Tag: mental health

8 Benefits of Crazy Cold Showers

it wakens me up like nothing else

ClaireLeave a comment

Whilst on my own self development journey, I have tried and tested so many different life hacks and growth mindset strategies. One that I found very difficult to adopt but now seem to really love – is those “Crazy Cold Showers” in the morning.

I’ve got to be honest here, it took me a long time to get into the swing of it but now I simply love turning that shower from hot to cold for a short blast of super freshness and sheer aliveness in every cell of my body.

Of course, the real expert on this cold immersion therapy is the guru himself, none other than, Mr Wim Hof – you can find out all about his Wim Hof Method on his website and it’s really quite fascinating but not for the faint-hearted!

The main benefits I feel I get from my morning cold showers are quite simple yet impactful. Here are just a few:

  1. First and foremost it wakens me up like nothing else and after a good 8-9 hours sleep – that’s got to be a good thing.
  2. It uplifts my mood instantly – yes that crazy coldness makes me feel happy inside.
  3. Every cold shower is a challenge to me but the self-satisfaction I feel from overcoming that morning challenge, really does set me up for the day.
  4. My hair and skin looks and feels so much better, fresher and softer to touch – is this cold shower related? I feel it sure is.
  5. It’s fun – yes I did say fun – I treat it like a fun thing to do and it then feels like “childlike fun” in a funny sort of way.
  6. It puts my brain on an uplifted alert mode, which I then feel enhances my focus and concentration levels throughout the day.
  7. I don’t need that morning coffee to wake up my senses – these crazy cold showers work better than caffeine every single time.
  8. It detoxes the mind. The cold shower for me, in that moment, erases all the worries and stresses trapped upstairs – it’s like a destress release button to allow clarity to then kick in.

So there you have it, that’s eight good reasons for anyone to think about introducing a cold shower to their morning routine.

My cold shower process starts with hot, warm, luke warm, cool and then freezing cold – I turn the temperature down every minute or so, which allows by body to adapt quickly to the coldness. I then try to stay as long as possible under the freezing cold water and this is definitely the fun part!

Are you up for the cold shower challenge?

Have you already introduced cold showers into your morning routine?

Let me know you thoughts in the comments section and let’s support each other to be the best version of ourselves each and everyday.

It’s Your Life – GO GET IT!

Written by Clarabelle on 7 October 2022
Posted to Blog on 12 October 2022

Join 3,023 other followers
CLICK HERE FOR CLARABELLE CARDS SHOP

Stuck Energy?

I think it’s time to shake it up!

ClaireLeave a comment

If you’re feeling a little bit stuck right now, you’ve got to get that body and mind moving.

You see, a stuck mind can equal a stagnant body and that wonderful human being of you, needs to feel and do more.

Awaken your inside energy and ignite the neurons in your mind to start connecting and creating again.

Just do something, anything that is going to stir up some magical movement in your soul and help you feel alive again.

Lazy living truly is a bad habit and believe me, no one wants to be around the draining energy of a lazy person.

Get up off your chair, throw some cold water on your face, go outside and let that fresh air hit you all over. Even jump up and down a few times or jog on the spot – just get that stuck energy flowing again.

I believe, the less you do…THE LESS YOU’LL DO!

So that also means, the more you do…THE MORE YOU’LL DO!

Seems simple but often so hard for some people.

There is nothing good about ‘stuck energy’ and EVERYTHING good about ‘awakened energy’ – I think it’s time to shake it up!

By Clarabelle, London, UK
Created on 9 August 2022
Posted to blog on 30 August 2022

Clarabelle
Thank you for visiting my blog!

Join 3,023 other followers

Rise Up

Think about your THINKING today – is it rising high or laying low?

Claire4 Comments

You’ve got to think high to rise! This line is from the famous poem entitled, “Thinking” by Walter D. Wintle

Small thinking won’t get you anywhere impactful. I encourage you to allow your thinking to “RISE UP” and take charge of your being.

Big thinking, doesn’t need to match up with big steps – baby steps will work too!

I would rather take tiny steps forward towards a GREAT VISION than take large steps towards a low level goal.

