Positive Wellbeing Education

Our lives at the best of times are non-stop. Our day's are filled with back to back meetings, chores, and places to be. We sometimes clumsily fumble through tasks just to finish them, and have conversations with others that lack meaning and substance. In amongst all of the chaos, we fleet in and out of active conscious thinking for a very small portion of our day, and spend most of our time in our sub-conscious mind that drives our habitual, auto-pilot approach to our daily activities.
So where in all of this does one have time to really truly listen to absolutely everything that is said to them from everyone that crosses their path?

The problem that many of us struggle with, is that we will only often hear what people say to us. We don't actually listen. It is here, in this space, that true lines of communication are tangled or lost.

Listening for the most part of it, is what I like to refer to as an art form. It requires one to be consciously and actively engaged in the not…

Creativity. Bravery. Persistence. Teamwork. These, amongst 20 other character strengths, and 6 virtues are what we as intricately designed human beings innately have weaved into ur DNA.
It's sometimes really quite difficult to recognise and acknowledge that as individuals, we possess such unbelievably wonderful character strengths, and ultimately, collectively come together to form a society that could make such a positive difference in the world.
If only we could consciously understand what our strengths are, and how we can put them to good use in our day to day activities. This could then become cemented in to our sub-conscious belief system forming a basis to infiltrate our habits.
Oh....but wait... We can! This is where it all gets very exciting!
I've always believed and preached that knowledge is power. When we are educated, then truly amazing things happen. We grow and flourish in many areas of our life. And we enable ourselves to expand our conscious awareness of who w…

I don't know about you.....but I am not going to shy away from the fact that I am feeling pretty pooped these days. Juggling family, work, and life in general seems far more exhausting that it's ever been. Daily life as we know now it is unfamiliar territory. We are navigating through each day with minimal sleep, and copious amounts of caffeine. We are playing the role of parents, housekeepers, careers, chef's, and educators all at once. It's only natural to lose your true self in this concoction of role descriptions day in, day out.
When the sun finally sets on each day, I am finding myself taking a moment before I fall asleep to reflect upon what I (as of late,) refer to as the 'chaos of activities' I have more often than not, fumbled my way through. I question, analyse, dissect, and criticise my actions, thoughts, words and mistakes. I focus my thinking on where I dropped the so-called 'ball," and how I could have been better with my approach at do…

The current environment that we are all now living in is something that none of us have ever experienced before. Our houses are now places that we refer to as our homes, our offices, and our classrooms.
Yes....it is strange. And sometimes difficult as well. Learning to navigate our way around this new space to continue being the best person we can be, can be confusing. We juggle who we are, and what we are doing in one single environment multiple times a day. 
Normally, our routine of physically going to school would bring us the recognition and understanding that we are about to become 'students' for the day. It puts us in the headspace of acknowledging the fact we need to focus our attention on studying, listening, and being actively engaged participants in ours classes. On the flip side, leaving school at the end of our day, allows us to strip ourselves of being the conscientious student, to then become our relaxed selves at home. Where we can unwind and be with our family…

Friendships....be them great or not so great, are ever evolving and changing. Over the course of our lives, we experience friendships of many wonders and beauties. They bring us life lessons that we carry with us and learn from as we travel from place to place.

As adults, we have the ability to reflect upon our childhood, and recognise these lessons. But think back to when you were actually in that moment. When you were 10, 11, 12, 13 years of age. How difficult it was it to navigate through those lessons whilst you were experiencing them?

Children, and even teens, need support from the trusted adults in their lives to help them understand how to gain positive lessons from their friendships. And yes, that even means the tough lessons they are going to experience too. Everything we face in life brings with it a lesson to be learnt. And teaching this concept to your child is vital.

So what can you do to help your child navigate through the world of their friendships?

Firstly, keeping t…

All too often, many conversations that we have with each other fall short of being built on meaning, purpose and substance. We engage in conversations that not only fail to draw in the person we are speaking to, but also retain their attention for longer than that of 35 seconds. It's far too easy to blame the busyness of the day, or mayhem of that particular moment. To say that meaningful, heart-felt conversations are that of distance memories, is very much an excuse to falling in to the trap of simply not caring.
As human beings, we a genetically predisposed to want and need interaction with that of another human. The physical contact. The emotionally driven crave for nurture. The verbal communication. It's all part and parcel of evolution and human development. Chemistry plays a massive role as well. When we engage in negative conversations, or those that hold rejection or criticism, we ultimately feel excluded, or marginalised. This therefore results in bringing forth emot…

Is there anything more satisfying than a good old fashioned verbal unleashing to release all the pent up tension you have towards a particular person? You know....all the things you've been suppressing for so long that have now taken its toll, and you just let the flood gates open for a massive rush of yelling and swearing. We've all been at this place, where you're mouth moves faster than what your brain does, and you let fly on all of things that have just grated you for so long. 
This kind of unleashing might seem like a good idea at the time. And the adrenaline rush from releasing the so called 'beast' might feel like a breathe of fresh air in the moment. However, the aftermath of, "Oh no's!" And "Did I honestly say that?" And the possible never-ending flow of, "I'm sorry," is more than likely going to hit you like a tone of bricks when the arguing comes to an end.
Let's face it....there is no escaping opinionated conf…

