Help evoke your sense of hygge by making your lovely home your cosy nest as the cold weather sets in

I’m the only person I know that prefers the cold weather. I relish dark nights, winter clothes, and cosy evenings in, or sat in country pubs, toasting my feet next to blazing open fires.

And I love snow. A glittering white, diamond-clear and silent world – a winter wonderland of Christmas cheer, skiing holidays and frosty walks, breathing in crisp, clean air. A living snow globe. What could be more uplifting – and romantic!

Everything, according to my cousin, who finds no joy in de-icing the car, mopping the porch twice daily, and waiting for a reluctant dog to empty its bowels in the dark at minus five. She has always preferred “The Lion King” to “Frozen.”

Unswayed, the advent of autumn has still reinvigorated creative energies that the hot weather had drained out of me like a gas bill. It’s also evoked that quintessentially Danish sense of hygge: “a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.” Åh, ja!

So, in addition to more writing, cooking, workouts and reading, I’m slowly turning my airy flat into a snug nest, with soft furnishings, candles, and pyjamas so fluffy they’d stifle a Musk ox. While the cold weather also seems to have refreshed my clarity of thought, and dusted off old plans.

All of which IS making me rather content, and reminded me of an article called “The Value of Happiness” that I wrote exactly five years and eight days ago. It must have been the change of seasons that inspired it.

So why not embrace the autumn, get the dog a coat, and give yourself a great big hygge.

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Nature’s sweet healer: honey is sweeter than sugar, absorbed more quickly, contains vitamins, minerals and enzymes, and has been used therapeutically for centuries

Sweetness became synonymous with treats and immediate energy, and as a sport-mad child I looked forward to them, though the net result of hyperactivity sent anyone in my near vicinity racing for the hills. (I’m still cautious about eating sweet snacks while broadcasting, as my speech pattern can swiftly turn into the cartoon network with an impromptu chocolate bar).

When I was 15, to balance my yo-yoing moods and energy requirements with a healthier alternative, my grandmother suggested eating honey instead. Initially unconvinced by the crystallised jar, sticky texture and slower effect, I reluctantly persisted with it to keep my grandmother happy. But the net result of feeling calmer, focused and healthy again was worth it.

Refined sugar, or sucrose, is the most widely used form of energy-giving carbohydrate. But consuming excess amounts can lead to tooth decay, obesity, stress, fatigue, high cholesterol levels, hypoglycaemia and diabetes. While a high-sugar diet can also reduce the consumption of foods that contain essential vitamins and minerals, a situation known as nutrient displacement.

Some reports claim that, in 1957, American doctor William Coda Martin classified refined sugar as a “poison” because it’s been depleted of its life forces, vitamins and minerals, leaving only “empty calories.”

The argument is that, without the essential vitamins and minerals that were supplied by the plant, our bodies are unable to properly digest these calories. So to metabolise it, our bodies draw upon their own stores of essentials, depleting itself, and creating imbalances and harmful by-products in our system. Thought-provoking stuff.

In contrast, raw untreated honey is sweeter than sugar and absorbed more quickly. It also contains low levels of B vitamins and some minerals and enzymes, and nutritionists claim it doesn’t upset the mineral balance like refined sugar does.

Nature’s sweet protection: scientists believe eating local honey can help prevent allergies in the local population

The colour and flavour vary according to the origin of its flowers and nectar. The sweetness is a combination of simple sugars: glucose, fructose, maltose and sucrose. Paler-coloured set honey is produced in early spring, when the ratio of glucose to fructose is high. While in the summer, the fructose level increases and this makes the honey more runny and golden.

Honey has also been used therapeutically for centuries, traditionally to treat sore throats and coughs, stomach ulcers, canker sores of the mouth and lips, high blood pressure and constipation. It also has a calming effect, and can be applied externally to wounds and burns.

According to scientist and beekeeper Dr. Mark Fife*, eating local honey can also help prevent allergies in the local population.

