What is in a smile?

Published by Alison Wem on

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!

A smile conveys we are peaceful and happy. So what a good way to start your day. Put something near your bed to remind you to smile as you get out of bed. Look in the mirror and give yourself a beautiful smile or turn to your partner and smile. I have found I get a kiss in return.

The source of a true smile is an awakened mind to living in the moment.

Enjoy living in the present moment. A smile will bring peace and happiness not only to you but also to those around you. It is a great way to manage the stress in your life at home and at work.

If you relate to this article and need some more help and guidance in your life – get in touch with Alison. Here are her contact details.

Click to contact me Here

Tel: +44 7966 137568  Email: alison.wem@yoursoulfamily.com

Available face-to-face or via a video call depending on location.

Upcoming events with Alison Wem – look here

Categories: Mindful workplace
Tags:

Related Posts

Life and Living

Back to work: how do you keep the relaxed feel from the break?

Many of us have now gone back to work.  After the long Festive break, you will be adjusting back to the relentless pace of business.

Stress resides not in the mind but in the nervous system. Our ‘fight or flight’ response raises our cortisol level causing the sympathetic nervous system to activate. Our bodies are designed for a raised cortisol level but only in short bursts to aid our survival. However in our modern ‘always on the go’ life style, many people live with chronic raised cortisol levels leading to slow digestion, sleep disruption and other side effects.

Rest and relaxation reduces our cortisol level.  Some will have achieved this in the long festive break, but the question is;

How do you maintain an appropriate cortisol level once you are back at work?

Taking a break of not less than 15 minutes has a big impact on your cortisol level.  These breaks can and should be simple such as a walk, a coffee and a magazine, sitting in a park, taking a bath, listening to some music.  All of these breaks should be discrete and separate.  There is little value in a break where you spend the entire time worrying about a problem.

 The aim of the break is to slow the mind, for calmness to arrive which then allows the body to relax. 15 minutes is all it takes. Try to decide where and how in your day you would get the most value from it.

Your concentration will improve which will increase your effectiveness and efficiency at work, well worth the 15 minutes.

Be kind to yourself – learn to relax

If you relate to this article and need some more help and guidance in your life – get in touch with Alison. Here are her contact details.

Click to contact me Here

Tel: +44 7966 137568  Email: alison.wem@yoursoulfamily.com

Available face-to-face or via WhatsApp/Zoom depending on your location.

Conscious Mind

Living with balance in your life

Finding balance in all you think, feel and do brings you calmness. In my experience, when you feel calmness there is much more clarity on who you are and what is happening in your life.

In the northern hemisphere the Spring Equinox is coming on the 21st March. It brings us out of winter and officially is the start of the spring season. But what exactly is the spring equinox? 

First, let’s get into the equinox, which actually occurs twice a year. We have already mentioned the Spring Equinox. Another equinox occurs on the 23rd September and takes us into autumn. The word equinox comes from Latin and means “equality of night and day.” So, the equinox occurs at two specific moments in time when the sun is exactly above the equator. 

The earth and the sun are poised briefly in balance with one another as if in a dance. Now is a good time to bring your life into balance. Find what your balance means. For example, is it between home and work, in a relationship, or perhaps even balance with yourself in how you treat yourself.

To achieve balance you need equal weight on either side with you being the pivotal point in the middle, much as a tight rope walker does. It is about finding the middle way so both halves of you feel heard and satisfied. This is more easily achieved from a point of calmness,

At Your Soul Family we use Soul Maps to gain insight into yourself and colouring of the Soul Map to bring in the calmness. You can find guidance on this approach here. It is one approach but there are others.

So the question is;

How do you find calmness and balance in our hectic 21st century lifestyle?

Needing some ideas? I recommend you read Karen Newell’s article on Finding Balance in an Erratic World

One approach is to listen to acoustic music which Sacred Acoustics offers. You can listen to their free training videos to appreciate what is involved, sample some sounds and answer questions you may have. View videos here

Karen Newell is co-founder of Sacred Acoustics and works with Eben Alexander, author of best selling books Living in a Mindful Universe, Proof of Heaven and The Map of Heaven.

 

Mindful workplace

Relaxation: the importance of taking a break

You may be experiencing the relentless pace of business or the rigours of running a family life or perhaps both!

Stress resides not in the mind but in the nervous system. Our ‘fight or flight’ response raises our cortisol level causing the sympathetic nervous system to activate. Our bodies are designed for a raised cortisol level but only in short bursts to aid our survival. However in our modern ‘always on the go’ life style, many people live with chronic raised cortisol levels leading to slow digestion, sleep disruption and other side effects.

Rest and relaxation reduces our cortisol level.  But the question is;

How do you maintain an appropriate cortisol level once you are back at work?

Taking a break of not less than 15 minutes has a big impact on your cortisol level.  These breaks can and should be simple such as a walk, a coffee and a magazine, sitting in a park, taking a bath, listening to some music.  All of these breaks should be discrete and separate.  There is little value in a break where you spend the entire time worrying about a problem.

The aim of the break is to slow the mind, for calmness to arrive which then allows the body to relax. 15 minutes is all it takes. Try to decide where and how in your day you would get the most value from it.

Your concentration will improve which will increase your effectiveness and efficiency at work, well worth the 15 minutes.

Be kind to yourself – learn to relax

Alison Wem – life coach, author and leadership consultant, MBCS CITP, former Business Transformation Director, IT Director, Programme Director who led major transformation programmes for corporate and multi-national organisations such as Amey PLC, Christies. News UK.

Alison is married with five grown-up children. Many of the techniques in her ‘leading yourself’ coaching and courses are based on her life experiences in her professional and family life. She retains a calmness and clarity enabling her to assess the right things to do.

Book an appointment.

document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );