Self Care

A Thousand Mile Journey Begins With The First Step...

A Thousand Mile Journey Begins With The First Step...

Is you life too busy, boring or bland? If yes, read on, focus on self-renewal and energy management making your life beautiful by prioritising how you use your energy, time and attention to engage in activities that help you flourish, thrive, have zest and engagement to feel fully alive.

The year 1994 was a defining year in my life. I was just reflecting and realised that 2024 marks 30 years since I started my personal development and growth journey.

Looking Forward and Creating Magic

Looking Forward and Creating Magic

Having things to look forward to has a positive impact on us. The holiday or the together that you have planned; you enjoy the anticipation leading up to the event sometimes more than the actual event. Looking forward also can fill us with hope. I’ve enjoyed planning things and having activities to look forward to, they have helped to navigate the turbulent experiences life gives us.

End Of Year Review 2023

Review 2023

At various points in the year I take a moment to review the preceding time period and what is forthcoming. This is often at the end of the year with the Looking Back, Looking Forward workshop, the middle of the year and sometimes ad hoc too.

Like journaling, writing and sharing the review helps me celebrate the wins, learn from the challenges, see growth and gratefully acknowledge the opportunities.

My chosen highlights for 2023

Here are the themes for my chosen personal and professional highlights for 2023 with a brief example. Details on these continue in the blog article.

Commitments, Learning & Habits-

The projects and roles I have committed to I have delivered on. What has helped is consistency, focus, intention & creativity. I have worked from my strengths, stretched, stepped out of my comfort zone, attempted new ideas, used a growth mindset, been resourceful and drawn upon my various past experiences.

Social Connection and Celebration - Various birthdays and anniversaries are celebrated including milestone ones.

Rest & Renewal - much needed overdue holiday break in Kenya with Masai Mara Balloon Safari, forest walks and relaxation at the beach

Community Service & Volunteering - Mental Health Awareness Week digital support and masterclass on Anxiety

Achievements & Creative Innovation - Becoming a certified Heroic Performance Coach from 300 Day coaching program

A Christmas Care - Role (Carol) Who Cares? for the Carer? Dementia/Parkinson's/Old Age/Grief/Loneliness

A Christmas Care - Role (Carol) Who Cares? for the Carer? Dementia/Parkinson's/Old Age/Grief/Loneliness

In the story of Jesus’ birth there are three kings who come bearing gifts. In Charles Dickens’ The Christmas Carol there are 4 ghosts who visit Ebeneezer Scrooge. His business partner Jacob Marley and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future.

On 11th Dec 2020 our world changed when my father suddenly passed (https://www.happylifehabits.co.uk/news/2020/12/24/live-love-learn-amp-legacy) away within 36 hours. He was the primary carer for my mum. We had the gifts and ghosts of : Old age, Grief, Loneliness, Parkinsons and Dementia. That was part of our inheritance.

Without those gifts and ghosts this article would not be written, published and shared.

As time goes by the probability that someone close to you will be impacted by dementia is increasing. 

“One of the hardest things in life is to know that you can not stop the decline as you witness firsthand the diminishing cognitive capacity of a loved one due to progressive incurable neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s or Dementia. 

To observe them becoming a shadow of themselves day by day; the impact on their physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual wellbeing. Knowing there is nothing you can do to stop that decline. Experiencing the loss each day as anticipatory grief.” 

Shaileen Shah - Carer, Happy Life Habits Coach, Speaker and Trainer.

This article is about my role as a carer for my mum who is elderly, grieving, lonely and suffering from the progressive and incurable neurological conditions of both Parkinson’s and Dementia. It shares the perspective of the carer, the challenges faced, how best to look after yourself as well as how to look after and interact with someone who has these conditions or someone you are caring for. 

I salute all those who are carers of any type and ask you to support those who you know who are doing a caring role.

Back to the Future: Creating memories to Savour

Back to the Future: Creating memories to Savour

The word savour (savor in American English) is an interesting word, it is a verb. It has at least 2 meanings in the dictionary:

  1. To fully enjoy the taste or smell of something

  2. To fully enjoy a time or experience

The 7+ Highly Effective Morning Habits of a Happiness Coach

The 7+ Highly Effective Morning Habits of a Happiness Coach

Recently I had the opportunity to contribute to a feature in the Metro on Tips for better/happier/mentally healthier mornings. I submitted my morning Happy Life Habits and was very pleased that they used a few of them. I hope you find them useful and take action to apply them. We have trained many on Gratitude and Journaling. If you need support you know who to call (Not Ghostbusters but Shaileen at Happy Life Habits!).

What strategies do you use to keep calm through challenging situations?

What strategies do you use to keep calm through challenging situations?

On the Happy Life Habits Community Facebook Group we regularly share quotes, reflective / thought provoking questions, articles and events. We recently asked “What strategies do you use to keep calm through challenging situations?” and have a good response to it.

May prove to be useful this month as students get their “A” Level and “GCSE” results.

Sometimes it’s just Mission Impossible

Sometimes it’s just Mission Impossible

Sometimes it feels like Mission Impossible with the projects and activities we have ongoing with Happy Life Habits at the moment (most are this month!) however the Life in 3 Acts sums up Happy Life Habits’ approach. This is what we have been up to or have on the near horizon.

  • The Self Care Infographic has been well received and shared. It has help my business clients connect with their clients including past clients.

  • Kids Happiness Boosters for Half Term (completely new)

  • Gratitude Journaling for Happiness Workshop with Mind In Enfield and Barnet

  • 30 Day Gratitude & Journal Habit Immersion Training Course

  • Happier Relationships with Happy Life Habits

  • HLH International Day of Happiness Global Virtual Festival

  • Master Mind Group focus on Learning

  • Initial discussions regarding HLH taking part in podcasts or speaking at community groups and companies

Self Care for Blue Monday

Self Care for Blue Monday

The 3rd Monday in January is known as Blue Monday when many people feel at their lowest, depressed and unhappy.

This is supposedly due to some factors occurring at a similar time which include Christmas being a fading memory, payday still a week away, January bills coming through, rest of the year still to go through, high hoped resolutions broken, cold, gloomy weather, pandemics, working in office/ from home, world crisis’ and such factors.