Think about your THINKING today – is it rising high or laying low?

Don’t read this article and do nothing my friend – for that truly is the lowest level of thinking and doing.

I encourage you to turn up the temperature in your life and rise like the heat on the sunniest of days.

Have a high level day hot stuff!

By Clarabelle
London, UK
Written on 3 August 2022
Posted to blog on 15 August 2022

With Love from Clarabelle
With Love from Clarabelle

Join 3,023 other followers

Fed Up?

We can always aim to make each moment better.

ClaireLeave a comment

If the title enticed you to read more, then maybe, just maybe, you can relate right now!

Being, damn right, ‘fed up’ feels horrible but you can turn that feeling into something much more positive.

Why don’t you use the ‘fed up’ feeling as a positive trigger to change things up for yourself.

We all know life can’t entertain us every second of the day but we can always aim to make each moment better – even if it’s just a tad better!

Everytime I feel a sense of ‘something’ that doesn’t sit well with me – I use that exact feeling to turn things around.

If I’m bored – maybe I’ll go out a walk.

If I’m fed up – maybe I’ll phone my Mum.

If I’m frustrated – maybe I’ll read a good book.

If I’m stressed – maybe I’ll take a drive to the Coast.

If I’m sad – maybe I’ll be around happy people.

If I’m feeling lazy – maybe I’ll go out for a run.

If I’m tired – I’ll do something that energises me.

You see, these kind of low feelings can truly be the trigger for positive change, you’ve just got to get into the habit of doing it that way.

I don’t think it’s a case of, “easier said than done” – that phrase is just an excuse – let’s face it, the easy way out, is to be full of excuses.

If you find yourself making excuses – again, use that as a trigger to do something that will wake up your senses.

It’s Your Life – GO GET IT!

By Clarabelle. London, UK
Article written on 3 August 2022
Posted on blog 13 August 2022

With love from Clarabelle
With Love from Clarabelle

Join 3,023 other followers

In need of some motivation?

Claire6 Comments

Motivational Speech

Everyone needs a little bit of motivation and inspiration now and again, it is good for the soul and it can make all the difference in your life at any moment in time.

If you have 3 minutes to spare today, listen to the words of this motivational speech that I created. It contains words from the heart, words to feed your mind and connect with your soul.  I hope it gives you a little boost.

Please also feel free to share it if you feel you know someone else who might benefit from listening to it.

Keep going my friend, keep going till you get to the top, because indeed that is where the best view is.

I’ll see you at the top!!  Clarabelle

Related articles

Focus Goal Cards

Claire9 Comments

Progress

I set specifics goals for myself at the beginning of 2013 and I review their progress every 3-4 months together with some fine tuning of these goals.  All these goals are also directly related to my Vision Wall that I created in the spring time of 2012, please see the Vision Wall page here on this blog for more specific details around the process I followed specifically for that.

Today I want to share with you the process I have carried out in creating my Focus Goal Cards as this is something you may wish to do for yourself.

I have seven specific Focus Goal Cards that I completed for myself.

Each Focus Goal is written on an A6 size piece of white card (see photos below) with the following details:

  • Date you start the goal card
  • Goal Details
  • Why this is an important goal for you to achieve
  • Action steps you will take (on back of card)
  • Your signature of your commitment to achieving this goal
  • Date you expect the goal to be completed by
  • Ultimate Success Formula (F.A.S.T.) (on back of card)

FAST Ultimate Success Formula
F.A.S.T Ultimate Success Formula

Clarabelle's Goal Card
Clarabelle’s Goal Card

Below is a photo of an example for you:

Focus Goal Card
Example Focus Goal Card

Focus Goal Card
Example Focus Goal Card

The A6 size Focus Goal Cards are for my office desk so that I can read them often when working from it.

I also wanted to be able to keep my Focus Goal Cards at hand, so that I can read them when I am out and about, so I decided to create a miniature version of each Focus Goal Card, beginning with an “I Am” statement for e.g. “I am in perfect health”.

