Delightful December...

'Delight' is the randomly chosen guideline for December.  It was picked a few days before the 1st December, as I prepared for the month ahead.  I was 'delighted' because I thought of the various festivities taking place over the next few weeks and thought how lovely it would be to find 'Delight' in life.  Then Storm Arwen happened...

A week on from Storm Arwen and there are still people without power and water. So many people have experienced freezing conditions, with little access to hot food or water to make a cup of tea. It has been a very difficult time, especially with the new variant of Covid that's making plans for Christmas uncertain, yet again.

All of this has quite possibly affected you. You might be feeling more anxious than usual, more stressed and maybe finding it difficult to relax. Take time to acknowledge how you are feeling. It's normal to have a reaction to such a difficult time but once you have established how you are feeling, decide what you are going to do to help yourself. It's how we recover and move forward from tricky situations like this that influences future challenging situations, building resilience and creating a positive mindset.

Be kind to yourself. Take time for some mindful breathing. Focus completely on the in-breath, (not changing anything, just noticing) be aware of the chest moving in and out, the feel of the air as it comes in through the nose, notice the details. Then focus on the out-breath, again noticing the detail. It's good to do this for 10 - 15 minutes but it will help if you take just THREE mindful breaths. The more you practise, the quicker you will respond to mindful breathing when you are feelng a bit stressed. It's a great calming tool.

If you are needing a bit more support then please get in touch. The AndBreathe123 tools can help ease stress and anxiety, leaving your mind clear and more able to meet the ongoing challenges in life.

So, back to 'Delight'... It's at times like this that I find that the guidelines from 16 Guidelines most powerful. When times are hard and we find ourselves down a dark hole, we can find it difficult to climb back out. Holding 'Delight' in your thoughts over the next few weeks may help you to begin to look at life with a different perspective.

In the past week, since the devastating storm, we have begun to hear heartwarming stories of communities gathering round to support  neighbours who have not been so fortunate. I know that my sister was delighted when her electricity went on after 5 or 6 days with no power. We take electricity for granted but it's moments like this, where we can truly find delight. Being able to switch on a light with the flick of a switch. Being in a warm home once more. Having a hot mug of tea or coffee. Having survived the storm.  Having a roof over our heads.

Once we begin to find delight, we begin to notice it more and more. It doesn't change or diminish the challenging experiences we are going through but bringing 'Delight' into our lives can help to change our perspective, strengthen our resilience and positive mindset. Let me know if you notice a difference!