A New Year, a new you?

"This is going to be my year, the year that I find time to do all the things that will make me happy."

How many of you have said this to yourselves on Jan1st with all intentions of giving ourselves the life we really want, but by January 5th found that actually the stress of our regular routine has started to make that statement seem like it is only something that the celebrities can achieve?
For those of you who agree with this, carry on reading, for those of you who did not, you have obviously found the life you wish for, congratulations.

I have found that although the regular stresses of life will always be there, it is possible to find strategies to make life more fulfilling. Each of these suggestions should take no more than 5minutes a day. Choose one or two of these and make these a regular part of your day and it could help bring the happiness to your lives that you are looking for.

NUTURE A PLANT. Buy or even better grow a plant from a seedling or cutting and watch the plant develop. Treat it like a friend; give it regular attention, light and water. Talk to it! The plus side is you can offload all your stresses to it and it won't answer back but it will give you its beauty all day long.

FAVOURITE MUSIC. Music can act as a stimulant or a relaxing soothing stress-buster.
Find two pieces of music, one which is guaranteed to have you dancing and the other piece which always takes you to the place that makes you feel most relaxed. Cue up your c.d. player (at home or in the car) ready for the next morning so as you shower or drive to work the sounds of your favourite opera, dance track or rock tune will give you that feel good vibe so you walk into work smiling! Once home from work or collecting the children from their after school activities, press play and let the soothing sounds of the classical or ambient chill help you unwind.

DEEPER BREATHING. Everyday breathing is very shallow, we take it for granted and only utilise a small proportion of our lungs capacity. Deeper, more controlled breathing will give the body more oxygen; aiding digestion and blood flow to the whole of the body making you feel and look healthier. Spend a few minutes each day, when you first get up or as you return home from work to just stand or sit still and breathe in through the nose, notice the air travelling in and filling out your chest and ribcage and as you breathe out through the nose or mouth, focus your thoughts on controlling the breath and calming the flow of the release of air. Deeper breathing can be used to invigorate you prior to working or to calm you down after a stressful day.

Visulisation. This takes practice but is a great skill that is used by many successful people to create images in their minds how the would like to achieve their goals or ambitions. However this is not only for the elite sportsmen or business people of the world. Visualisation can be used to relax and free the mind of negative and worrying thoughts and situations. Make yourself comfortable, quiet and relaxed, seated or lying down and use some deep breathing to calm yourself. Close your eyes; imagine you are in a favourite place either alone or with someone you like being with. It could be a beautiful garden on a sunny day, if so try to imagine the smells of the flowers and hear the sounds of the birds singing, the feel of the grass beneath your feet as you walk onto it or maybe you are at the seaside with your family and can see your child playing in the sea and sand, hear the noises of the other happy people and feel the warm grains of sand on your feet and legs. Spend a few minutes in this place and then have a few more deep breaths to bring yourself around and open your eyes. Practice this on a regular basis and you will find your mind will feel refreshed and more able to work out some of the problems that you may have.

STRETCHING. As you get out of bed and stand up, gently stretch the neck by moving your ear towards the shoulder and holding the position for a couple of seconds and then take the head across to the other side, next roll your shoulders around in each direction four times. Stretch the front of the chest by placing your hands into the small of the back, gently push the chest forwards and at the same time squeeze the elbows towards one another. Hold this stretch for a few seconds and then repeat. To get the legs moving, a gentle 30second jog on the spot will get the blood flowing into the leg muscles.

Remember 5mins could bring you a lot closer to feeling and looking good! Enjoy!