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    • Self Care and Self Love

    Nurturing yourself is important, especially in times of stress. A great tool that I highly recommend is doing daily affirmations. Affirmations are positive statements. Louise Hay, the queen of affirmations, has written lots of books about the topic. She recommends looking into your own eyes in front of a mirror while making positive statements about yourself. Starting with that new habit first thing in the morning is a great way of setting you up for a positive day. Think of a few things you like about yourself and tell your reflection in the mirror. Or try and see yourself through the eyes of someone who loves you. Be nice to yourself and acknowledge how far you’ve come. Remind yourself of all the many good qualities you have. It doesn’t take long to do the mirror work. Having a positive self-image is crucial if you want to shine and make a difference. If you notice any resistance coming up, declare your statements as a process, e.g. ‘I’m feeling better and better each day.’ ‘I love myself a bit more every day.’ or ‘I love learning how to relax’.

    Another way of addressing any resistance that comes up is EFT tapping. If affirmation bring some of your subconscious core beliefs onto the surface, face and acknowledge them while tapping. This is really powerful. I hope you’ll take a few minutes each morning and evening developing a new self-care habit, for example by focusing on your positive qualities and looking after yourself. You’re ok just as you are and when you become your own best friend, nothing can stop you. Take care of yourself and see how the world will do the same. If you’d like to find out more about EFT, visit: https://www.emotionalbalance.co.uk/eft/ or come to one of my next trainings: https://www.emotionalbalance.co.uk/event/eftpractitionertraining/

    I hope this small little self-care tip on creating new positive habits has been a useful reminder to make the time to look after yourself. You are worth it!

    Love and light,

    Sandy

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    • Life lessons

    Is self-care selfish? Is it ok to say no and put up a ‘do not disturb sign’ on our door? What do you think?
    Or another questions to ask would be: do I even have time for this? Shouldn’t I rather be doing
    something else? Self-care isn’t selfish! If I don’t look after myself, nobody else will and I’ll eventually run out of energy. I want to set a good example to those around me. I’ve learnt to trust my intuition and sometimes just say no to things, people and commitments, hence saying yes to myself and yes to getting back into balance. When my batteries are recharged, I can help and inspire others.

    Another way to think about things is that challenges can turn into opportunities and can reveal hidden blessings if we are able to trust life and keep an open mind. Sometimes we just have to go with the flow, welcome change and embrace the transformation. I personally believe that we’re never given anything we can’t handle. We are strong and any challenge is an opportunity for growth. So if self-care or a bit of time to reflect on your life’s decisions is what you need, go for it. You deserve some time for yourself. It’s not selfish, it’s necessary.

    Finally, I’d like to share that hugs help us feel safe, connected and cared for. Hugs have healing power and can even boost our immune system. When we hug someone we often feel calmer, comforted, less pain and more balanced and at ease. It’s like sharing our feelings and halfing the burden. Use the power of healing hugs. This is another aspect of self-care. Acknowledge it when you need space or when you need a hug. Give yourself permission to reflect, share, feel or just be. After all, we’re human beings not human doings. And sometimes, all we may need is a hug to feel better. Don’t be afraid to ask for it.

    At the end of the day, you make the choices that will influence your life. Some choices deserve some reflection, pondering and even soundboarding them to others. Yet connecting to yourself will often give you answers that you know in your heart are right for you.

    Thank you. Lots of love.

    Sandy

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    • How to improve your mental health

    We all know how important it is to follow a regular fitness routine in order to stay fit and healthy. But what about our mental health? Isn’t it equally important to stay emotionally balanced? What are you doing to achieve good mental health? Do you have a daily self-care routine? It can be as simple as doing a regular short relaxation , writing a gratitude list, a 5-minute breathing or tapping exercise or being mindful of your mind’s focus. Remember: energy flows where attention goes. Make time to count your blessings and focus on being calm and feeling safe and grounded.

    For many of you, this winter period has been difficult, with so many media messages of fear, hartship and chaos in the world, that can create anxiety and extra worries. It can sometimes almost feel like good mental health and inner peace is a luxury or a privilege that only some people have. It’s easy to feel like that, but there is a lot you can do to help yourself. The first step is becoming aware of how you’re feeling and then intervene if necessary.

    For example, one great tool that I use myself is a worry box. I know it sounds bizarre, but I actually schedule my worry time and then write each individual worrying thought down on a seperate post-it note and then I put it into my worry box while affirming “I release this worry now”. Then, every now and then I take my worry box and look at al those worrying thought I had this month and luckily realise that the saying is true: 90% of what we worry about never happens anyway”. Over time this process has helped me to worry less, feel calmer and reduce anxiety.