As honeybees collect pollen for their baby bees, small amounts of it will end up in their honey. As these allergens are then delivered to people in small, manageable doses, the effect over time is similar to having a series of allergy desensitisation injections.

Dr. Fife suggests the most beneficial effects are felt after eating two teaspoons a day of local honey for several months prior to the pollen season.

He’s also concerned at the decreasing number of bees. This is a major issue because, of the 100 crop species that provide 90 per cent of the world’s food, over 70 are pollinated by bees. The earth’s population needs to cherish its little apian life-givers before food supplies, including honey, become scarce and prices rise.

It also takes a lot of bees to make honey. In their lifetime, one bee will make only 0.8 grammes. It also takes one million flowers to make a jar of honey, and the bees will have to travel 55,000 miles to get it. That’s the equivalent of walking around the UK five times. Not for nothing is the sleepless bee called “busy.”

So one solution to widespread health, environmental and economic issues seems simple: cut out sugar, eat local honey, and protect our bees.

*Dr. Mark Fife lives in Wiltshire and has 12 hives producing his own delicious “Henge Honey,” which you don’t have to be local to appreciate! https://www.hengehoney.com

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The lockdown Bellini: a little of what you fancy does you good. Just a little…

Writing an anti-ageing blog isn’t all about lauding seclusion in a Heligoland cloister, scout’s pace at dawn and eating rusks. A little of what you fancy does do you good – and that which makes you happy keeps you young. As ever, the key is moderation.

I’ve developed the “one in one out” rule when it comes to alcohol (and caffeine): for every drink I take, I also have a glass of water. I stay satiated, solvent and sober, and my complexion thanks me the next day.

It also means I savour my drinks. One of my favourites is the Bellini served at the beautiful Baur au Lac bar in Zurich. Peachy perfection.

We may be under lockdown but we still have supermarkets, tastebuds and virtual nights out. So, in the spirit of moderation meets imagination, here is the Lockdown Bellini, a recipe inspired by the signature cocktail at Baur’s Bar.

You need only a bottle of Prosecco and a tin of peaches in syrup (another type of tinned fruit would do but it wouldn’t be a Bellini). Put the bottle and the tin in the fridge along with two champagne coupes – for the full effect – or wine glasses. This keeps everything as cold as possible without adding ice and diluting the Bellini!

When cold, liquidise the peaches in their syrup, adding a little Prosecco to make the mixture more fluid (it should be the consistency of a thick juice not a puree). Take out the cold champagne glasses. Fill 2/3 of the glasses with Prosecco (it’s important to add this first so the mixture doesn’t froth too much) then fill up the final third with the liquidised peaches.

Then take your drinks, sit back, and imagine you are back in your favourite cocktail bar. Cheers! (NB don’t forget your glass of water…)

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Reinforcing our defences: the classic healthy advice of regular exercise, relaxation, nutrition and sleep all help maintain the immune system

My brother’s a mechanic and compares the human body to a car: “If you put bad fuel in it, never put oil in it, never service it, never clean it, and run it constantly at 100 mph in third gear, you quickly wreck it.” Of course, he’s right. But thankfully some lifestyle changes can reinforce your body’s defences in this battle.

The immune system protects the body against disease and infection, and helps it recover after injuries. It’s powered by five litres of blood and a clear liquid called lymph that pass through the body, carrying elements like white blood cells that produce antibodies to fight foreign substances. Fever and inflammation are signs that your body is doing its job.

But research shows nature’s defence system can be compromised by some familiar bad habits: smoking; too much alcohol, caffeine, salt, sugar, stress and sunbathing; poor hygiene; and not enough sleep, fibre, green vegetables, exercise – and laughter. On the positive side, you could do yourself a wealth of good by turning these vices into virtues.

Let’s start with booze – and some sobering figures. A report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) claims the average Briton drinks the equivalent of 108 bottles of wine a year – or 427 pints of beer.

Put in context, American health authorities define “binge drinking” as five or more drinks on a single occasion for men and four or more for women. Heavy drinking is 15 or more drinks per week for men and eight for women. So the UK is drinking itself to death, and annihilating its immune system en route.

