Breathe in. Breathe out. Again. It took me half a life time to realise it’s good to stop .. Hope others will do it from their twenties. Imagine how much resistance that would save your friends and family – and you! Pilates. Strengthening your core. Keeps my lower back issues abreast so to speak. Great thing, while you brush your teeth or wait in a supermarket queue – win-win is that you’ll be happy when your queue turns out to be the slowest one. Did bring my (then 3 yr old) daughter with me. SO boring – no surprise, it looks like women lying on the floor for a full hour doing nothing. Can’t see all the inner work going on. I digress. In my twenties I never looked back, inwards or anywhere else – just full speed ahead. In an all-low year (relationship and job ended, on my own in a new city, lonely as), went to a palm reader. Wise woman. Commented on me being perfectionist (??!!), and that I would have my husband move out of the bedroom before my 40th if I didn’t let go of that perfectionism! At that point I did not even have … More Meditation – HA! Bet my brain will never be able to stop racing »

When did you last have a real belly laugh? Not the ti-hi or haha, but a bubbling one shaking all of what you’ve got? I bet you it wasn’t while washing up. Or ironing. Or doing the kids’ lunches. Or while stressing over all the work and emails you need to get done tonight/later/this weekend. If a laugh escaped you then, it would have been a nervous ah-ah-ah, jaws tight, stiff fake smile. Are you taking yourself (and everyone else) too seriously? When is the last time you just threw out a loud laugh when your kids or anyone else asked you to do something? It’s good to be serious about what you do. Both at home and at work. Great to be ambitious. It works even better, if it comes with a natural flow, if you are fully present and engaged and energised while perfecting something. But if your mind is going crazy with things you should/could/must do or just worries, you are perfecting nothing, you are stressing yourself – and everyone else! – out. Time for a confession. I was SO perfectionistic. SO serious. Before we got married, living together, I was SO embarrassed when my then boyfriend … More Have you ever seen a perfectionist having fun? Like REAL fun? »

Here’s a test for you. Not the girls’ magazine ones telling you if you’re a dreamer or a doer. A real hands-on one, or actually more of a bum-on one. Sit still for an hour at home. Yep 60 full minutes. Your brain will start a to-do-list within seconds (should do the washing, have to call Sue), just ignore. Then your body will feel itchy, you see a sock under the couch with months’ worth of dust attached that you NEED to get up and get. Don’t. Then your bad conscience is back: I can’t just sit here. Yes, you can – just tell it, right back: yes I can! OK, you managed 2 minutes and 10 seconds. Well done! Celebrate your successes! Now is the time to grab what you like doing: a book, a writing pad (NOT for to-do-lists, only allowed if you will actually write stuff on it: a diary, 10 things you’re grateful for, a poem that doesn’t rhyme, draw doodles), your knitting or anything remotely recreational. Now comes the real test: your children/husband/mum/neighbour walking in. Keep seated. Look even more concentrated at your doodles. Pretend you haven’t seen them (oooh, how can that feel SO … More Sitting still for an hour – just one! »