Goal Cards in Wallet
Goal Cards in handy Wallet

Wallet Goal Cards
Wallet Goal Cards

I then keep these smaller cards, with less information on them, in my Focus Goal Card Wallet in my handbag and read them throughout the day, as much as possible.

Subconscious Mind

What I am specifically doing here, is that I am consciously and deliberately making an effort, with repetition in mind to shift these goals from my conscious mind into my subconscious mind so that I will then automatically do things every day that are in support of me achieving these goals.

Focus Goal Journal

In addition to the above I also have a Focus Goal Journal (photo below) where I continually write each specific goal on the notepad journal, line after line after line, filling up each page – again this is so the goal moves more quickly from my conscious mind into my subconscious mind.

Focus Goal Card Journal
Focus Goal Card Journal

Bespoke Process

So there you have it, that’s the Focus Goal Card process that I am currently going through. I am fully aware that this is the final quarter of the year and I wanted to step it up a level in order to ensure I achieve what I want, so this is what I decided to do to achieve that.  Together with my Vision Wall I feel this makes a dynamic goal achievement process that is bespoke to me and I know what works for me.  For yourself, it may be a completely different process but I guess you won’t know until you try it for yourself and if you do, please let me know how you get on, I will certainly let you know how I am getting on in a future blog post.

After all, “What you think about, you bring about” and I want YOU and I to do everything we can to support that process.

Know what you want and just you go for it and please do whatever works best for you.

Lots of love to you today,  Clarabelle

Clarabelle Blog Vision Statement

Related articles

Motivational Moments

Claire2 Comments

Here is a short YouTube clip of some motivational and inspirational words, enjoy.  Lots of love to you today, Clarabelle.

Related articles

Crossed Paths

Claire7 Comments

Beautiful sunset

Life Lessons

Every person who comes into your life teaches you a lesson, whether they are in it for a day, a month or a lifetime.  Think about the people you have crossed paths with, what did they teach you?  You could even flip this question on the other side and ask the person “What did I teach you?“.  I don’t mean this in an egotistical way, I mean in a very spiritual way.

From Negative to Positive

Sometimes you never really know the real difference you make to a person’s life until they actually tell you.  I know there is a person out there who you have inspired, motivated, shared true wisdom with, really helped them by listening to them with empathy, boosted their self-esteem and confidence, helped them to become more authentic to themselves and helped them to listen to their heart and change their thoughts from negative to positive.

Think about this today, what did another person teach you or what did you teach another person?

Sometimes we are oblivious to the beautiful lessons around us, until we stop, think and reflect on them.  Maybe it’s now time to reflect upon that.  🙂

Wishing you a day filled with positive thoughts, love Clarabelle.

Clarabelle Logo

 

Related articles

What Mood Are You In?

Claire6 Comments

Mood Lift Chart

Mood Lift Chart

I love this chart above, it was passed to me by one of my clients who has been working with an expert on leading change.  I love it so much that I carry this little chart about with me everywhere now, I often look at it to measure where my mood is at.  Earlier today, I had identified my mood as being -1 Impatient, Frustrated, I know why, I was putting too much energy and focus on a situation that did not serve me well, I changed focus and it then gradually moved up to +6 Resourceful and in this moment in time I am at +8 Wise, Insightful.  Try it for yourself, print off the chart, cut it out and put it in your wallet/purse and test yourself throughout the day in terms of where your mood is at, it is very enlightening and will help you to reflect on where your current focus is – Is it serving you well or not?

Have fun with it, work on increasing your mood and I then reckon much more positive actions will come from this.

Thank you for reading this post – ah now I am +9 Grateful, THANK YOU, Clarabelle.

Clarabelle Logo

 

Related articles

What is wisdom?

Claire3 Comments

What is wisdom

Busy Lives

Wisdom is truth and we gain wisdom from being true to ourselves and listening to the whispers of our heart.  In our busy lives it is so easy to caught up in routine and rituals, we often don’t take the time out for ourselves and we can very easily allow that to happen too much, it can then create a build up of frustrations, stress, having the feeling of chasing our tail and ultimately never truly feeling free.

