A jumbled collection of thoughts of the day!

Today I had a very brief moment of writers block... well perhaps not even block but the precursor to what may have developed into it! I quashed this quickly by asking a few friends for some blogging ideas for today. Hence my rather muddled combination of topics.

My first thought for today is an Easter based thought. My lovely friend Meg suggested I write something about making new starts. Easter eggs have historical significance as being symbols of rebirth and new starts. I found a blog with some Easter egg history on it that looked pretty awesome.

Virtual Victorian Easter Eggs

I like the thought of Easter eggs being a more symbolic gift than one of basic chocolatey greed?? I'm not sure I want to use the word greed here... but in some cases it seems that way with the over indulgence that is shown with these kind of holidays. But anyway... enough of my chocolate based cynicism for now!!

There tends to be a real sense of new beginnings around New Year, but I don't see why this needs to be the only time people can take stock of their lives, make changes and benefit from them. I think being able to make new starts by working out what isn't quite working in life and being able to modify it to be better for yourself is a huge part of Mindfulness. I know I have aspects of my life that I really ought to try and modify... such as my inability to say now to exciting projects and roles even when I know I don't have another second to spare or my harsh sense of perfection that haunts my degree work.. however perhaps these are things I need to gradually work on. Maybe a new start doesn't have to be completely drastic but more of an acknowledgement that you're making changes slowly but surely for the positive.

Now my friend Laura wanted me to write about farm animals. I had a bit of a temptation to find some really cute pictures to fill my blog with, but then I came across a really interesting article about farm animals being used to help individuals with mental health problems! PAT animals aren't anything new. Cats and dogs are often considered to be helpful to individuals suffering with mental health problems but Norwegian researchers found that being on a farm could help with a number of mental health conditions.

Mental health on the farm

For me, animals have always been a huge part of my life. I find in times of stress or upset or just general difficulty it's really helpful to have a creature who is reliant on you to look after them. I think they do have a therapeutic power and I know my... arguably slightly odd relationship with my cat is evidence that animals can be a real friend to you too. I know Stitch will always love me in his own funny way.

And I guess if you can't find a real life farm to visit.... Fourways Farm is a pretty good substitute and it doesn't smell... Oh how I used to adore this program!

My final suggestion for the day was monkeys! I found a lovely article about Orangutans, I have a real soft spot for them since my trip to Borneo with The Blue Cross... more on that in another blog! However, I found an article about the International Orangutan Foundation and how they make sure their quarantined orangutans have lots of toys to play with and things to do to help keep them health both physically and mentally. I thought it was lovely and think it's really relevant to people too... if you're not keeping your mind active, you're more likely to have a harder time keeping your mental health at it's best. So perhaps thinking of new things to do each week is a good start to helping you feel more on top of things.

Enriched Orangutans!

I think that's all for today

Love Kate xx