    If you’ve worked with me in the past, you know that I offer effective solutions to help people feel more emotionally balanced and create a good mental health routine. You can check out my tapping and breathing videos and visualisations.

    Finally, in order to be able to help more people, I’m in the process of creating a brand new online course to help people who suffer from panic, anxiety and overwhelm, especially those who have had a panic or anxiety attack. I used to suffer from those and am using my personal experience and the tools that helped me best to manage my panic, anxiety and overwhelm in this online course. It’s going to be ready soon! To register your interest, email: sandy@emotionalbalance.co.uk Also, please follow me on Facebook: facebook.com/Sandyemotionalbalance/ and / or Instagram: www.instagram.com/sandyemotionalbalance/

    My goal is to help more and more people feel balanced, safe, strong and perhaps even as light and carefree as a feather floating around in the air, without any emotional burden or stress or at least giving them the tools to manage whatever life throws at us. Isn’t that the dream?

    It is crucial to take care of ourselves and work on our emotional balance and mental health, because it is our greatest asset! So stop, breath and smile right now. Think of what little step you can integrate into your daily life to reduce stress and feel more balanced!
    Contact me sandy@emotionalbalance.co.uk to book a session or register your interest in my upcoming new online course. I look forward to hearing from you.

    Take care. Happy Tuesday vibes, love and light,

    Sandy x

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    • Merry Christmas

    This time of the year is about looking back and be grateful for all the precious moments, memories and experiences we’ve had this year. For me, 2022 was about changes, about getting really organised to fit everything and everyone in and about personal growth. It’s certainly been a very busy year and I’m looking forward to some quiet time for reflections and catch-up time with family.

    I know not everyone has had a great year and perhaps this is also the time to come to terms with what happened, make time and space to process unpleasant, sad or challenging events and get back into balance. Perhaps it might be a good idea to schedule time to write about what happened, to do some breathing, tapping, art or any other way to express emotions in a safe way. We can’t swallow and pretend we’re ok forever. We’d just end up like a pressure cooker without a valve. So, if you’ve faced challenges this year, please make time to look after yourself and find a way to let out a tiny bit of all the built-up feelings over a number of days and weeks. For example, you could schedule times, even just 15-20 minutes, where you consciously focus on dealing with things. Some people like to make a list beforehand with different options, so that you can choose in that moment what you feel is appropriate. This list could include anything from writing about what happened, making a phone call, brainstorming solutions, making a special memory box, writing a letter, clear out a corner or whatever feels helpful. Remember, self-care is not selfish, neither is asking for help or showing your vulnerability.

    I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank all my followers, supporters and clients. Thank you for trusting me and allowing me to help and inspire you. Sending everyone lots of love, hope, healing and happiness.
    Take care.
    Sandy xx

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    • Autumn lessons

    Isn’t autumn beautiful? The tree leaves change gradually into vibrant colours that look like golden-orange flames in the sun. The trees show their beauty and then when they’re ready, they’re letting go of those beautiful leaves. No tree will struggle with this, no tree will try to hold on to their leaves, they embrace the change and know it’s the most natural thing. For us autumn is also a great time for personal change and transformation. Let nature inspire you. See how easy and natural change and letting go can be. If you need any support with this, feel free to get in touch: sandy@emotionalbalance.co.uk

    In the newsletter of my favourite ‘angel guy’ Kyle Gray, I received this message this week and thought I’d share it: “There’s an old saying, “I’ll believe it when I see it,” but one of the greatest spiritual secrets is the opposite: we’ll see it when we believe it. What we believe in our inner world has a lot to with what we’ll see, or experience, in our outer world. That means all of our inner dialogues and beliefs are in some way impacting the world we are experiencing.” I totally agree and know from personal experience that we first have to believe that change is possible. We need to create an internal image, feeling and dialogue that supports the new version of us that we want to create. When you believe it then you’ll see it. A great way to look at change. I know it’s not always easy, but hey there are so many wonderful tools to use, such as guided visualisations, hypnotherapy, EFT tapping or Reiki healing. I offer all of these as they have made such a difference in my life. So please don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help.

    As mentioned above, autumn is a great time for change, healing and transformation. Why not learn a wonderfully gentle self-healing technique to empower yourself and help you make the changes you need. Last weekend of October, I’ll be running, possibly the last Reiki Level 1 training this year. I’ve only got 2 spaces left. If this feel right or you’d like to find out more, go to: https://www.emotionalbalance.co.uk/event/reikitraining/

    I hope you’r enjoying this beautiful time of the year. I’m here for you if you need any help or support.
    Take care. Lots of love, light and angel blessings.

