The feeling of being proven right

There are a lot of pleasant feelings a human being can have but being proven right must be one of the most fulfilling ones.

Less is more in 99% of the cases

If you follow this and the other one of my posts you probably remember that I recommended a piece of sensible reading (of course, sensible, I don’t share anything else), which was the Happiful eZine, an expertly curated off and online publication on mental wellbeing.

On their Issue 105 (P38-39), there is an article on “How to spot mental health misinformation online”, by an integrative counsellor named Georgina Sturmer. With so much “fake news” and AI-generated content it may be hard to tell truth from fake, as some can be so well worded it will convince you it could only have been written by an expert. And it wasn’t. Georgina shares some of the actions we can take to verify the information being shared. Really useful.

This also refers me back to of all the conversations I had with my children (and still have with my youngest). They live what they watch. It is true that they become dependent of that daily dopamine dose and believe most things they watch. We have to constantly keep reminding him that the influencer/YouTubers he follows is no expert, they wing it, taking advantage of him and others like him, that the influencer profits from their naivety.

But I get it, it’s hard for a teenager to admit that they’re wrong and that they’re being cheated by their idols and favourite follows. It probably feels like a betrayal. I know that if I continue drilling that truth into thhem, they’ll eventually come to their senses and start seeing it for what it is. It is in effect a generational clash.

Not everything we see on social media channels is fake. Everybody knows it is impossible to ignore it or to leave without it. But the same as with everything, scepticism and moderation is key. It is important to keep our lines of thinking, to preserve our unique identity and not just follow because others do.

Menopausal Monday #10

Self Talk

It’s Monday

Know that familiar feeling at the end of every weekend? That disheartening feeling that comes when something good is over? That’s another weekend flew past. It always feels like we didn’t get enough time… By the time we start to relax, it’s already Sunday.

And let’s agree, Mondays are probably the most antisocial week day there is! (Unless we’re on holiday, where Monday can get easily be mistaken for a weekend 😂) Who doesn’t dread Mondays put their hands up ☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️.

It was the Strawbear Festival in Whittlesey last weekend. Gotta say, it didn’t feel as popular as last year. And the Strawbear didn’t have the traditional vibe. Once the standing Strawbear steps down, we expected him to be replaced by someone with similar posture. But hey, tradition is not what it used to be anymore. Still good healthy fun to watch.

Turns out I’m Yellow

Ever heard about DISC? I did my first DISC assessment (in 20 years of employment) at the end of last year. I had never had one (that I remember). I found it really useful to understand my working behaviour. Based on the assessment, I am predominantly yellow, followed by blue, then green, then red. I must admit the results don’t come as a surprise.

D = Dominance, I = Influence, S= Steadiness and C= Consciousness

Yellow reflects my bubbly characteristics alongside my geeky blue side. Green is the next in line (if my effort is not bringing up clear and relatively quick results, I’ll just keep my head down, sticking to the essentials. And red… What can I say? I was never bossy; my style is fully collaborative.

And the most reassuring fact is that I am true to myself, no matter what setting I’m in. Analysing our behaviour can actually be quite useful in providing us with pointers on what levels to adjust to make my work approach more productive and pleasurable, once other people understand theirs and ours.

Have you done one yet?

Two weeks in

All looking good in terms of res’s so far. Plenty of water intake, well-planned healthy eating and no alcohol consumption. Our daily night walks are only spot-stopping due to the odd joint ache or cold and flu symptoms. Age is ruthlessly unapologetic. It will only give back as much as you put in. Chamomile tea is currently all it takes for me to snooze away…

I can already tell the difference in how I feel, mood-wise, in my body and ease of movement. It’s amazing how just two weeks of a few little changes make such a difference.

Missing my little girl, though… Always thinking of what she might be doing, if she’s feeling ok, if she’s happier, if she’s making progress with her life. However, I can’t micro-manage as I tend to, not at this distance. I did make a point in giving her space to find herself. Kudos to me 💪

I must say I do like the hybrid work format. I like that it forces me out of the house. I also like that it is only two days, as I get soooo much done on the other three! I am grateful for the balance.

