Wellbeing Wednesday #4

Bitesized options for brightening up your hump day

Inspire

“Take rest. A field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.”

— Ovid

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Hi, I’m Holly - coach, mindfulness facilitator and writer of the Zestful Zen Wellbeing Wednesday newsletter. 💖 I hope you’ll find these resource round-ups a helpful self-care support and an opportunity to pause as we hit “hump day” each week. 🐪

Disclosure: To support my solopreneurship dreams, this post may contain affiliate links, where I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. I only share items I genuinely believe you’ll enjoy.

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Look

A sleeping sloth in Costa Rica. Photo by author, Holly Bailie

If you need to slow down and take a moment to be present and calm: then pause to admire the serenity of this adorable sleeping sloth. Resting, and just being as the world carries on around him/her.

I apologise for the photo quality, but I took this on my phone through a telescope (we didn’t want to disturb the sloths by getting too close!)

Life has been a bit hectic for me recently, and I thought his/her peaceful slumber was a good reminder to me that I don’t always have to be hurrying.

Listen

Pop in your ear buds and listen to Janelle Hardacre’s voiceover of her Substack article, Fleeting connection with a stranger. It’s an engaging reflection on a momentary interaction with a stranger, and imaginings of what could have been.

Watch

Check out this TED talk: The surprising science of happiness. It’s an oldie but a goodie.

Harvard psychology professor Daniel Gilbert takes us on a humorous exploration of the synthesis of happiness. Through his research he demonstrates that when we don’t get what we want, our brains create happiness for us instead.

If you’d like to dive a bit deeper, grab a copy of his book Stumbling on Happiness.

Read

If you’d like something uplifting to start your day, I recommend Lemn Sissay’s poetry collection, “Let the Light Pour In”.

Over ten years, Lemn made a morning practice of composing short four-line poems at dawn, which he shared on social media. This collection brings together his favourites. They’re beautiful, heartfelt and brief.

Said the mind to the heart

Said the heart to the mind

‘The important kind of art

Is the art of being kind’

Ask

On Saturday, I wrote about celebrating ALL your wins, whatever their size - no diminishing their value by calling successes “small wins”. You can read the full post here:

Some questions you could reflect on:

• What personal wins would you like to celebrate?

• If you dig a little deeper, which wins have you glossed over or ignored?

• What would a friend or colleague celebrate about you that you’re diminishing?

• What do you celebrate in others but fail to celebrate in yourself?

• How can you value your achievements more, especially when times are tough and just getting through the day might be a win?

Do

Dance! Go to salsa night with a friend, take a dance class, join a Zumba group in the park. Pop on some favourite tunes and dance around your kitchen for the sheer joy of it, feeling the rhythm and moving your body in whatever way pleases you.

Dance for you, nobody else. Dance in your chair, your bed, or your mind if you have physical limitations to movement.

If you’d like to join me, here’s my Spotify playlist: Joyful songs for kitchen dancing!

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Wishing you all a wonderful Wellbeing Wednesday! 💖

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I’d love your feedback on this Wellbeing Wednesday post: Did you enjoy it? Do you like the bitesize format? What would make it better? 🌸

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