What Can You Influence?

Today I tempt you to take some precious time out for yourself and think about what is happening in your life right now that, A) is serving you well and B) is not serving you well – now focus on what needs to change for you, what can you influence to make things better for you?  The key thing here is to focus on what you can influence not what you are concerned about and have no control over.  If you have read the late Mr Stephen R. Covey’s book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, you may be familiar with his principle of Circle of Concern -v- Circle of Influence….and if not, I would totally recommend you reading this.  It will really help you put your own life into a different perspective and help you to see the woods from the trees.

Set Yourself Free

You are wisdom and therefore YOU have the wisdom to set yourself free from anything that is not working for you right now and sometimes it takes pure silence for you to truly hear what is being said.  The real intelligence in you is bursting to get out, strip back the layers of your busy life and release it into the universe, for its energy will attract like energy and positive changes will happen.

In the stillness of the night my own wisdom talks, this is my midnight calling to you.  

Much love to you my friends, Clarabelle.

Clarabelle Logo

Related articles
what are you tolerating

What Are You Tolerating?

Claire11 Comments

what are you tolerating

A Question to Ponder

You may not wish to answer straight away, you may wish to contemplate the question for a few minutes/hours/days or even a couple of weeks.  You don’t even need to post the answer on here, but it would be nice if you would and share your answers with others.  So here is your question:

What are you tolerating?

Here is my answer:

These days I don’t tolerate most things that don’t serve me well and I made that change for myself a while back after I came across this statement “You get what you tolerate”.  Wow, that was a transformational statement to me because it really made me think of what I was tolerating at that time in my life and didn’t wish to continue to tolerate.  This changed my thinking at that time and inspired positive change within me.

So these days, if I’m purely honest, I don’t put up with anything that I don’t want and that is because I have greater self-respect and self-love for myself, I have raised my personal standards and everyday I work towards living my life in alignment with my values.  My focus is on what I want out of life not what I don’t want and then I do what I can to achieve what I desire.  Sometimes this isn’t easy and I have to push past internal barriers but as long as I have moved one baby step closer to my goal, then I know I am progressing and I will definitely arrive.

You get what you tolerate and if you don’t like it, change it!!

Related articles

Inspiration Will Find You

Claire2 Comments

Inspiration will find you

A Trigger

Sometimes you just can’t force yourself to be inspired, sometimes you just have to let go and let the inspiration find you, let it find its own way to your heart.  I say this because I have experienced it for myself and tried to force inspiration but I just cannot do it, it doesn’t feel right and it doesn’t connect or flow.  Then when I begin to switch off, when I take my mind off trying too hard, then comes a signal, a trigger, an emotional connection to a sense of purpose deep inside of me and WOW, I FEEL INSPIRED….then I create, just like I am doing right now…..I am writing from inspiration and the words just keep coming, flowing freely like a magical waterfall.  I feel my energy rising throughout my body, focus is maximised and concentration is full on, I know other things are going on around me, but they do not distract me because when I AM INSPIRED, nothing can stop me, nothing can get in my way.  It feels like I have a superhero strength and it feels so empowering, so deeply powerful and so in tune with the universe and who I am.  For in that moment, I am inspiration and it’s running on a natural emotional power of inner wellbeing and magnetic vibrancy.

Precious Moments

Sometimes I don’t even know if I make sense but this is me trying my best to explain it in words, maybe there are no words to describe it, just a simple but special feeling that I am sure we have all connected to at some point in our life.  In these precious moments of inspiration, we are so incredibly powerful and believe we can achieve anything we put our minds to.

When inspiration captures your heart, go for it, create what ever feels right for you at that moment in time, for you don’t  know how long it will last for and you’re not so sure when it will return…..but I know it will return and the more you become inspired the more it wants to stay with you, it will keep on coming back for longer and longer periods of time and then you will create more, inspire more and turn your dreams into a reality.

To The Mountain Top

To the mountain top

Embrace the inspiration, let it guide you up to the mountain top and there you will find peace in your heart and happiness in your soul.  Share your inspiration with the world, for as you pay this love forward it will create a human wave of inspired imagination and creativity across the universe.