    Sandy x

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    • End of summer reflections

    Summer is coming to an end. Autumn is around the corner. For many Sepember stands for new beginnings, a new school year, a new cycle. This might be a good time to look back at what we have achieved so far this year and to set new intentions and goals for the remainder of the year. If there’s something you’d like to work towards, make a plan, otherwise it’s just a wish.

    What steps do you need to take to achieve your desired outcomes? Then schedule specific actions and put them into your diary. Also, be clear about the reason why this goal matters, this is a powerful motivation booster.

    When looking back at the last few months, I noticed a few positive changes in my dog Charly. He seemed happier almost as if it had finally dawned on this lovely rescue pooch that he has really found his forever home. Somehow our bond is now even stronger. On 26th August is National Dog Day, so we went to celebrate and I donated to the Charity that rescued and brought us our Charly.

    Finally, going back to setting intentions, taking actions and schedule them, I’ve done this and have scheduled my next two Reiki trainings in Eastbourne:
    Reiki Level I takes place on 3rd-4th September and Reiki Level 2 Practitioner training takes place from 24th-25th September. If you’re interested, please get in touch.

    Wishing you all a lovely bank holiday weekend. I hope you use the time for your own end of summer reflections and set intentions for the rest of the year.

    Love,
    Sandy

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    • Mental health awareness month

    In May there’s the official mental health awareness week (9th-15th) and most people view May as a whole month to raise awareness. So do I. This year’s theme is ‘Let’s connect’
    We’ve all had moments of feeling lonely at some point but if consistent it can influence our #mentalhealth negatively and we might then tend to isolate ourselves thereby making it worse. Let’s break that cycle and connect. Reach out to a friend, neighbour, family member or therapist. Together we’re stronger! You’re not alone!

    If you feel lonely, my heart goes out to you. Let’s talk about it, reflect together and find solutions how to move beyond it. You are #notalone 
    Know that behind the clouds the sun is still shining.

    Yet also remember this month that if you have a friend or family member who you feel is pulling back and not in touch so much anymore, reach out to them. Tell them they’re important to you and offer a hug, positive vibes or just an ear to listen to how they’re feeling. Let’s reconnect with each other. Reach out to the people in your life. Everyone needs a hug every now and then. Reconnect! You’re not alone, let others know that they’re not alone. Together we’re stronger!

    If you do feel like you could do with some support, please get in touch. I offer a free 15min phone consultation as well as online sessions if you’re not in the area (I’m based in Eastbourne). My emails are: sandy@bodymindhealing.co.uk and sandy@emotionalbalance.co.uk

    Take care. Big hug.

    Sandy

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    • How an act of kindness can help beat depression

    Did you know that several studies have found that a random act of kindness can help you feel better and less depressed? According to healthday.com “A growing body of research has found that ‘positive activity intervention’ can serve as effective low cost treatment for depression”. It’s the little things that count, like being friendly to a stranger, walking a neighbour’s dog, giving praise or a compliment, helping someone with their shopping or writing a thank you note to people who have helped you in the past. When we help someone else we shift our internal focus outwards which is beneficial. Being of service can give us a sense of meaning or achievement on a small scale, something that people with depression are often lacking.

    We all have certain emotional needs and if these aren’t met, we start feeling out of balance which can eventually lead to mental health problems. So if you’re not happy or perhaps even suffering from depression, ask yourself what’s missing from your life? Are you part of a community? Do you feel in control of your life? Do you feel safe and secure in all areas of your life? Do you feel loved and appreciated the way you are by a person or pet? What do you do to have fun? Do you feel you give and receive enough attention?

    Sometimes depression can lead us to only focus on ourselves, hiding or shutting out other people as we don’t think they can help us. But what if helping them can make us feel better too? By giving them our attention and doing something nice, we lift our own spirit.
    Awareness is the first step towards change, so take a moment to think about what’s missing from your life. Also consider random acts of kindness and watch how your feelings change when you do something nice for someone else. If everyone commited to a small favour to one other person every day, we’d all help create a happier community for us to live in. What goes around comes around.

    Personally I like to do charity work. I regularly donate money and items to charities, I have volunteered at animal shelters and now I’m organising a sponsored walk to raise money for rescue dogs. In fact, if you live in East Sussex, why not come along for a lovely walk in nature on Sunday 22nd May. Bring your dog or a friend and if you have a few spare pounds to donate, that’d be absolutely awesome and it’s a win-win as you’ll feel better by doing something for someone else, like helping dogs in need, not to mention enjoying a lovely nature walk and meeting some lovely people and dogs.