Please drink responsibly: keeping alcohol consumption to a maximum of one or two drinks a night – yes, that low – is recommended to maintain normal immune response

Plus a fifth of the world’s population smokes. That’s over a billion people, and around 800 million of them men. In the UK, the figure is around 15 per cent of adults: over seven million people, with slightly more men than women. Tobacco smoke suppresses the body’s immune response and destroys antibodies, making it more susceptible to infections and diseases.

Then there’s caffeine. Your daily latte is fine, but too much coffee, tea and fizzy pop, especially late at night, can interfere with your sleep. And without your nightly seven-to-eight hours’ shut-eye, the body produces and releases fewer cytokines – proteins that target infection and inflammation.

Salt is also a culprit. Guidelines recommend a maximum adult daily intake of 2,300 mg – or about a teaspoon. Reading sodium levels on food labels makes you dimly aware that eating some processed and ready-made foods could all-but turn you into Lot’s wife.

Excess sugar also reduces the ability of immune cells to absorb bacteria. The American Heart Association recommends limiting additional sugar – including in food – to under nine teaspoons a day for men and six for women (or 36 and 24 grammes respectively). Around one in 10 Americans have diabetes. In the UK, it’s one in every 16.

If a person is also chronically stressed, hormone changes can affect bodily function over time and increase the risk of health problems. Finding personal methods of relaxation, from deep breathing to deep sea diving, are vital. While sunshine is key for producing vitamin D, but too much can temporarily damage one’s immunity and eventually lead to skin cancer.

As for bad hygiene, the virus has starkly highlighted just how vital it is to cover your face when you cough and sneeze (as well as polite), don’t touch your face, and regularly wash your hands – especially if you’ve been on public transport.

Back to nature: choose fresh wholesome foods instead of processed varieties to help effective functioning of the body’s defences

Then there’s the food we eat – or don’t. Research shows a higher intake of fibre, or roughage, supports a healthy immune system. In the UK, the daily recommended amount is 30 grammes for adults, with the current average at about 18. The nation spends almost £100 million a year on prescription laxatives. The cost of treating constipation in 2017/18 was the equivalent to funding 7,043 newly qualified nurses for a year.

Ditching processed food for whole food can be highly beneficial. Opt for more vegetables, fruit, oatmeal, whole grains, brown or wild rice, pulse pasta, beans, lentils, peas, chickpeas, nuts and seeds.

Specifically we must also eat more green vegetables. These provide key nutrients, including anti-inflammatory antioxidants, vitamins A and C, and folate. Greens also help power immunity in the gut, where 70-80 per cent of immune cells are located. The best green veggies include kale, spinach, broccoli, bok choy, cabbage and Brussels sprouts.

Other foods have long been promoted as immunity boosters. Although there are still relatively few studies of the effects of nutrition on the human immune system, these foods are undeniably full of beneficial vitamins and minerals.

Citrus fruits – such as grapefruit, oranges, tangerines, lemons, limes, clementines and papaya, as well as kiwis and red bell peppers – are high in vitamin C, which is thought to encourage white blood cell production. Aim for 200 milligrammes a day: one medium orange provides 70 mg, a grapefruit almost 90 mg, and a medium red bell pepper 150 mg.

The hot stepper: just one way to exercise while watching TV, listening to music, reading, chatting, childminding…

Vitamin E also plays a key role in immunity, so consider ditching sugary treats and snacking on almonds and sunflower seeds, while for those stuck indoors there’s some vitamin D in natural yoghurt. My favourite snack is half a bowl of yoghurt with a few almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of natural honey.

The sick patients’ classic chicken soup is also high in vitamin B6 that helps produce red blood cells and could lift bad moods. While the beta carotene in carrots and sweet potatoes helps produce white blood cells.

Garlic, ginger, turmeric and pomegranate juice have long been associated with fighting infection and reducing inflammation. Antioxidants such as green tea and dried tart cherries also help keep the immune system ticking along, as does the zinc in shellfish and the selenium in Brazil nuts and sardines.