Anxiety. It's a seven letter word that attaches itself to people, and follows them around like their own shadow on a bright sunny day. For many, it's inescapable. And it's torturous. And unfortunately, it also has a partner in crime. Its name is Fear. These two all consuming, utterly overwhelming attachments can completely over-rule someone's life. It will dictate the how's, when's and where's of every aspect of their day. And it can be absolutely debilitating.
I believe it is extremely important to acknowledge all of the above, and not underestimate the negative impact fear and anxiety can have on a person. I do however also believe, that if those who suffer with fear and anxiety properly develop a thorough understanding, and are educated with the utmost care and nurture about this neurodevelopment disorder, then over time, they can slowly attempt to detach from them. 
Let me explain this concept in a little bit more detail...
We all have labels attached …

The current climate of today's world is very different to what we are all used to. Working remotely and educating from home are situations that many of us have never been faced with. And these times are challenging. The uncertainty of what lies ahead, alongside these new found challenges can raise anxiety and stress in both adults and children.
As we embark on a school term of homeschooling, reset assure that this unfamiliar space that we are all entering into will soon enough start to feel 'normal.' We will find our 'groove,' and learn to adjust to this new way of living.
To help all of us navigate our way through uncharted territory, here are some essential tips to help keep you focused and on track when working or learning from home.
DESIGNATE A SPACE TO WORK FROM: Within your home, find a place and claim it as your 'work space.' It is from here, that you will conduct your daily business for work, or where you will start to progress through your class co…

I think it's safe to say that we have all had our fair share of being on what I like to refer to as 'The Friendship Rollercoaster.' You know, that ride of absolute highs, when everything about your friendship group is utterly amazing. And then that high comes to an end, and it is a massive downward high speed crash towards earth, and the friendship has taken a horrible turn for the worst for whatever reason. 
As children, our BFF is the most important person in the whole wide world. They are the last person we want to fight with, make up upset, or lose entirely. The world of friendships can be a tiresome, and confusing part of some young people lives.
As I look back at my life, I cherish the memories I have with my best friend. She truly was, and still is today, someone a hold very close to my heart. When I think about our time together growing up, it brings me true happiness. We experienced so many wonderful things. From sleep over's, playing basketball in her backya…

"Thank you" is a powerful word. It can completely change the mood of both the person saying it, and the person it is being said to. 
Gratitude has become a widely explored topic in recent times. The scientific research that is being published from universities conducting such experiments from all over the world is amazing. The wonderful journey that researching the topic of gratitude has personally taken me on, has been needless to say, quite profound.
I have slowly come to the understanding that gratitude is very much, multi-faceted. The research demonstrating the efficacy of either expressing, or receiving acts or words of gratitude can have incredible impact on a person. It also suggests that gratitude could quite possibly be associated with many benefits for individuals, including better physical and psychological health, increased happiness and life satisfaction, more positive and lasting relationships, the desire for materialistic possessions, and much more. 
Neurolog…

Cultivating calm during this current climate seems like one of the hardest things any of us could possibly do right now. We're working from home. Educating from home. Exercising at home. And doing everything else in between! It's difficult to find one's inner sense of peace, when our day to day lives are bombarded with updates and breaking news. Yes, it's one thing to stay in the loop. But it's also another thing when your state of calm is compromised.
In one of my recent post's - 'Your Inner Child',' I wrote about getting back in touch with your roots. Finding your inner child, and thinking about the things that make you smile. That make you happy. That make your heart sing. To use this knowledge and understanding as our platform for today's chat, I'd like to raise the following question with you - How do you cultivate calm?
Firstly, let's take this one step back. Let's define what the word calm actually means. Straight from the Ox…

Homeschooling for some of us can be a very daunting thought. As we embark on the real possibility that many parents across the globe will need to embrace the fact that they will soon become their child's teacher in their own classroom, I thought it would be negligent of me to not offer some safe, nurturing advice.
Know, that these are basic starting points. Should you need any further advice or support, please reach out via email.






#StayFocused

If you're anything like me, you had your whole life pretty much planned out by the ripe old age of about 14. You knew exactly who you were going to marry. When and where you were going to marry them. How many kids you were going to have. And what job were you were going to succeed in because you knew at that age you could do absolutely anything and everything you put your mind to. Life, through the eye's of my 14 year old self....was perfect.
Boy how I wish I could turn back time and give my 14 year old self a big pep talk!
As a grown woman, now at the age of 37, I have an undeniable love and appreciation for the truly innocent minds of our young people. I cherish the moments offered to me when I can observe the wonderful art of play, and honest conversations. Where creativity is endless, and imagination is free to soar.
Like yourself, I was obviously blissfully unaware of the road that lay ahead of me at 14. I never knew that I would have to overcome one of the greatest sadn…