happy

Are friends as important as family?

Family are given to you but friends you get the opportunity to choose.

Family often love you unconditionally and stay with you throughout your life.

Friends often stay for a period in your life and then drift away. However I have noticed really close friends stay for the duration.

Some friendships are as close and as strong as a blood tie. They can be based on a common interest or less obvious things like the same sense of humour, life values or the joy of giving and receiving.

The picture of the three flowers represent me and my two closet friends. read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Send love to someone you cannot meet

I am learning from giving virtual reiki sessions over WhatsApp in lockdown London, that distance is absolutely no problem for energy. My friends and customers are amazed that it feels the same as when I am in the same room as them.

Love is intelligent energy and has no bounds.

So with this post of the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park, London I am sending my love to my friend Hitomi in Tokyo. Normally she visits us every other year but she has not been able to come due to the virus. Hitomi, we are missing you and hope we can meet again sometime soon. read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Believe your life challenge is too large?

We all have a tendency to feel sorry for ourselves. Nobody has everything. Even the rich and the successful have their challenges. If you followed them home there may be problems with infidelity, a sick child or perhaps fear of redundancy.

Matilda was from a successful family. She had become a successful teacher but the role had long hours and was burning her out and causing her problems with her boyfriend. She made the decision to change career. However to make the change she would have to take a salary cut. Fearful of telling her parents, she confided in her grandad. To her surprise he said; read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Feel good: find ways of putting things into perspective

Finding January a challenging month? Or perhaps there is something else in your life which is spoiling your calmness and well-being, giving you worry and anxiety.

Each of us runs our own lives and we can seek out ways of improving our well-being. This is not about expensive classes or time consuming activities. Music and singing can be listened to, or joined in with, as we travel to work or do domestic tasks.

Deva Premal and Miten give us an overview of what is possible and how it helped them. read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Relaxation: learn to breath deeply and consciously

Mindfulness is a commonly used term these days. However it is true that breathing consciously or just being still brings calmness which enhances your concentration, lowers blood pressure and aids sleep quality. All are good for enhancing your performance at work and improves your well-being.

The simplest way to induce stillness is to take deep breaths.

I work at home on my own. It can be hard to keep my boundaries between home and work life. Each day I go for a walk, preferably in the park. Today I tried conscious breathing to see if it improved me living in the moment and finding happiness in that moment. It is a simple exercise; read more

By Alison Wem, ago

What is in a smile?

Are you back into the pressure of the working week? It is amazing what a smile can do for you.

When I was growing up, my Mum always used to say to me;

Smile at the world and it will smile back at you.

Having moved to London, I have found few people smile at you in a city. My nieces, who grew up in the Scottish Highlands and now work in London, confirmed that they find the same. It is very unlike home where people smile and say ‘Good morning’. One of them said they were determined to keep smiling at people to see how many she could get to respond. What an excellent idea! read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Life is such a challenge: need some help?

Life and living standards have increased. You would think that this would make life easier, but I do not believe this is the case.

Life is very different from when I was young. With five adult children and many nieces and nephews, I see how the young run their lives.

Life is faster, more complicated plus there are greater physical distances between people as they travel or move for work.

I believe history will write up the 21st century as a revolution. The 19th and 20th centuries were an industrial revolution. The 21st century will be a technology and environmental revolution. Cleaner energy will become available, more effective health care and healthier life styles. read more

By Alison Wem, ago