Have a deep faith and knowing today that inspiration will find you, love Clarabelle.

Clarabelle Logo

Related articles

Guest Blogger – Aviral Kulshreshtha

Claire5 Comments

Guest Blogger:  April 2013

Every month I shall be posting a poem/article from a guest blogger.  If you are interested in becoming a guest blogger on this blog, please note your interest on the comments section below or email me at claire@murraypeople.com

May I introduce you to a very talented inspirational writer, Aviral Kulshreshtha from India. Aviral writes with passion, enthusiasm and pure positivity, I know you will be inspired by his writings.

Aviral loves acting and it is his passion and he always trys to learn the lessons of Life. Aviral says, “I want to be an entrepreneur and would one day make an impact on the world.”  You can find out more about Aviral’s professional background by going over to his About Me page on his wonderful blog cherrypositive.

Aviral Kulshreshtha
Aviral Kulshreshtha

Following your passion

When we were kids, we used to enjoy every moment of our life. We were surrounded by ecstatic group, the group we were proud of and used to flaunt about with our family. We had no goal, no tensions, no work pressure apart from school homework and we never considered our life seriously. We weren’t serious about it. Those were halcyon days of our life.

Still we were passionate, energetic and full of motivation.

Where did we get the motivation from? What was the motivational factor? Who injected inspiration in us? What made us smile?

You guessed it right.

Friends!

Friends and friendship was our passion.

Follow Your Passion

We developed and weaved beautiful dreams in our mind like weaving colourful sweaters.

As we grew older and got to know about life and relationships, got to know about priorities and our life got diverted from personal life to the professional life. As priorities changed, our goals changed and it changed the source of motivation.

Guess what?

Our dreams got shattered like ruptured glass and we adopted the scenario which later changed our motivation and passion. When passion and motivation fade, confidence drops and seeds of frustration burst over.

Result is crystal clear. Depression crops up and we ruin our precious life.

Follow your passion midst reaction.

We must never ever end up our passion. Passion makes us. It gives intense happiness which no one can ever provide you. Rebuild your motivational factor and prepare goal. Get inspired from leaders who changed the world. Ignite the passion within you.

Passion within You

If you love singing or dancing, join some institution or organization where you can strengthen and prosper your talent.

Search out what makes you happy. Scratch the factor and do what you love to do.

Discover You

Rebuild your passion and make a way to achieve it. It not only blossoms you but also nurtures the society.

If you would like to check out Aviral’s blog, then please head over to cherrypositive for some more daily inspiration, you’ll be so glad you did.

Thank you Aviral for this wonderful post, Clarabelle.

Related articles

Out with the old and in with the new!!

Claire20 Comments

Out with the old and in with the new

Love, Care and Attention

“Out with the old and in with the new”, that’s my current mode of thinking at the moment.  I’m mainly referring to the refurbishments I am getting done in my home right now, both inside and outside the house and I feel that is a true mirror reflection of what is going on inside of me also.  Leading up to these home refurbishments I had been strongly visualising for a while what I specifically needed and wanted done i.e. whole house painted in white, new red sofa, new wall paintings,outside garden to be looking great, trees felled, hedges trimmed back, be gone with the old shed….basically a full makeover with lots of love, care and attention given to the tasks at hand.

Inside of Me

I feel that work didn’t properly happen until I worked on the inside of me first and I have been on a major self-improvement plan, really quite seriously since October 2011.  I have been doing lots and lots of things to make me a better me and I can honestly say I am feeling the best I have ever felt since probably 2007.  I sorted myself out, put my health and wellbeing at the forefront, focused on my learning and development and went to work every day on me.  It wasn’t an easy job, some days I had to force and push myself to take action, but I did it….I am doing it and I becoming the person I want to be.  I feel an abundance of positive energy flowing through me, there is sunlight beaming from my heart and soul and it is now penetrating into everything I do.  An abundance of opportunities are unfolding in front of my eyes and my self-belief has soared to the greatest of heights.  My confidence in me and my capabilities is second to none and because I have raised my standards I am getting better results for me.