    Going back to my original point, doing something nice and heart-felt is profoundly beneficial for our own emotional balance and if done on a regular basis can help reduce depression. How about making a small list of genuine things you would be able and prepared to do, such as paying someone a compliment, smile at a stranger, help an elderly person lift something heavy, pray for someone, volunteer or donate something, bake a cake for someone, help a neighbour with their garden work, pick up litter in a nearby park, show gratitude and appreciation, etc.

    “Slow steady progress is better than daily excuses” (Robin Sharma). So think of something you can do today. Perhaps you’d like to help me spread the word about my upcoming charity walk? The more people we reach, the better and if you’re not in the area but still would like to make a small donation, get in touch and I’ll tell you how.

    Thanks for reading. Have a lovely day.

    Love, Sandy x

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    • Mental health and diet

    Did you know that what you eat can influence how you feel, not just physically but also mentally?

    I’m sure you’ve heard the common phrase ‘you are what you eat’ but have you ever really thought about it? If what we ingest becomes part of our physical body then perhaps it’s a good idea to pay more attention. You wouldn’t put the wrong or a very bad fuel into your car, would you? Well, our brain is part of the body and needs a certain amount of nutrients to function properly and produce neurotransmitters to make us feel balanced, such as dopamine and serotonin. If there’s too many toxins in our system (e.g. from bad food, stimulants or the environment, such as pollution), the body will need a lot of energy to deal with them and withdraws it from other non-life threatening areas. As a result we might feel tired, lethargic, anxious, depressed or are unable focus and concentrate and are not sleeping well.

    For years I’ve been talking about a balanced diet with my clients, how to avoid the ‘blood sugar rollercoaster’ and how to feed your body and brain. Now, I’ve recently read a lot of studies and saw documentaries that claim a vegan diet can promote a better mental health. So, I thought I’d try this myself and experiment with this. For the last three weeks, I’ve been on a healthy vegan diet, have avoided all stimulants (sugar, coffee, alcohol), no processed food, I just made everything from scratch with whole foods. Apart from really enjoying the lovely smoothies, soups and vegan dishes I made, I’ve started noticing some interesting changes. I normally eat well anyway and feel relatively balanced, so I’ve not really been suffering from any particular issue, yet I’ve still noticed that I feel a lot more balanced, am able to cope much better with stress, I have loads of extra energy, more mental clarity and I sleep like a baby. It’s remarkable! I can’t remember the last time I had slept through the night without waking up at least 3-5 times. Now I sleep through most nights and feel refreshed and energised in the morning. I know not everybody is up for it and some people just can’t imagine a life without meat, fish, cheese or dairy, but I would certainly recommend trying something similar, even just for a couple of weeks as an experiment, and watch what happens. If you’ve got sleep problems, struggle with being tired or can’t concentrate at work, this might be the easiest way to get back into balance. Of course, if you are taking any medication, check with your doctor and see if they need to be adjusted.

    Right, so I just wanted to share this little experiment of mine. I hope at the very least I’ve given you a bit of ‘food for thought’ (excuse the pun) and perhaps you can become a bit more aware of what you eat and how it makes you feel. If you suffer from cravings or emotional eating, get in touch. I’ve got some great techniques to overcome these.

    Have a lovely day. Thanks for reading.

    Lots of love,

    Sandy x

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    • Merry Christmas everyone

    This time of the year is about looking back and be grateful for all the precious moments, memories and experiences we’ve had this year. For me, the biggest highlight this year has been the arrival of our lovely, amazing, beautiful rescue dog Charly. I’m grateful every single day for having the opportunity to give and receive love, to have this special connection and how he makes us smille, giggle or just feel this overflow of love and appreciation.

    I know not everyone has had a great year and perhaps this is also the time to come to terms with what happened, make time and space to process unpleasant, sad or challenging events and get back into balance. Perhaps it might be a good idea to schedule time to write about what happened, to do some breathing, tapping, art or any other way to express emotions in a safe way. We can’t swallow and pretent we’re ok forever. We’d just end up like a pressure cooker without a valve. So, if you’ve faced challenges this year, please make time to look after yourself and find a way to let out a tiny bit of all the built-up feelings over a number of days and weeks. For example, you could schedule times, even just 15-20 minutes, where you consciously focus on dealing with things. Some people like to make a list beforehand with different options, so that you can choose in that moment what you feel is appropriate. This list could include anything from writing about what happened, making a phone call, brainstorming solutions, making a special memory box, writing a letter, clear out a corner or whatever feels helpful. Remember, self-care is not selfish, neither is asking for help or showing your vulnerability.

    I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank all my followers, supporters and clients. Thank you for trusting me and allowing me to help and inspire you. Sending everyone lots of love, hope, healing and happiness.
    Take care and stay safe.
    Sandy xx