I recently gave myself a little Instagram challenge - “100 ways in 100 days of Self-Care”. I set myself the task of really getting into ‘What is Self-Care?’ Because self-care is often thought of a bubble-bath, a massage or a date night - fantastic short term relaxation or time out.

However, sometimes self-care is a big plate of vegetables and a good hard walk.

The challenge in our life is

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW). Although we may not suffer from mental illness directly - we all have days and times in our life where we are in excellent mental health and well-being and times that - well - we are not. Mental health is on a continuum - at the one side there is mental illness - and at the other side - mental well-being. There is an awful lot of goings on in between.

Sometimes the ‘not so good’ end of the scale can last for a significant amount of time. And although we may not be officially diagnosed as being depressed or anxious - we can get into a bit of a rut - and struggle to find our way out. This may be due to

Top dietary tips for your best health and well-being

This is a subject I feel quite passionate about - and I wondered whether it fitted into my business concepts or not. Then I realised that 1) I don't care if it does or doesn't and 2) I think it does.

You see, I don't think you can care about your body, mind and soul without taking notice of what is going on in your environment.

Whether recovering from period of mental or physical illness - the basic recommendations are the same. Here are some top tips to help recovery and support wellness.

This was written by me but originally published at: https://www.bepure.co.nz/blogs/news/mind-reset-for-reaching-your-health-goals.This was written to support individuals who wish make changes in their diet in order to improve their health and well-being.

Recently I saw a client who was having nightmares. They were a reflection of an event that happened in her past as a child. A recent event had the memories rise to the surface, resulting in reoccurring nightmares.

I gave her one of my favourite tips for dealing with them.

A few weeks later she returned.

'How are the nightmares?' I asked.

'Gone' she said. 'Thanks to a flying pineapple'.

According to the Mental Health Foundation, “one in six New Zealand adults have been diagnosed with a common mental disorder at some time in their lives (including depression, bipolar disorder and/or anxiety disorder)”. (1) The percentage of 15 to 24-year-olds in New Zealand struggling with what is considered high or very high psychological distress has been steadily increasing, affecting five per cent of this population five years ago, 8.8 per cent in 2015/2016 and 11.8 per cent in 2017. (2) This trend is expected to continue, according to the World Health Organization, with “depression set to become the second leading cause of disability in the world by 2020”. (3) The rates of suicide in New Zealand are also continuously increasing, with 668 for 2017/2018, the highest number recorded since 2007/2008. (4)

As a nurse who

I bumped into someone recently who for health reasons had to stop working (temporarily). Money is not too big an issue (husband works full time) and the health problem isn't so serious. I asked her how she was enjoying not working. She replied 'I don't like it, I'm struggling to feel that I have a purpose in life' :0

I was a little surprised. And then I realised….