Aside from what we can eat, there’s also what we can do. Temporary self-isolation doesn’t have to mean endless joyless misery. There’s truth in the saying laughter is the best medicine, so chat to jolly friends and family or watch a comedy.

Laughter releases dopamine and other feel-good chemicals in the brain, all of which can help decrease stress. Twenty minutes of belly laughing a day could keep your immune system in tip-top order.

And, of course, regular exercise is a pillar of healthy living. It improves cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure, helps control body weight, and protects against diseases – always fundamental but especially now. Just as importantly, exercise is a natural and effective treatment for anxiety. By releasing chemicals called endorphins, exercise relieves tension and stress, boosts physical and mental energy, and enhances the sense of well-being.

The NHS website has clear physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64 under the sub-heading “adults should do some type of physical activity every day. Any type of activity is good for you. The more you do the better.” Time to dig out those trainers from the back of the wardrobe.

We are what we eat: the multiple benefits of eating salads could help maintain a healthy immune system

Along with a healthy diet, exercise contributes to general good health and therefore a healthy immune system. It also promotes good circulation, which allows the substances of the immune system to move through the body and work efficiently.

This is essential as we get older, as the immune system’s capability reduces, resulting in more infections and diseases. There also seems to be a link between nutrition and immunity in the elderly, who are prone to “micronutrient malnutrition.” This occurs when a person is deficient in vitamins and minerals from their diet. Older people tend to eat less and often with less variety, and need to take particular care.

So instead of focusing on ‘boosting’ the immune system, perhaps think of your changed lifestyle in these unprecedented times as a time for unprecedented lifestyle change – with the benefits outlasting the outbreak.

We live in extraordinary times, but the guidelines for a healthy life haven’t changed: stop smoking; drink alcohol moderately; eat a diet rich in fruit and vegetables; exercise regularly; maintain a healthy weight; get enough sleep; minimise stress; and wash your hands. Under the global threat of coronavirus, this sage advice could not only save your life but those of many others.

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Finding Happy: turn what you value into actual events to help discover your inner joy

Key to the mental health and wellbeing of the first world is the issue of personal happiness. We are often asked or ask ourselves: what makes me happy?

For some people, the answer is easy: love, or friends and family, good health, money or success, playing a sport, spotting trains or having non-steam-filled fun.

For other people, the answer isn’t easy. If you ask them what they are passionate about, or what gets them springing out of bed in the morning, they don’t know. They wish they did have that inspiring job or all-consuming hobby. Not having either can make people feel lost or depressed.

A recent poll in the UK found only 13 per cent of people love their jobs. No wonder the pubs are packed on Friday.

But, to find their passion, I would take a wise therapist’s advice and suggest changing the question from “what makes you happy?” to “what do you value?”

In other words: what really matters to you?

Focus on the fundamental aspects of what makes you you. You may be tidy, creative, sociable, spiritual or sporty, or like nature, clothes, honesty, magic, learning Mandarin or laughing at gnomes. There are thousands of words and qualities. Make a list of them.

Don’t be concerned about how vague these things seem: wit, style and sunshine might sound like a tampon advert, but qualities and natural elements are all integral parts of our psyche. Without having a framework of values, we wouldn’t get out of bed at all, let alone spring out of it. Unless it was a prison bunk.

After making this list, extrapolate events or pastimes from it. If you wrote “wit” then find a comedy club or enroll on a comedy course. If you wrote “style” then explore areas of fashion or interior design, and if you wrote “sunshine” then book a foreign holiday or hit the park with a book and a bottle of P20. Whatever you like. They are your words and you can interpret them however you wish.

The point is to write down what’s important to you and to frame the words into events. If one of these doesn’t inspire you, try another. Maybe take a friend along. Eventually, something or someone you meet will give you that light bulb moment. And, you never know, out of a passing interest a new career might blossom that makes work a fulfilling vocation rather than a bill-paying chore.

You often hear the advice “think outside the box.” Scrap that. I suggest you open the box marked “me, me, glorious me,” take out a well-honed habit and make it into a happy new hobby. I value plans, so that works for me.