So why am I sharing this with you? 

Well, as I have personally experienced and as we all know, life is not always a bouquet of roses and set backs come our way, we lose faith and hope in ourselves and humanity and we struggle to get out of the gutter.  Our minds are saturated with the pain of negative thoughts and our heart feels abandoned.  If you are reading this part and you can relate to it right now, believe this….positive change for YOU is on its way and I encourage you to take the first baby step towards freeing yourself from the quicksand.  It might be even something simple like making a phone call, speaking to a friend, or like me, expressing your thoughts in poetry.  You will have your own unique way that works for you, but you need to “start with the end in mind”, right now, visualise the positive change you want to see happen for yourself and combine that with deliberate personal action.

Inner Spirit

Yesterday has gone, it’s not coming back, do one thing today that will make a difference to your tomorrow, maybe even your now.  What will that be for you?  Your body, mind, heart and soul is always connected to your inner spirit, dust away the cobwebs, breath in the fresh air and let your inner light guide you on a path that will not only change yourself for the better but will inspire other hearts along the way.

By reading this, you already have the energy of my love igniting your heart……I do hope that’s a nice thought for you and that you will keep the fire burning.

Much love to you today, as always, Clarabelle

Related articles

Mental Health and Poetry

Claire20 Comments

Mental Health and Poetry

As of yesterday (02.4.13), I am now a fully Certified Mental Health First Aider, so what does that mean?

Mental Health First Aid, like any other type of first aid, is the help given to a person before appropriate professional help or treatment can be obtained.  First aid of any type has the following aims:

1.  To preserve life
2.  To prevent deterioration of any injury or illness
3.  To promote healing
4.  To provide comfort to the person who is ill, injured or distressed.

Mental Health First Aid is the help given to someone experiencing a mental health problem before other help can be accessed.  A MHFA is not a therapist, however, people are trained in:

  • How to ask about suicide.
  • How to recognise the signs of mental health problems or distress.
  • How to provide initial help.
  • How to guide a person towards appropriate professional help.

First Aid for Mental Health problems such as:

Alcohol and Mental Health;
Cannabis and Mental Health;
Stimulants and Mental Health;
First Aid for Suicide – using the ALGEE method of approach;
First Aid for Self-harm;
First Aid for Depression;
Alcohol and Depression;
Illegal or Recreational Drugs and Depression;
First Aid for Anxiety;
First Aid for Psychosis;
Schizophrenia;
Bipolar Disorder (manic depression).
(The above is an extract from Scotland’s Mental Health First Aider Manual)

Davina’s Poem

One of the reasons I am sharing this with you today, is that at the start of the training we were given a poem to read written by someone who used poetry as a method of communication whilst going through some challenging self harming mental health issues.  I want to share that poem with you today, it is given with kind permission from Davina Smith and it has been included in the Scotland’s Mental Health First Aider Training Manual.  Here is Davina’s poem:

Who Me?

You smoke each day
Puff your life away
You clearly know it’ll kill you

You drink with the moon
Drown your liver and soon
There’s a chance it just may kill you

You drive too fast
And what if you crash?
You know it might just kill you

You smoke your dope
Take drug, others hope
This time that they won’t kill you

You over-eat
Can’t see your feet
One day it’ll certainly kill you

You look down on me
And all you can see
Are my cuts and scratches and scars

I’m having my life
While you’re taking your life
Now tell me, who’s the self-harmer?

by Davina Smith (with kind permission) 

This led onto further stories being shared by participants of the training of how young adults experiencing mental health issues used poetry to communicate their feelings with their key workers – I found this fascinating.

There is indeed a special power in poetry, I have always believed that, creative self-expression can be the breakthrough that we need to move on in life, I know I have certainly experienced that for myself.

This was a very tough training course for me, maybe because I connected so much with it.  I learned a lot and share some of this learning with you today.

May you continue to express your heart through your creative soul, because I believe that there are real people out there, who truly value and connect with your words, you just might be ultimately and positively changing a life too.

Lots of love to you today, Clarabelle

3 April 2013