Hi everyone, I am finally back after a few months break.  A couple of reasons behind this….I lost my mojo a bit in February and March and had a few issues with people from far away lands trying to hack this site…can’t think why they would be interested in little old me but hey ho!

Another reason I haven’t blogged for a while is because I have been wrestling with the content.  I’ve been reading articles about whether blogging is dead given our ever decreasing attention spans and people preferring quick Instagram posts that they can scan in a few moments and move on.

I have also been learning about different personality types, particularly when it comes to organising, and found that while I like to be super organised with systems for everything and neat little labels everywhere that doesn’t work for everyone.  In fact certain personality types are horrified at that approach and are actually reassured by visual chaos and being able to see all their things scattered around rather than have them neatly tucked away.  I was relieved to learn that this is often why children are happy in chaos but I am hoping my little one will grow out of it now she is nearing her teens – well I can hope! It is fair to say though that following this realisation about differing styles I have been worried about coming across as an officious busy body preaching about how to do things and making anyone feel bad if they aren’t wired the same crazy way as me.

So why then am I back?  Well two very good friends have both suggested to me separately in the last week that I should start my Blog again.  After I shared my worries both were quick to remind me that I have only ever professed to share what works for me and said they liked what I was sharing.

It got me thinking about the cycle of worry again that I have blogged about before.  The latest book I have been listening to on Audible is called Stress Management by Sarah Wright.  I didn’t pick the book because I am feeling particularly stressed but I was intrigued to learn more about techniques to manage stress when it does hit.  There is one particular section that talks about making your worries more productive that I have used myself to get back to the Blog.

Sarah recommends that when you notice a worry pop into your head you note it down…have a couple of lists and ask yourself is it worth worrying about or not.  If it isn’t put it on your No Worry List and if it pops in again remind yourself you have already dismissed it.  If you notice that the same worry keeps cropping up then add it to your Productive Worry List and make a list of any actions you can do today to help to rectify it – if you can’t solve it today dismiss it until tomorrow.  By asking yourself if you have done everything you can to take action you can get back some feelings of being in control and reduce the worry.

Sarah also recommends that you ask yourself a series of questions – is it worth my worry? Can I do anything about it? Is it anything to do with me? Does someone else have it in control?  – If it is out of your hands tell yourself to let it go.

In another forum this week at work I was lucky enough to hear someone give a talk about mental health and we were introduced to the concept of 5 a day for your mental health .  In the same way we think about 5 a day for our physical health we should think of ways to keep our stress levels counteracted by making sure we include stress reducing activities into our day – anything from gardening, having a bath, reading a book, going for a walk, spending time with friends or enjoying a hobby.

This all got me thinking – I’ve had a niggling worry about being authentic in my Blog posts and not wanting to preach that it is my way or the highway and I also really love spending time on here doing something completely different so I made my worry more productive and grabbed myself some me time and here I am – I think we can call that a win/win!

If blogging isn’t dead and you made it to the end – then thank you.  I would love to hear any thoughts or comments and if I stick to my word I will be back soon with my next post.  Have a great week everyone and try to worry less about things you can’t control, take action where you can and kick back and take some me time when you can without feeling any guilt – after all it’s good for you 🙂 xx