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The average adult needs 7-9 hours’ sleep every night. Are you getting your “eight a day”?

We spend around a third of our lives asleep. Or rather, we should. But from Pope Paul to Marilyn Monroe and Keith Moon, Macbeth to Groucho Marx and Margaret Thatcher, the history of mankind is the history of insomnia. And a recent report for the Royal Society for Public Health says it’s a UK-wide problem.

A survey of 2,000 adults found that the average person loses about an hour’s sleep a night, thus an entire night each week, and a whopping 52 days every year. The average kip is 6.8 hours a night, compared with the 7.7 people feel they need. No wonder we are irritable, have car accidents and drink coffee from cartons the size of pedal bins.

Around half those surveyed said the knock-on effect was feeling stressed and about a third said they ate unhealthy food. Unsurprisingly, parents, commuters, shift workers, party animals and young people are among the most sleep-deprived. Groups that encompass practically everyone I know, of all ages.

In response, the RSPH is calling for a government-led national sleep strategy, routine sleep screening in health care, and guidance on how many hours’ sleep people should be getting.

The suggested “slumber number” increases the younger you are, peaking at 11-14 hours for babies, averaging at 7-9 hours for 18-to-64-year-olds, and then decreasing to 7-8 hours for people aged 65 and above. Which explains why my retired parents often text me at dawn. Bless them.

I think most adults are aware that they should sleep for around eight hours a night. What I think is worth emphasising is just why it is so important.

RSPH chief executive Shirley Cramer sums it up: “Good sleep can cure many of the public’s ills, and lack of it is linked to a string of unhealthy behaviours and some of our leading preventable diseases.” These include obesity, heart disease and diabetes, as well as a shortened life expectancy. It is also a precursor to depression and mental illness. How so?

Sleep on it: proper rest can help ward off weight gain, heart disease, diabetes, depression and mental illness

US scientists think sleep deprivation alters chemicals in the brain, leading to junk food binges that can result in obesity and its consequent ailments. Thus, low sleep can bring on an attack of the “munchies,” similar to the effects of smoking cannabis.

Chemicals for appetite are boosted as well as those that increase the pleasure of eating sweet or salty high-fat foods much more than eating healthy ones. Which finally explains why they ate pilchards and condensed milk at midnight feasts in the boarding school books of my childhood.

The researchers claim that, after several nights’ poor sleep, healthy volunteers in one study chose snacks containing an average 300 extra calories and nearly twice as much fat than ones they preferred after good sleep for the same period.

In a nutshell, a lack of shut-eye can result in hitting the fridge and then the couch, rather than the sack and then the gym. This fridge could also include alcohol, which is not only a dehydrating depressant, it is also loaded with extra calories.

Consider too the cost of all this. In November 2014, a report found that obesity is a greater burden on the UK’s economy than armed violence, war and terrorism, costing the country nearly £47 billion a year. As a preventable condition, imagine what we could all do with that as tax relief. I would go to bed earlier, for a start.

There is no escaping the fact that, to function properly, most people need moreorless eight hours’ good quality sleep. The answer is to find out how much you need and then try to achieve it. Perhaps go to bed at 10 o’clock every night for a week, set your alarm for 6am, and then adjust the time frame to suit you.

Personally, my inner chimp goes ape unless I have 7.5 hours’ sleep. After years of insomnia, irregular work shifts and a breakneck social life, I now retire before midnight and wake with the relative serenity of the Dalai Lama. I am also much more productive.

For other insomniacs, I recommend some exercise after dinner such as a quick run, walk the dog, or pedal an exercise bike while watching some light TV. The chance to empty my mind, let the endorphins flow, feel a sense of achievement and then relax in a hot shower all work for me, but each to their own.

Well, it’s now after 11pm. So I’ll bid you a very good night.

The post The Power of Sleep appeared first on Reverse Time Machine.

