Motivation vs Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Today is a Motivation vs Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) day.

All day, I have been sitting wrestling with myself.

I need to produce articles for my website. I have a pile of things that I must write, organise and complete by certain days. I have planned it all out, made notes and rough drafts. All the preparation has been done - all I need to do is sit and write.

For some reason, even though I love to write and it comes naturally to me, I can’t seem to muster up enough enthusiasm to start.

There is nothing different about today. Nothing different about my routine. So why does it feel like my brain has been surrounded by a think fog? Why don’t I feel the usual motivation to get my work done? Why don’t I feel like making food, and just want to snack? Why am I feeling tired even though I have had my usual amount of rest? Why am I trying to resist grabbing the duvet, curling up on the sofa and watching films all afternoon? Why does nothing seem to light that rocket fuel and get me going?

Why? Well, it’s October. That’s why.

This is the start of it. This is the start of my SAD days.

Listen to the interview with Suzy Wraines, of Wraines Wellness, to discover how you can boost your energy and keep energised throughout your day. 

How can anyone find time to write a book?

With the launch of my new book, Sleep, Cure Your Insomnia, Improve Your Health and Feel Better Now, I have been contacted by many people asking lots of different questions.

With the subject of my book being about ‘Sleep’, I am really surprised that one of the biggest questions that I am asked does not relate to sleep in the slightest!

Would you believe that the next biggest question that I am asked, aside from how people can improve their sleep, is how I found time to write a book?

I am seen by others as a busy mum who runs a website, writes posts and publishes podcasts, so, I guess it’s not surprising that they wonder how I have found the time to write a book on top of all my other work and home-life.

With this in mind, and wanting to share my own experience with you, I have listed the 3 main things that helped me get that book written!

Whether you want to write a book or start a new and challenging project, and are looking for tips on where to start and how to keep going, then read on.

Fed up counting sheep? Here are some things that you can do to help you fall asleep when you are just not tired.

So, let’s just imagine that you’ve got a long day ahead of you come the morning, and you know you must get those 7 to 8 hours of sleep to make sure you are at your best and ready to cope with whatever life brings you.

When 10pm comes, you are in your bed, lights off and ready to sleep. You lie there with your eyes closed waiting to nod off to sleep. The problem is that no matter how long you lie there waiting to fall asleep, you still feel wide awake. You are just not sleepy. You know you need to be sleeping, but you are just not in that zone. You start to feel anxious and this just makes you feel more awake. What do you do?

We all have one area in our homes where we just close the door, try to forget it and tell ourselves that we will deal with it tomorrow. 
Well tomorrow has arrived - it’s time to declutter!

Let’s be honest. We are all guilty of it. We all have areas in our homes where we have a pile of clutter that we have been promising to clear for quite a long time. Somehow we just never get around to it.

Whether it’s a pile of paperwork that seems to have collected on the kitchen worktop or a bundle of clothes that claims a chair in your bedroom, we all have clutter in our life.

You pretend that you don’t have it. When you have friends over, the piles of paperwork get dumped into another room, and the door gets closed. You hope that your friends never stumble on the hidden mess in your home as you would just die of embarrassment!

You think that you are the only one with a bedroom you can’t walk freely in, or a garage that is stacked to the roof in random boxes. Don’t even mention the attic!

You are certainly not alone. Believe me, your friends hide their clutter away, just like you do!

So if it’s a normal habit to have, then why bother going to the efforts to clear it out?

Why get rid of our stockpiles of stuff that we never or rarely use? Why does it really matter that we have a clear space around us?