A spoonful of ....

I know the song says "A spoonful of sugar ..." however I've taken a spoonful of my own medicine.  Towards the end of last week the warning signs of 'burnout' started to rear its head again.  No matter how long I managed to sleep for I still felt completely spent.

THE WARNING BELLS BEGAN CLANGING

So taking some time off work; do you like my view for my coffee on Monday morning?

Oh yeah.

I'm so lucky to live near Bradgate Park so I walked up to Old John and enjoyed the solitary silence.  Watching Leicestershire slowly wake whilst doing yoga was freaking wonderful.  It certainly started the replenishment of my soul.

*  Laying on the sofa and leisurely reading magazines - massive tick.
*  Soaking in the bath with divine, aromatic bath oils and crystals - yummy.
*  Not watching the clock but letting the day slide along
*  Mini-me spa treatments; facial, head and foot massage, Reiki and meditation
*  Plenty of nourishing raw foods
*  Social Media shut down
*  Afternoon naps on the settee snuggled under a blanket
*  I got a wonderful massage to ease out the tension in my back
*  I treated myself to a manicure

Unfortunately, I still got the effects of a cold.  Plenty of Ribena, echinacea, herbal teas and eucalyptus inhalations.  I'm almost back to full fitness (and certainly much quicker than I anticipated) but I certainly still need more rest.  I believe in filling my cup otherwise how can I help fill the cup of others?

So tell me readers, do you recognise when you're heading towards 'burnout'.  Are you lucky enough to be able to put yourself first and replenish yourself?  What would be your ideal replenishment routine?

As always, thanks for reading and if you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you below.

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How to make your dreams come true

Emergency pick-me up

Hello all.  How are we?  Here in England Spring is finally here and hopefully warmer, brighter weather is on its way.  However, even with the hope Spring brings for the future, I always like to have an Emergency pick-me up toobox.

This is a little make-up case or even just a list of things to do when life really seems to suck.  Here are some of the things on my list:-

Go outside into the fresh air (preferably barefoot and grass but I'm not picky)
100 breath meditation
Read a book
Hold a crystal (doesn't matter which one, whatever you are drawn to)
Self-Reiki
Go do some painting or journalling

I also have a small basket with the following items:-

Candles
Relaxing music
Aromatherapy bath soak
Neal's Yard Remedies Beauty Balm (for a blissful mask during above bath)
Coconut oil for hair mask
Bee Lovely body lotion (such a gorgeous scent)

and if I'm feeling super indulgent (and I've got the time) I like to come out of the bath and paint my nails.  Invariably this time spent (preferably without the kids bickering in the background) helps me feel much happier, calm and balanced.  It's Mothering Sunday here in England soon, why not put together a similar 'Pick-me-up' pack for your Mum.  A 'Pick-me-up' pack make the perfect and most thoughtful gift for others.

For more perfect gift ideas see:-

https://uk.nyrorganic.com/shop/HeatherWinterton/area/shop-online/

As always, thanks for reading and if you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you below.

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How to make your dreams come true

My new crystal

I was drawn to a new crystal whilst away. It's beautiful creamy colour reminded me of dream clouds and intrigued I purchased the crystal (which I now know to be Selenite) and researched it's attributes.

Selenite is named after Selene, Greek goddess of the Moon because of its moon-like glow.  It is a crystallized form of gypsum and linked to the astrological sign of Taurus.

The Book of Stones describes Selenite as a spiritual activation crystal with links to the crown chakra. The Power of Crystals book suggests Selenite is an excellent tool for meditation; "simply rub while in a meditative state and take note of any visual images or symbols that may appear".  However, The Crystal Healer book suggests the healing qualities of longevity, helps with wrinkles, age spots and skin problems.

I prefer to use my own intuition when using a new crystal. Therefore, I have decided to meditate with this new crystal and ask what attributes or properties this crystal holds for me.  I must admit I felt superbly relaxed and peaceful (more than usual) whilst meditating with this crystal.  I also had ‘visions’ of delicate, white glittery wings which belonged to an angel.  I’ve also been carrying this crystal around with for the last couple of days and my (ever present) temper seems to have been soothed and I’ve purposely put myself first.  After all, if I’m not at my peak, I cannot support my family, friends and clients.  I’m really loving this crystal and I envisage I will be using this crystal rather a lot in the future.

Please be aware that Selenite is a 'soft' crystal and should not be cleansed using water or used in a direct method for creating an elixir.

As always, thanks for reading and any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you below.