The Chimp Paradox: or how I must keep my inner chimp happy

Every now and then, a book will appear that makes you say out loud: “That makes sense.” This time, the sense in question refers to me and the book is Professor Steve Peters’ The Chimp Paradox.

I’d heard of Professor Peters because of his psychiatric work with the Sky Pro Cycling team, Liverpool Football Club, and sport stars such as Sir Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton and Ronnie O’Sullivan.

He specialises in optimising the functioning of the mind, and my mother – who clearly thought I needed it – recommended that I read his book. She’s a nurse in a specialist cancer clinic, and the “monkey book” had apparently had a big impact on some of the consultants.

Yet the joy of The Chimp Paradox lies in its clarity, funny illustrations, and the simplified way it presents neuroscience, making it an informative page-turner rather than a medical brain-bender. It’s also written in bite-sized chapters.

Professor Peters breaks the human experience down into the Psychological Mind and the Psychological Universe. The mind is an ongoing struggle between the rational “human” side of our brain, the emotional “chimp” side of our brain, and the “computer” that records our previous responses as a blueprint for future actions. The universe involves us, and everything within our experience that affects us or influences our thinking.

As the back cover says: “Your inner chimp can be your best friend or your worst enemy…this is the Chimp Paradox.” And the book is a model to help you recognise how your own mind works and to manage your emotions, and so steer you towards the happy, confident, healthy and successful person you want to be.

For me, the “Eureka!” moments came when situations were explained where I had already suspected the cause or solution. For example, I’ve always known that if I don’t sleep properly, my emotions run riot. And the book claims that if you don’t sleep enough, your brain will start sending the blood supply and all decision-making to your chimp – confirming why mine can go completely ape and sabotage everything.

Since then, I have finally had to concede that the only way I can function properly is to get seven-and-a-half hours sleep a night. I’d always thought this was very boring, but it’s extremely effective and I’m far more productive, as well as more of a joy to be around. I’m also much calmer, and the years are starting to come off my formerly furrowed brow.

After reading the book, I understood myself, and my long-suspected trigger points, even better. I have actually acquired more patience, because I manage my chimp more effectively. That said, his enthusiasm, boundless energy and inspiration now work to my advantage (I hope!). Get back in your box, Bubbles.

Professor Steve Peters has made mind management accessible, fun and effective. All his achievements – and those Olympic champions – cannot be wrong.

Prof. Steve Peters, The Chimp Paradox, Vermilion, 2012

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A basket of pairs: socks of all kinds in their own mini drawer

If you’re naturally tidy and organised, you don’t think about it. It’s a bit like someone pointing out that you have a nose, or that you’re right handed. It’s only when you meet someone who is the opposite that you analyse what you’re doing, then explain why and what the benefits are.

I believe it keeps you younger. And here’s why.

The state of your closet or wardrobe often mirrors the state of your life. Many therapists encourage hoarders to throw out useless items, sell off unwanted purchases and find a system that fits their lifestyle and available space. Resolve the material clutter, and then apply that practical approach to dealing with mental and emotional issues.

For me, decluttering, tidiness and organisation serve three functions: beauty, efficiency and freedom, which all add up to peace of mind and so better health. Everyone will have such keystones in their life that are important, but these are mine, and for the following reasons:

1. Fewer possessions mean less wasted money, less housework, fewer emotional ties, and it’s quick to pack or relocate. Consequently, you have more money, time and energy to spend on things that really matter
2. Tidiness means everything has a place, which equals less time wasted looking for stuff, it’s more attractive to live in, and it’s healthier as there are fewer things to attract dust and germs, and air can circulate
3. Organisation is tidiness moulded into systems to make life more efficient, saving time and energy, and so reducing the ageing effects of stress, high blood pressure, indigestion, sleeplessness, illness, and worry lines

On the shelf: baskets, hat boxes and clear shoeboxes help to organise, protect and showcase your things

So, in a nutshell, having a system keeps you younger.

Here’s how I organised the right-hand side of my closet, which is all shelves. Any suggestions on how to make it more efficient would be very much appreciated!

