ONE LIFE BLOG

It's the small things....
Helen Duyvestyn Helen Duyvestyn

It's the small things....

One of my very favourite cartoons is this one from Michael Leunig. It encapsulates how life sometimes feels - and how - when things are very tough - it is the small things that get you through.

We are constantly challenged - on a daily basis - to rise above what we might consider our primitive response, to engage our brain, to make decisions no matter how minute on a moment to moment basis. We tackle traffic, a rude fellow human, a washing machine that breaks down mid-cycle, a phone call from a distressed friend and then we have to cope with the bigger things in life, death of a loved one, loss of a pet, dissolution of a relationship.

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How to love everything you do
Helen Duyvestyn Helen Duyvestyn

How to love everything you do

I've developed a simple rule over the past couple of years. It seems somewhat self indulgent. And I wondered for a while if it was.  But it seems to work incredibly well. So much so that I almost think that it is not possible for things to be this simple or this easy.

Quite simply; stop doing the things you don't love.

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Remember to Breathe
Health and Well-being Helen Duyvestyn Health and Well-being Helen Duyvestyn

Remember to Breathe

We've all experienced those moments. The ground moves beneath us, what we though was stable is not. As a friend hashtagged the other day #whathappenedtothecertaintiesoflife ! And it is a bit like that. We feel groundless.

Pema Chodron, Buddisht nun, teacher (and in my eyes a goddess) tells us to make friends with the groundlessness to sink into it. To breathe it all in.

If you've ever been in such a position - it is easier said than done. Some  events literally take our breathe away, as if we have been punched in the solar plexus. Our initial urge is to stop breathing, to tense, to get ready for the fight or the fligh

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Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda..... The truth about choice
A Life Worth Living, Mind Food Helen Duyvestyn A Life Worth Living, Mind Food Helen Duyvestyn

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda..... The truth about choice

Ever get stuck on the word 'should'?

You know - I should do some exercise. I should phone my friend. I should eat some spinach.

And then the word 'must'... I must sort out my filing, I must pay attention. I must pay the bill.

The definition (according to the online dictionary) of the word 'should':

used to indicate duty, propriety, or expediency.
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Five Ways to Well-being
Mind Food Helen Duyvestyn Mind Food Helen Duyvestyn

Five Ways to Well-being

We now have the research to back up what we think and believe promotes well-being. The concepts are simple and nothing is mentioned at all about owning stuff or watching tele :-)

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