How did you handle the outage?

I have to admit I had a little moment when I realised that Whatsapp was down yesterday. I use it for all my contacts. It is so useful for my group exercise classes and to keep in touch with family and friends. Once I knew the internet was ok and I could run my classes on zoom I breathed a sigh of relief.  I am relatively new to Instagram and a non-frequent user of Facebook (working on that!) so it did not worry me too much. However, I understand how it must have affected frequent users and lovers of social media. I am developing my business account on Instagram and still very much a beginner. Thank you to Felicity McCarthy (Leavy) for her mentorship and getting me up and running in this space.  I still have a lot to learn!!
Once I accepted that those modes of communication were not available last night, I put my phone down and relaxed into my evening. I actually read Sundays papers and managed to read a few lines of a book. That was a real treat. I began to ask myself ‘Am I am addicted to my phone? Don’t get me wrong, all these modes of communication are fantastic for business and for maintaining connections but how difficult do we find it to pull ourselves away from them?
How did you react when the outage occurred? Do you normally spend your evenings scrolling? Do you take your phone to bed ? Why not learn from this episode and test your relationship with your phone.
Decide on a time and put the phone away. Occupy yourself with something you enjoy doing be it reading, cooking or listening to music. Maybe try a walk without the phone. Give it a go for even 30 minutes and see how it sits with you. Recognise how easy or difficult it is. If it is difficult maybe take that on board and build a habit where you separate yourself from your phone for a time every evening.
#takecontrol#Rest&Relax#Sleepwell#fabtrition

And Breath

Are you getting that feeling of change? …summer drawing to a close, schools are back, transitioning to back to the office. A feeling of busyness, to-do lists, planning and perhaps a little on edge, a little anxious.
One word. BREATH – We probably don’t think about it much. It’s always there in the background. We breathe unconsciously but taking the trouble to direct our conscious focus towards breathing can have profound effects. BREATHE – It is free, it takes a couple of minutes and it is available 24/7. It will help you re-set, sharpen your thoughts, calm your nervous system and reduce feelings of stress. It will invite a more positive and balanced outlook.
Try it.
I would encourage you to start your day with it.  Take 2 minutes – at the side of the bed before you begin your day or maybe stand outside in the fresh air and focus on your breath. There are many ways we can do this but I use the simple 3-4-5 method. Only because it is easy to remember! Breathe in for a count of 3 seconds, hold for a count of 4 and breathe out for a count of 5. Repeat as many times as you have time for. Even one round of breathing settles the mind. Develop this habit by doing it every day you wake up. Repeating this for a few weeks will develop the habit so it becomes part of your day naturally without having to think about it. It can also be impactful if you feel in anyway stressed. Stop, Breath and Reset. It helps you to concentrate on the situation at hand, improves your coping mechanism and allows you to think coherently. I also find it useful at night-time. If I am having trouble sleeping with thoughts shooting around in my head, I employ this breathing mechanism and it works. I nod off after a few repetitions.
Just try it. Support your body and mind. You deserve it. #lovelife#loveyourself#health#breath#smile#positivity#backinaction