1. The top shelf for sports gear and games, and things I use least often
2. Second shelf for things I use more often plus occasional hats and bags
3. Third shelf for things I use even more often, such as everyday bags
4. Fourth shelf for everyday hats, scarves, gloves and accessories
5. Fifth shelf for underwear, with a basket for each type: socks, tights, etc.
6. Sixth shelf downwards for boots and shoes, in clear shoeboxes

The left-hand side of the closet is for clothes, and it has two rails:

1. The top rail is for short dresses, long skirts, short coats and jackets, in a colour order that runs through the entire spectrum (from black to grey, white, cream, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, blue, green and brown)
2. The bottom rail is for all other clothes, in the same colour order. Within each colour section, there’s a garment order that runs cardigans, jumpers, blouses, shirts, tops, vest tops, short skirts, shorts, trousers
3. Long dresses and long coats are in another long narrow closet
4. I don’t put clothes in chests of drawers so I can always see everything I have and it hangs without fold marks. Personally, I would rather have one large, tall wardrobe with extra shelves that makes full use of a room’s vertical space than several low level chests of drawers that take up more floor space and will need dusting (more housework!). I also have a mirrored wardrobe to make the room look bigger and brighter, as well as to see my reflection

On the rails: two levels of clothes makes the most use of the vertical hanging space

This way, I can always find everything, I can colour coordinate, and I can rotate my clothes, which stops me wearing (and washing) the same five items all the time. It also saves me buying similar things to those I might already have.

When the closet starts to fill up, I check for clothes that I have not worn for a year or are starting to fade and take them to a charity shop. I also always try to hang up my clothes at the end of the day, as it makes the room look better and it makes my clothes last longer.

Does all that sound like hard work? It’s surprisingly easy and efficient, which was the initial point. It’s just a case of finding a system that works for you, your lifestyle and your personal goals, and it soon becomes automatic. No more “now where did I put that?” frown lines. Declutter to stay younger.

It also makes you question what’s important to you, and perhaps this could have a positive affect on other areas of your life.

From little acorns, mighty organised wardrobes grow.

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Shift Happens! An inspiring, entertaining and enlightening read that also made me laugh. A tonic for the soul

Years back, I was set for a career in lecturing and digging up ancient Rome. That went on hold for sports journalism, and then also personal training. So I went from a reader to a runner. The longer the runs, the shorter the books became. Sports websites have now almost replaced Caesar. Sorry, Jules.

However, I’ll become temporarily sofa-bound for a gripping book, and this week I found one, sitting on my own shelf.

A relative gave me a copy of “Shift Happens!” last summer and it remained a colourful ornament until a few days off work and an urge to find a few answers to life led me to pick it up. I didn’t put it down until I had read it. My plans evaporated, but never has a distraction been so productive.

Aside from the tongue-in-cheek title, any psychologist who says: “think less, live more,” forget self-improvement, make time to laugh, and who writes pithy four-page essays is always going to win with me.

That sounds flippant but far from it. Dr. Robert Holden’s book is inspiring, entertaining and enlightening. It shows how simple it can be to “shift” all the stuff that holds you back and start being happy.

There are countless anecdotes and nuggets of advice I could repeat to explain his thinking but two quick examples spring to mind. “Fear” can be the acronym “fantasy envisaged as real” and the phrase OPPORTUNITYISNOWHERE. Do you read: “opportunity is nowhere” or “opportunity is now here”? I confess I was the former.

Aside from this, the book has a powerful way of addressing every one of our imagined failings and those of the people around us. There is even a story about how “some of the best gifts come badly wrapped” as he avoided opening a tax rebate envelope for a month, thinking it was a tax bill. Bizarrely, after reading the book, a similar thing happened to me.

I won’t betray any more revelations about this guide to personal alchemy, only suggest that you read it with an open mind. You never know. And, deep down, don’t we all want to be happy?

The post Shift Happens: A Little Enlightening Reading appeared first on Reverse Time Machine.

An estimated one in four people in the UK suffer from mental health problems in any one year.