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Quick disclaimer; I am not a medical practitioner so therefore I’m not prescribing.  All of my blog posts are based on complementary therapies and not as a replacement for conventional medicine. 

Some of the information provided in this post has been taken from :-
The Power of Crystals by Denise Whitchello Brown ISBN 1-85605-637-6

The Crystal Healer by Philip Permutt ISN 978-1-904991-62-5

The Book of Stones by Robert Simmons and Naisha Ahsian ISBN 978-0-9621910-3-9

My crystal super heroes

Following on from last time’s blog post, I must admit I looove my black tourmaline.  My home sanctuary has been undergoing a renovation and I was beginning to feel far too negative.  Within two days of carrying BT round with me I was feeling much more . . . well happy, positive me again. 

I’m going to continue to use BT (along with some others, keep reading for details) for the next two weeks as I have a couple of challenging weeks where I’m going to need all of my calming, soothing and un-conditional love qualities. 

So, talking about un-conditional love I’m going to blog about how I’m going to use my crystal super heroes.  Firstly, I’m going to use Rose Quartz as it exudes a very gentle and soothing energy.   It encourages forgiveness and helps to let go of anger, resentment and jealousy and promotes love, self-love, friendships, deep inner healing and feelings of peace.  Oh my gosh, just reading this I KNOW this crystal is going to help me. 

BT is next on my list along with Smokey Quartz to help ‘bounce’ off any negativity.  Finally I’m adding Amethyst for its calming and balancing properties and clear quartz to amplify all this wonderfulness. 

I’m so excited about using my stones during this testing period.  I’m going to create (using both direct and non-direct methods) a crystal elixir to sip on at regular intervals.  Using the same crystal elixir, possibly with some lavender essential oil dropped in, as a room spray and I’m going to carry these wonderful crystals on me in a gorgeous little organza bag for the majority of time. 

Kapow – negativity be gone and replaced with unconditional love. 

Come back next time to find out how my next two weeks have fared.

As always, thanks for reading and any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you below.

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Quick disclaimer; I am not a medical practitioner so therefore I’m not prescribing.  All of my blog posts are based on complementary therapies and not as a replacement for conventional medicine. 

Crystals in and around the home

Crystals can be used all around the house and also on our bodies. Crystals can help with the energies in the home and of those of the people within. For example, I have a large, rough, rose quartz by my front door which provides love and warmth to all who enter. I have chunks of amethyst in the bedroom to aid with any sleepless nights we may suffer from as it helps to calm an overactive mind. I have a clear quartz on my computer desk at work to help displace some of the electro-magnetic energy given off by the screens and laptop.

I also wear various crystals (sometimes to match my mood, sometimes to match my outfit) in the form of crystal adorned rings, necklaces and bracelets.

My children have a range of crystals in their bedrooms (ie blue gold stone although not technically a crystal) as it is beautiful and looks like the night sky.
My eldest soon carries various crystals in his book bags, fluorite being one of them as it is said to aid with concentration.

The energy of crystal can be measured (and seen) by Kirlian photography. Kirlian Photography is a valuable tool that provides photographs, video, or computer images of energy flow. There are some amazing examples on the internet.

Some of my favourite crystals look amazing with holes drilled in to hold t-lights. These glisten and glow and add a beautiful ambience to any room.

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Christmas Preparation, Part Two

So the planning part is complete, now we need to actually get things done.

First of all, even though you are going to be busy, don’t forget to put yourself first. Ensure, even if it’s only for 5 minutes per day, you spend sometime relaxing (see http://heatherholistics.blogspot.com/2011/09/starting-out-in-holistic-health.html for further advice). This doesn’t mean you can’t multi-task. Why not spend those 5 minutes relaxing in the shower whilst applying a body scrub? This will ensure you skin is party dress ready at the same time.

When purchasing gifts, try and support your local, smaller companies rather than the large, impersonal corporations. Visit your local salon, village shops or parent based websites. As a company, Heather Holistics purchases products locally wherever possible. Our range of organic, aromatherapy products are made here in the Midlands.

Heather Holistics has some very December special offers to tempt you http://www.heather-holistics.co.uk/Special_Offers.asp These make ideal Christmas presents for everyone in your family. There are some gorgeous crystal jewellery, fantastic skin, hair and body care products suitable for all (including sensitive skin) and crystal tea-light holders for those people you just don’t know what to buy. All at amazing value prices.

I’ve just gleaned another wonderful tip (one which I am going to put into action immediately but adding another column to my spreadsheet) . . . where I have hidden presents. Every year I think I’ll remember and then find them in January!

Don’t forget to also mark off your lists when you’ve bought the present.

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