“The marmalade made me do it!”
I've been away for two days and blown the diet. Forgive me Helen, my fab healthy eating guru friend. It was the marmalade that made me do it. Here is the little mini message that was on the underside of the mini marmalade pot I opened each morning at breakfast. (Yes, I know, opening the... Continue Reading →
Managing your mind
Here is a second talk I did recently. This one is very practical: what to do with difficult feelings and whirling thoughts. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/authentic-2018-managing-your-mind-sheila-bridge/id1359049384?i=1000406713333&mt=2 Here are the slides I refer to through the talk Look at the shape made by the intersect of your body, mind and spirit. This is a traditional image representing God the... Continue Reading →
‘The Gifts of Imperfection’ and other books by Brené Brown
This isn't so much a book review as a library review - this woman has written alot and it's all very good. Where do I start? 'The Gifts of Imperfection' is annoyingly brilliant. why annoyingly? Because she kind of says the exact same thing that I wrote TWENTY-THREE years ago! Only she says it alot... Continue Reading →
‘It is what it is’
This is a phrase that has got me through some difficult experiences and some low moments. I've found myself saying it again to a couple of people lately. It may sound like resignation but there is a world of difference between resignation and acceptance (see image). So when I say this phrase I mean acceptance.... Continue Reading →
Bird-watching is a lot like thought watching
I am not much of a birdwatcher but I am learning to become a thought watcher and I was intrigued the other day by a metaphor which connected the two ideas. For about six months now I have been practising meditation. Practising is what you do when you are not very good at something and... Continue Reading →
Mindfulness: end of course conclusions
I’ve been leading a mindfulness group for the last 9 weeks. “Leading” is actually a slightly misleading word. All I did was invite 10 to 12 friends to purchase the same book that I myself had decided to read and then I set up a closed group on Facebook with the idea that we could... Continue Reading →
Getting over the Crisis
To those of you who have been aware that at the end of July I suddenly experienced acute neck pain, a quick update and some BIG APPRECIATIONS. If you prayed for me, thank you. There were many other practical things that contributed to my recovery physically but I do not think any of us fully... Continue Reading →
Mindfulness – helpful practise or misleading fad?
I've been exploring the whole idea of 'mindfulness' in more depth recently. There have been two books that have helped me with this Mindfulness and Christian Spirituality by Tim Stead, who is an Anglican priest and Finding Peace in a Frantic World by Williams and Penman. This last one is described as a "life changing... Continue Reading →
“Cure: a journey into the science of Mind over Body” Jo Marchant – Book Review
This is an absolutely fascinating read. Written by a scientist, it explores the research into ways our minds influence our physical well-being, our tolerance of pain and our immunity. The first chapter is all about the placebo effect. So far so good, most of us have heard of this and feel slightly self-conscious about the truth... Continue Reading →