If a physical illness were to produce such a statistic, it would be considered an epidemic and spark immediate action from the government, health authorities and drug companies, as well as a nationwide campaign of public awareness.

The fact that mental illnesses are often more difficult to diagnose, predict and treat, as well as still carrying the stigma of malingering or being weak willed, only add to the problem for the sufferers, their families and health practitioners.

In writing this blog, I have found that simple sets of rules people can remember and live by are often of big benefit to all-round health. So I stopped to see if the article in the poster had a few guidelines to help mental well being. Happily, it did.

Next to the sign was a young man from a spiritual group, handing out a pamphlet that contained a nine-point action plan. It was extremely practical and could apply to anyone, regardless of their beliefs:

1. Follow the treatment prescribed by qualified mental health professionals
2. Maintain a balanced and stable daily routine
3. Stay physically active
4. Get enough sleep
5. Take time each day to relax
6. Eat a nutritious and balanced diet
7. Limit alcohol consumption and drugs that are not prescribed for you
8. Avoid isolation; spend time with people whom you trust and who care for you
9. Give attention to your spiritual needs

Apart from point 1, this could be a wellbeing plan from a doctor, nutritionist, personal trainer or life coach. Only the first point focuses on treating a mental problem; the rest concentrate on the whole person, as the mind affects the body and vice versa. The approach is holistic and common sense.

Therefore, if someone you know is experiencing any symptoms of mental illness, encourage them to go to the doctor, just as you would if they were physically ill. The mental and physical aspects could well be affecting each other.

By seeking help, the negative pattern could be broken and either the patient recovers or finds a treatment and lifestyle balance that benefits them, and everyone around them.

Personally, I find peace of mind through point 2 – having a routine: living by a diary or planner, or working out a weekly schedule, that ensures all the nine points are covered and then sticking to it until it becomes a way of life.

This helps me focus, relax, and make the best use of my time. There are few more satisfying things than going to bed at night feeling that you have done something useful, enjoyable or both.

Spending a few minutes each day organising the next might seem a bit boring. But it is a quick and simple practice that might be the difference between mental illness and emotional harmony.

Remember the nine points: treatment; routine; activity; sleep; relaxation; nutrition; cut drink and drugs; socialise with positive people; and spiritual boosts. Let’s add a tenth: asking for help is the first step in getting better.

I was going to finish this there. However, after sending this piece to a friend, I thought his comments were worth adding. I’m naturally a “glass half-full” person, full of energy, and believe every problem has a solution. But other people approach life differently, as my friend’s response reveals:

“I can’t argue with any of that. It’s just that things start to unravel when life gets chaotic, often for reasons beyond our control.

I do most of those things on the list but pressure often builds which diminishes our power to stay on the right path. The 10 points are a decent coping strategy but don’t underestimate the power of events and simple bad luck to bring us down.

People struggle with weight, sleep, confrontation, the ability to deal with people who make unreasonable demands, financial worries, other health needs, sexual problems, work stress – you name it.

Life becomes a plate-spinning act and you can soon end up with smashed crockery all over the place. The old straw that breaks the camel’s back. Modern life can crush the strongest of beasts.

Find the things you enjoy and never forget them. Indulge your passions and hobbies. Even if it’s something others would think mundane.

Avoid the news. Too much misery out there.

Grow stuff. Feed the birds. Take photos. Walk more, look at your surroundings, really look. Eat fruit, nuts. Drink plenty of water. Don’t beat yourself up. Avoid people who suck the life out of you. Smell the roses.

I’d add ‘laugh’ to the list. Yes, smile and laugh, every day. Even through the darkness.”

I can’t argue with any of that either. In our own ways, I think we’re both trying to say the same thing.

Outside Help

If you need someone to talk to, other than family, friends or your doctor, the following numbers might be helpful.

Rethink Mental Illness has more than 200 mental health services and 150 support groups across England. Their number is 0300 5000 927 (Monday to Friday, 10:00-14:00)

The Samaritans provide emotional support, 24 hours a day, for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair. Their number is 08457 90 90 90

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