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GET CONNECTED<br />
1We’re notoriously disconnected from ourselves, our needs<br />
and our own sense of wellbeing. We’re not very aware of what<br />
we’re thinking, feeling or sensing. Yes, we might sense our<br />
mind is racing with thoughts, but we’re not able to hear what’s<br />
MEDITATE,<br />
really happening deep within us. We’re good at avoiding ourselves,<br />
and using distractors like social media to fill the space. So, we need to<br />
get connected to ourselves first, and you can do that through the<br />
breath. Just being aware of your breath helps you to get connected.<br />
3BALANCING ACT<br />
To get more balanced I’d say to ‘surrender’ and<br />
‘let-go’ of controlling everything. I mention<br />
this in my new book, LifeTonic, there’s a whole<br />
chapter dedicated to learning to let go. It’s so easy to grip<br />
onto things, try and manipulate them and force things to<br />
happen. It wastes so much energy. Life is beyond our<br />
control – we can’t control people or circumstances. Instead<br />
if we learn to let go and have faith that things will work<br />
out in a certain way, life would be much easier. Our whole<br />
body tenses up when we control things, and we become<br />
very reliant on things working out a certain way. When<br />
you learn to surrender or let-go, simply by saying to<br />
yourself: ‘I surrender’ or ‘I let go’ and repeat as a mantra,<br />
it becomes our new belief and practice.<br />
5<br />
MONITOR YOUR TIME ON<br />
SOCIAL MEDIA<br />
Have a reality check, and know that Instagram shows us a<br />
carefully curated version of someone’s life. As an influencer<br />
myself, I’m on Instagram every day, and I’m careful to<br />
share authentic messages, and inspire my community<br />
through being real, vulnerable and supportive. There are<br />
lots of bloggers and influencers who are building a<br />
business so would want us to see a certain version of their<br />
life, so we aspire to want more of it. What’s happened now,<br />
is there are so many, that it’s overwhelming and like social<br />
soup (have you noticed I like the soup reference?). I feel<br />
that influencers who show their vulnerability through<br />
opening up more, and want to reveal their humanness and<br />
flaws will eventually be more appealing, as we all<br />
want authentic connection underneath it all.<br />
BOOKSHELF<br />
Jody Shield's new book,<br />
LifeTonic is out now<br />
(£14.99, Yellow Kite)<br />
2<br />
MEDITATE, MEDITATE<br />
Meditation, without a doubt, is the best tool for<br />
wellbeing. And, it’s the one thing we don’t make<br />
time for. When you meditate regularly, you<br />
realise the difference it can make in your own<br />
life. As a meditation ambassador for Lululemon,<br />
I attribute meditation to my own success. Start<br />
with 10 minutes every morning or evening and<br />
observe how much calmer and clearer you feel.<br />
Head to the meditations section at jodyshield.co.<br />
uk/shop and you’ll see a range of guided<br />
meditations to get you started.<br />
4AUTHENTICITY IS THE KEY<br />
It’s so hard to stay true to yourself and your<br />
message, and so much easier (and safer) to<br />
get lost in the soup of life! It takes courage and bravery<br />
to share a new and different message. Yet know, this is<br />
the perfect time to do it. Having unique opinions and<br />
points of view is rewarded, and people want to follow<br />
something different. It’s always good to check-in with<br />
yourself, and see where the decision to do something<br />
comes from. Is it from your ego-mind who might want<br />
to people please? Or is it from your deeper wisdom who<br />
wants to be authentically you? Two very different inner<br />
voices – the ego is loud and bossy, the deeper wisdom is<br />
soft and loving.<br />
6<br />
INSTANT CALM<br />
When we’re stressed, we forget to breathe<br />
deeply. Try this breathing technique to open<br />
your airways. Bunch your hand into a fist,<br />
and gently start tapping with your fist onto<br />
your collarbone. Take some deep breaths in,<br />
while tapping. Do this for about 2-3 minutes<br />
and see how different you feel.<br />
7RESET YOUR MIND<br />
Try this simple fingertip meditation exercise: Gently<br />
press the index finger onto the thumb and tap it a few<br />
times, then press the middle finger onto the thumb and tap it a<br />
few times. Next press the ring finger onto the thumb and tap it a<br />
few times. Last of all, press the little finger onto the thumb and<br />
tap it a few times. Repeat this sequence a couple of times.<br />
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