Have a cool yule ...

The Yuletide season has begun with snow on the mountains and rib-roast on order to celebrate the Winter Solstice.  Wishing everyone greetings of the season and here are a few thoughts for New Year’s resolutions and by introducing small sustainable habits they will lead to us feeling good with ourselves:      
           

1. Start the day off with a smile and extend it to the first person you meet each morning together with a cheery ‘Good morning’ – even if they scowl back in response.
2. Be determined to arrange five-ten minutes Me-Time every day in the daylight and fresh air even if it’s only drinking a cup of tea in the garden or local park. A ten-minute walk at lunch-time to help balanced the melatonin and serotonin hormones, which help regulate mood and sleep.
3. Twenty minutes in the sun helps to combat Vitamin D deficiency that causes SAD; in the meantime take Vitamin D tablets until the sun come back.
4. Spend a few minutes chatting with an elderly person.  Remember you could be the only person they’ve spoken to that day.
5. Make a donation to a charitable cause each month even if it’s only donating unwanted items to a local charity shop.
6. Remember: kindness costs nothing. Carry a bag, open a door, or pick up something from the shop.  Good manners and kindness are never out of fashion.
7. Drink more water because every part of our body needs water to function properly.
8. ‘Earthing’ has now entered the mainstream and an increasing number of scientific studies have revealed that it has real health benefits.  The Earth is like a gigantic battery that generates a natural electro-magnetic charge that is present in the ground.  So, weather permitting, kick off your shoes and reap the benefits.
9. Say ‘well done’ to yourself for big and small achievements – and share them with someone important who will share in your joy.
10. Read something new every day so that we stimulate our minds with knowledge.   Why not make up your mind to re-read one of the Classics every month and see just how much you enjoy them when looking at them from a different perspective.
11. Dancing is a great stress reliever, so dig out those old dance tunes and rave away on your own.
12. Do you have energy-suckers (or ‘psychic vampires’ in your life.  We are who we spend time with, so choose your company carefully and surround yourself with those who life you higher.
13. No body knows everything, and the true treasure of life is that we can learn from each other’s wisdom and experiences.  So learn to listen and you’ll learn a lot.
14. Sleep is when the magic happens when our cells get to renew.   Switch off the brain at learn an hour before going to bed, have a hot drink and spray Yardley’s Old English lavender on your pillow.  Put on cosy socks, pyjamas and snuggle under a warm throw by the fire – just because it’s a nice thing to do …

​Which is as good a time as any to plug a new book that’s coming out next year The (Inner-City) Path: A Simple Pagan Guide to Well-Being and Awareness published by Moon Books.

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