are the one with the power to change them.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if  you could control everything happening around you?
Well, I have news for you, that will never happen, but, I have even better news for you - you can always control how you react (re-act) to whatever is happening to you and around you. 
You can change the way you feel about it, and this will change the way you think and behave.
You have a choice, and it is your responsibility to yourself to recognise your 
response-Ability and become response-Able. ​

The emotions you feel, lead to thoughts which are often things you are remembering from past experiences. If it is a good memory, and you like it, that's great, keep doing it and it will lead to more good-feeling thoughts and experiences. 

Have you ever had a message on your phone or computer saying "Updates available - restart now to install" ? If you do not install the update, you risk your computer crashing. What are you going to do? The answer for most of us is simple, install the update, and our computer continues to run proficiently. Your subconscious belief system can be compared to your computer programs. 
The emotions you are experiencing, along with the thoughts you are thinking, are often old beliefs (programs running) based on the past that no longer works for you- now. When you take the time to notice them, you can update those beliefs (programs) with your new points of view. You do not need to review the old beliefs; you just have to recognise that it is an old belief and update or overwrite it. The more often you do this, the easier it will get, and before you know it, you will find yourself no longer re-acting and re-activating those beliefs. You are then response-able and have  response-ability.

Catch yourself in the thought; it may be something like:

•  “I have no clue what I am doing, I am lost”; reframe “I am learning something new here and it will lead to something better.”
•  “Life is so hard”; reframe “Every day I find easier ways to deal with life.”
•  “I can’t do anything right”; reframe “I am figuring this out as I go along.”

When you reframe your thoughts, it is vital that what you are saying feels right to you. Remember, the words and the feelings have to mesh, they have to "feel" right for you. Experiment with your reframes until you find what works for you, just keep in mind that you are looking for a way to soothe your mind into a new viewpoint.
​Be kind to yourself.

If you would like to talk further let me know!