So often we hear friends saying ‘I’m stressed’ when actually they are maybe just running late as their time management is poor which in turn has led to them being stressed. Maybe they have just not had enough sleep so feeling agitated becomes second nature.

We are all guilty of not looking after our well being and simple changes to how we live can empower us to feel better and react better.

Taking regular exercise and eating healthily enable us to feel better about ourselves, avoid feeling sluggish and give us energy to not only do more but to cope better.

My tip for the day is to also try to think and react using our intellect rather than our emotions and take up something which helps us relax like Yoga.

And…breathe!

Keep positive, keep healthy and fit and keep going…life is good!

As with any illness and indeed charities awareness is as important as the fundraising to fund treatment and research.

Having lost my own Gran and a wonderful Aunt, and had one or two scares myself I know how vital it is to know our own bodies and not to delay getting things checked out.

However, as I like to remind my female friends who live in fear of breast cancer, (especially when they have found something) that we are indeed more likely to have a stroke than have breast cancer according to some statistics. If problems are detected early there are positive outcomes and not all lumps are cancerous.

The best we can do is keep healthy, examine our breasts regularly and not miss any check-up appointments. If invited for a mammogram make sure you attend.

There are so many retailers supporting breast awareness so treat yourself to a tee shirt or something in support.

I will always do my bit to support awareness and let’s face it ladies information is indeed power.

I have loved being a mature student and have also been helping fellow distant learners/students with encouragement and offering my writing, editing and proofreading skills. I highly recommend having a study buddy as it is indeed lonely out on the studying shelf!

If you feel you would benefit from my help please contact me via the usual media sources or my website http://www.anniemanning.com to discuss your requirements.

I also recognised the value of seeking  assistance myself leading up to exam time and employed the services of Lorna Chiverton Hunt at http://www.thepsychologytutor.co.uk  Lorna helped me focus my own energies and to believe a distinction was indeed worth aiming for and achieving. She was right of course!

It is never too late to learn new skills or take up a subject for self-development. I have found studying various counselling techniques have helped me in many areas of my personal and professional life. Huge thank you to my various tutors at the BSY Group for their support over the past two years.

I have read some amazing books which inspire and expand one’s knowledge and challenge our beliefs and improve our attitudes.

Thank you to those family members and friends who helped make a surprise trip home possible for my daughter and kept the secret from me and for her Dad for paying the fares home. First time ever I was seen to be lost for words.

In just a month I was amazed how grown up she had become. So to all those parents worrying about their children settling in the first few months try not to worry they really are more capable than we realise.

We had a lovely time catching up, retail therapy and lunch out. I now have some great tips for hangovers (drink coconut water before drinking) and where to buy the cheapest soft toilet paper and porridge (the pound shop)!

We now both feel better after a few huggles (cuddles and hugs). I know my daughter reads my blog so thank you darling for taking the train adventure to see your mum!

Maisey our cat could hardly contain her excitement, pussy footing, purring and dribbling…who needs a dog?

Regular followers will know me for being a great ambassador of all things holistic, like yoga and mindfulness. As well as looking after our well being ladies, we must look after our body too specifically our skin. Especially menopausal madams eh?

I have really looked after my facial skin since a teenager and proud to say I don’t look my age. Partly due to my good genes and latter years the daily care has included eye cream and serum products too.

As busy women we perhaps don’t spend enough time on us and the body may only occasionally get treated to some lotion and maybe when it is on show or in the summer.

For girls of a certain age that have noticed that their skin has become dryer I have discovered the perfect product. Garnier Oil beauty, oil-infused restoring lotion and it really does hydrate the skin leaving it feeling replenished. Added bonus being it does not leave the skin feeling greasy so for busy girls on the run clothes can go on straight away.

I now have my family and friends using it too and should be on commission… Mr Garnier are you listening?

We all spend so much time tending the needs of others but we are important too! So this weekend relax, read a book, pamper that skin…a glass of Presecco is of course optional but highly recommended!