The days are feeling longer, and we can already see the light at the end of each day. Roll on Spring. 🌻🌸🌹🌼

Menopausal Monday #9

Self Talk

Cold can be harsh

Winter has definitely arrived now. It has even snowed, can you believe it? And it certainly has an effect on our joints. Some of us appear to predict it before it arrives, or maybe it is a housewife’s tale. Personally, I don’t think I do.

I have never felt it as bad as this Winter. It’s just one more box ticked off on my menopause symptoms, I guess. My back and knee joints are surely feeling the 48 years of wear and tear. I don’t even need gravity to make it hurt; the ache is there just by bending.

But it takes more than a few aches to put me off life and my good mood. Back at my Bel’s programme, I’m gathering ammunition to fight the lot (trust me, it works).

Beware, I’m not an Affiliate. No commission is earned from your clicking on that link. I don’t affiliate; my promotion is purely based on my experience. It works so well for me, I wish to share it with all the other women.

I’m adding a collagen supplement to the game, as I refuse to give up on my daily exercises because of my knees (especially the spicy kind… 😜). So, at this point, I have reached a total of 13 supplements across six different products. I know it sounds and looks over the top, but these supplements are complementing my diet and helping to suppress the decrease in amino acid and hormone production, allowing me to function and feel well.

Screw blue January

Loving the new background imagery on our laptops. So colourfully warming 🥰 We tend to underestimate the suggestive motivation to work.


Weekends, holidays and retirement, that’s what we work for, what we look forward to (unless you have a highly paid fun creative job, of course… 😝).

For those billions of us that don’t, we still have to conform to 28, 30 annual leave days a year, as opposite to two months over the academic year, where children spend most of their days stuck in their bedrooms playing video games. I say we swap 😂

Looking forward to our first little trip of the year, to Kessingland (I ❤️ Norfolk) for a very Brit type holiday… 😏

#holidays🌴 #workhardplayhard💪 #ilovenorfolk #britholiday

Menopausal Monday #8

Self Talk

There’s no such thing.

The Christmas tree is now down, meaning this festive season is officially over. But it’s going to take more than the absence of twinkling bright lights to drag me into a blue state. There’s a restlessness left in me that’s pushing me to be optimistic, in spite of all the ongoing bad news on the current world affairs.

It’s scary to think that we may be assisting to the return to inpune imperialistic regimens, lead by major global powers who could end us all in a phone tap. Piggy-backing on that perspective, life can only get better, and as such, we better start bloody living it.

This doesn’t mean that we now give ourselves permission to act recklessly, or irresponsibly. Instead, it means that we (I) need to start living our lives with more purpose: MORE of what makes us happy, LESS of what gives us grief.

Days 2, 3 and 4

I just asked the start of my year to be gentle.

Water intake reminder

So I tried to be gentle with myself, eating healthy and remembering my water intake (I’m so bad at that!…) To Dry January 🚰 Got a friend’s birthday dinner this week and I am still trying to work out how gently can I disappoint her…

Back to work on a Friday is not a bad thing at all. Easing into the year followed by a weekend. Working from home is a huge perk. The things you can do during your commuting time…!

Dropping Lottie off at Uni made the upcoming working week feel real. Back to life, back to reality (I bet you sang that…🥰)

Early sunset (3pm)

Our night walks are literally a breath of fresh air this time of year. There nothing quite like returning home after a crisp cold night walk to a warm house and cuppa tea. Wouldn’t you agree?

A clean sky

Day 1

Annual clean up

End of year rituals

Ok, I started the year with a healthy breakfast, my supplements (and paracetamol). Got the drinking out of my system and didn’t even overdo it. What matters is that today and for the remaining 30 days there will be none making its way to my blood stream.

The traditional social network clean up has also been done last night. It’s always therapeutic…

Back to work tomorrow, thankfully from home. Good way to start, just before a weekend.