Sheila's Feel Good Blog
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 →
Many of us spend a lot of our lives postponing happiness. Don't believe me? How often do you catch yourself thinking: "when I've… (Insert project/plan/book to read/goal to fulfil)… Then I'll be happy" This false belief is laid down deeply inside us-it might even lie below the level of conscious thought but occasionally it does... Continue Reading →
Many of us have a script that runs in our heads. It is so much part of us that we are barely aware of it and yet it is hugely influential. Here are the kinds of things we say to ourselves: "I'm rubbish at this..." "Nothing ever works out well for me" "I can't change"... Continue Reading →
'Be kind to yourself' . It's a phrase we hear a lot these days but I think it's relatively recent currency in our language. I don't think that 20 years ago we were telling ourselves this but maybe I just don't remember. So is it another self absorbed, slightly Buddhist, modern mantra or is it an... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
I have learnt a spiritual lesson from growing potatoes. Just when they begin to show little green shoots just above the surface of the soil like this: you are supposed to dump another inch or two of soil on top of them! I was so excited to see these little shoots begin to appear, it... Continue Reading →
This is one of the saddest books I've ever read. That's not to say it isn't good, it is. But it is also pretty unrelentingly sad. Sally Magnusson, daughter of the well-known writer and TV personality, Magnus Magnusson, writes both her mother's life story and the story of the mother's descent into dementia. Along the... Continue Reading →
https://www.facebook.com/mobymusic/videos/10154690698776108/ Watching this powerful video made by Steve Cutts for the song 'Are you lost in the world like me?' reminded me of how much I was impacted by reading The Village Effect by Susan Pinker earlier this year. Pinker makes one point. Yes, only the one point! But she makes it really effectively and what... Continue Reading →
