October Letter from the Editor

Well we are certainly in autumn now! Changes abound - which tier and which restrictions - it can be hard to keep up. Head on over to Caroline's page for tips to deal with change. Caroline has plenty of inspired tips on her web page and Instagram account - check her out. Which tip will you incorporate into your life first? 

On a separate note, a first for me was finding out that 18th October marked World Menopause Day! We are very fortunate to have women's health coach Pamela Windle write a blog for us this month. Head over to Feature of the Month for more details...

​More from me below...

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Decisions, decisions.
 
What is the first decision of the day that you make? What to wear? What to do first? If you’re a planner like me, you’ll be ruminating about the order in which to do things; prioritising; scheduling; ticking off; clock watching.
 
Where do you go for help when you have a big decision to make like a life changing one or one that will have a major influence on someone’s life? The ancients used oracles whether that be cards, turtle shells, sticks, cowrie shells or coins. Some of you may still use these or you may go to trusted ones for guidance. When we make a decision, it’s not unusual for us to then almost second guess ourselves and wonder, did I make the right choice?
 
Maybe we need to consider where the decision came from and what influenced it. Influence. A word for this decade – there are so many ‘influencers’ out there now and we are bombarded with advertising, social media and marketing campaigns. We make a purchase based on who has been using that product and how much they have raved about it. Or how popular it is. Some influences are subtle and we don’t even know we have been influenced – a bit like a Jedi mind trick.
 
If we want to go deeper, we could explore early influences way back to childhood. The influences of our early emotions and reactions. Some of the decisions we made in our younger years and reactions to events may have served us at that time and may have indeed been protective. But they may not serve us now. Some people talk about repeating patterns of behaviours and that they just can’t break them. Well, we need to be aware of them first. If we don’t know they are there, how can we change them?
 
Let’s take stress for example; many people are familiar with the freeze, flight or fight concept and the increase of the hormone cortisol in a stressful situation. Yes that might have been useful when our life was in physical danger and we needed our heart to beat faster and work harder, but it’s not too often we are in that same kind of physical danger now so those stress hormones are running rife around our body and making us ill because we’re not running for our lives – we’re often just sitting at a desk. Times have changed and our choices and reactions need to change alongside that.
 
As a child, you might have grown up in an environment where it was safer for you to stay quiet all the time, to anticipate the needs and moods of those around you. This may result in you being a people pleaser, and always putting your needs before others, never speaking your mind. It may seem unselfish and polite but is it healthy for you now? It might have kept you safe then but is it in your best interests at this stage in your life?
 
Autumn is a time when the leaves change and fall. They decay and become part of the cycle of rebirth. It’s a good time to pause and reflect. Slow down and take time to cultivate awareness.
 
Is it really you in the here and now making the decisions or is it the you of the past? Or is it someone else? Are you holding back from making a decision for fear of the outcome? This can range from choosing a starter at a meal (fear you won’t like it or you may get food envy from the what your dining partner has chosen) to applying for a new job (what if I don’t get it or worse they don’t want me or what if I don’t like it). We don’t always have time to whip out a notebook and write a list of pros and cons. Next time you are faced with a decision, stop for a moment and breathe. Consider what may be influencing you. Who is making the decision?
 
 

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