Mindfulness equals heart-fullness equals wellness- Guest Blogger Styleophile

This week's blog post is from our fantastic Brand Ambassador, Fiona Crisp, otherwise known as the Styleophile.

With a talent for creating exquisite interiors that are the perfect balance between originality and serenity, we have a feeling that she understands the need for equilibrium in all aspects of life...

Photo by Erik Stine on Unsplash

'As Westerners we have historically valued reason and fact over feelings, believing reason to be superior. Mindfulness, wellbeing, self-love (all buzzwords of the last couple of years) however, point to practices which stem from the heart and mind as beneficial in keeping our physical selves ‘well’.

'If you have shied away or zoned-out when someone mentions meditation or homeopathy as part of a recovery process or instead of taking a tablet, you are not alone'

'Many of us would seek traditional medicine as a first response to an ailment. But what if the issue or the pain or the sickness isn’t responding? Why not try some ideas for mind and body-boosting results that even skeptics can incorporate into their lives. There is a very real chance these small changes could have a big impact, first on your feelings, then improving the physical. What have you got to lose?

Food & Mood

'Evidence suggests that as well as affecting our physical health, what we eat has an impact on what we feel. Improving your diet could improve your mood (and I am not talking about the little lift we get from a slab of chocolate!)

'Making small changes to the food you eat can give you more energy and help you think more clearly.

'Eating regularly and choosing some slow-release-energy foods can help you power through the day avoiding ‘afternoon slump’

'Your brain needs fatty acids (such as Omega 3) to keep it working well. So you don’t need to avoid ALL fats, just choose the good ones such as those found in avocado, eggs, nuts, oily fish and olive oil. Avoid the trans-fats such as the ones in shop-bought cakes and biscuits. These are not good for the mood (despite the initial thrill of eating them!)

Fresh

'Drink water. No you don’t have to wander round with a bottle if it makes you self conscious but you can have a big glass each time you have a cup of tea for example. Being hydrated makes us all feel less sluggish.'

Mindfulness

'Okay, call it something else if the name irritates you. Slow-moments? Downtime? This simple technique (whereby you make a special effort to notice what is happening in the present moment in your surroundings and your body) is 100% free and hugely effective if done regularly.

'You don’t have to be spiritual or hold any particular beliefs for it to be successful'

Bring the outside, inside

'Personally, I like to bring some of the outside IN to our home in order to induce some moments of calm.'

'I’m not scattering leaves and twigs around, but I do love a plant or two in the house. Aside from the air cleansing properties, the presence of greenery and something living (not that its for very long if they require anything more than intermittent watering) brings an extra dimension to a room. I’m no Monty Don and I’m not familiar with many of their Latin names, but I do know that my spirits lift at the scent of some eucalyptus cut from my tree or when my Swiss Cheese plant sprouts a baby leaf.'