Remember body lotion is for life not just holidays.

I have heard and read many similar statements about the still for some somewhat taboo subject of bereavement.

As with many issues that we find difficult to overcome we under estimate how grief affects men. Men in general dare I say do not always have the benefit of being able to share and discuss matters of the heart or areas of their life that can well be causing them to feel depressed.

We must also remember this is the same with young men who may all not have the benefit of supportive parents, or ones that they feel comfortable discussing what troubles them.

At a meeting earlier today a colleague and I were discussing how teenage boys when asked are quite likely to say ‘I’m fine..don’t fuss’.

Keep an eye on all those that are bereft it is often more of a case of what they are not saying but are feeling, hiding and sadly possibly suffering in silence.

Grief does demand  an answer ..but if we forget to open up the line of communication we may not get the opportunity to help somebody who is struggling to make sense of their loss.

The talking cure.

Morning fellow bloggers and followers,

Have you noticed on catch up tv before being able to access certain drama productions we are asked:-

‘Are you 16 and over?’ 

As another birthday has passed I know the answer ‘yes I am over’. My life however is not.

I consider myself extremely lucky that lot of my own positiveness came from my beautiful mentor and mother. As a child aside of her wonderful teachings I have fond memories of her being in the kitchen cooking or maybe when ironing singing along to some of the musical greats.

We shared so much not least of all a love of Frank Sinatra and this morning I remembered the words so clearly to ‘You make me feel so young’  and ‘Young at heart’ and how they ring true.

‘Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you, if you’re young at heart’

Young of heart being the secret to staying happy and young for sure, which resonates with me. Sadly the body is not so young and I pray that my heart and mind doesn’t ‘play catch up with this older version ever!!’

As I write my blog this morning and listen to Frank and remember the amazing woman no longer here but still with us, I find it hard to believe fourteen years have passed since Dorothy (our mum) died. Rarely a day goes by when I don’t recall something wise she tried to instill in us.

Ending on a positive note every time I see one of my nieces or nephews and indeed my own daughter I think how proud she would be of them all and the amazing young men and woman they have all become…under her watchful eye.

What a woman.

Few months back I posted positive review of attending a talk given by the great super vet Noel Fitzpatrick. I also recorded a quote of his:-

‘People don’t care what you know until they know that you care’

This has become a bit of a mantra now within my immediate circle of holistic friends and study buddies and re-quoted to me only yesterday during a meeting.

It is so easy to give lip service but to genuinely care about what we do and say takes up much more energy and dedication. Sadly many people that are in the caring professions get consumed by what they do and their family and personal lives suffer in time.

Here’s to all those people that care and make their life’s work to care and support others, whether it be as ministers and/or counsellors or indeed vets.

To have an open heart is a good thing so is to be generous in spirit.

When you know you know… In life our journey will lead us along many paths where we will meet interesting people with great karma. The age of the person has absolutely nothing to do with the gut feeling we may have about them.

There are those that we meet with what I describe as ‘old souls’ and they have a quiet confidence about them and they are measured in what they say and do.

The youth are so often are criticized  by their attitude and lack of respect for their elders but I know one young man that proves this isn’t the case every time. He is focused, determined and brilliant at what he does without the slightest sign of arrogance so often found in young men in their developing years.

I know the mother of said ‘old soul’ reads my blog sometimes… if you are today then be proud he is an amazing young man with not only great karma but a great future ahead whatever choices he makes. I am so pleased he has come into our lives a breath of fresh air.

As parents we just want our children to be happy and be the best they can be for themselves which brings us satisfaction and of course great joy.

Parenting the hardest job, no instructions but plenty of rewards. Like a game of Rugby; we watch from the side, see them hurt, get up and get on with the game of life and share in their victories.

Best job ever!

Still reminding all my bloggers communication is the key to success.

We marketeers are the worlds’s worst at updating our own website.

A rainy day like today is perfect for that business housecleaning.