So over the past 18 months I’ve fallen in love with reading and writing poetry as a creative outlet. This pandemic has opened my soul up to new experiences and coming out of my comfort zone by sharing my written pieces and also blogging/writing with pure honesty.
I’m so thankful for this and it really has been beneficial to my wellbeing, growth and being more present.
I wrote the following poem in response to a writing prompt from the mum poem press “I choose poetry because” for national poetry day on 7/10/21. It certainly sums up my relationship with poetry.
I choose poetry because…
It reaches the depth of my soul
Pulls on every heart string –
Every avenue is beautiful,
Breathtaking, painful, invigorating
Still, raw and full of growth.
I choose poetry because I had to,
It just happened.
Sometimes words flow; I can’t help it
Sometimes words are harder to find –
I dig deeper
I will choose poetry ” always”
Bernie Egerton
Poetry handbook to learn more about the art
Great poetry handbook to learn more about the art and from Mary Oliver, who was a beautiful poet ❤
Have you discovered poetry during these times and how has your relationship with poetry been? Or what have you discovered as a new hobby?
Thank you for taking the time to read my posts and have a beautiful day ❤🙏
Do you like Autumn? I do. It’s such a lovely time of year. Plus October is also my birth month. Watching those colours in abundance and the crispy leaves crunching as you walk along the streets, is such a beautiful mindful experience (ok, it can be annoying when they blanket your garden and you have to fill bags full of leaves)
I love wrapping the girls up, taking them to the park to run through those leaves while picking up the remaining conkers that are still lying around. I also enjoy Halloween and getting the girls all kitted out and carving that pumpkin – oh I loved a good Halloween costume party myself back in my going out days!!
Poetry and mindfulness
I wrote and posted the following poem as one of my first blog posts back in March and I’m sharing it again (being Autumn and all; I wrote it last Autumn) as I’ve been practicing mindfulness during this pandemic and it really helps to be present and to ease any overthinking/worrying… My goodness, the difference when you adopt a new exercise into your life and start to focus more on “yourself”. I’ve fallen so much in love with writing during this pandemic.
Lost in the moment of life and it’s art
A Flock of wild birds they fly in chilled air I walk, embracing the earths open heart. A seagull it sweeps, alone with no care lost in the moment of life and its art. The ring of church bells, white tracks, a blue sky, children, they giggle dog walkers pass by. Bare trees that stand tall with nests where birds grew, leaves lying crumpled and soggy from dew. Clear beads as they rest on blades of green grass, autumn alive, soft clouds as they pass. A squirrel, It dances, I watch, he’s aware, Its bushy long tail, he captures my stare. This vision absorbed, the rush is no more, nature alive unlocking my core. Connections so strong I open my heart, lost in the moment of life and its art
Bernie Egerton
Thank you for stopping by to read my post. Don’t forget to look out for all those colours changing when out and about: absorbing that beauty and feeling those leaves crunching beneath your feet as the leaves fall!
During Covid, so many of us have had time to reflect on life (I’ve been doing lots of soul searching) and to appreciate the simple things.
Practicing gratitude is something you can introduce into your life daily, to focus more on the positives in your life. However, some days it can be difficult to practice when you’re not in the mood, or life just becomes too busy and you have to dig that little bit deeper. But the benefits to your mental and physical wellbeing can be huge when focusing on the good in your life.
I started writing a journal during Covid and I finish each entry with a gratitude list; finding it helpful to be more present and focused (relieving stress and anxiety). It’s a great stress management tool.
5 Tips to help incorporate journaling and gratitude into your life.
1. Write, write, write! When putting pen to paper and writing in free flow – it helps you to process any overwhelming thoughts and it’s good to let it out. Get yourself a good journal.
2. Try not to get too focused on having to write everyday, but try to write as much as possible into your journal and always have that journal in a place where you can see it (as a little reminder to write).
3. Write a list of 3-5 things you’re grateful for each day – or even thinking about it as you wake up in the morning or before going to sleep at night. It can be the simple little things and can make such a big difference. The more you practice, the more habitual it should become and part of your thought process.
4. Write in the same place each time you journal, so it becomes a habit over time. I write at the table and have my journal and pen in a little basket on that table, so I’m not trying to find where I left it (cuts out the stress of looking for it)
5. Date each entry into your journal and write down whatever mood you are feeling that day. If you are looking back over your journal, you can pinpoint what triggers certain moods.
Benefits to your overall wellbeing
Journaling can be great for your wellbeing; a good way to process your thoughts and to also document the ups and downs in your life. We all have those ups and downs – my goodness you’re only human after all.
Writing really is cathartic and practicing gratitude each day is a way to appreciate the little things – when you stop, listen to yourself and become more self-aware and present.
Being in the present moment really helps if you are feeling anxious/stressed and are constantly worrying about what’s going to happen.
Do you journal and practice gratitude? And what works for you?
I hope this post has been helpful to you and helps to incorporate journaling and gratitude into your daily life going forward❤🙏
Thank you for taking the time to read and happy journaling!
So for the past month I’ve been cutting down on all the sugary, fatty foods to lose a bit of my mama weight! I have to say I feel so much better and not as bloated (I love my bread and chocolate treats).
At first it’s tough, as I’m following a certain plan (not a diet) and your body is like “hey where’s my sugar and what’s going on here?” But when sticking to plan and recognising the overall benefits it has to your health in the long run, it makes it easier to focus and plough on through with your weight loss journey.
Balance:
Being a Libra myself, it’s all about the balance! Making sure you get the ‘balance’ right with enough proteins, fats, carbohydrates, calcium and iron (the list is endless)
Also drinking plenty of water to flush out those toxins helps. Aim for 8 glasses a day they say (I like drinking a pint of cooled boiled water as it’s easier to drink)
White to wholemeal:
Changing the white breads to wholemeal, white pasta to wholewheat and adding unsalted/lighter butter to your diet for the extra fibre that your body needs.
Grilling instead of frying.
All these little tweaks to your diet aids your weight loss journey, making you feel better.
Let’s not forget plenty of fruit and veggies…
Exercise:
Along with cutting down on the aul lockdown munching (done plenty of that over the past year) I’m making a habit of going out for a 20-30 min walk everyday. Soaking up the beautiful outdoors, being mindful along with getting fresh air into my lungs. The best bit about it? It’s free…
I know it sounds hard to cut down, but ‘you’ start to feel so much better and it’s just about tweaking your diet and adding plenty of water.
Now I’d like to add I’m no nutritionist but I’m sharing with ‘you’ whats helping me on my weight loss/healthier lifestyle journey. I feel so much better and plan to stick to it.
Hope these little tips help you! And please do comment on what helps you on your healthier lifestyle journey. Would love to hear.
Have a beautiful day, stay safe, be kind to yourself and ‘your’ body.
As it comes to the end of ‘mental health awareness week’ (mental health foundation UK – a very worthy foundation) and its promotion on connecting more with nature, I reflect on the importance of this awareness. I feel a strong connection to nature and it is so beneficial to my mental wellbeing – especially throughout these uncertain times that ‘you’ and I find ourselves in. I’ve connected vastly with the outdoors throughout this pandemic.
It sounds so simple and it is: stepping outside, soaking up the outdoors and all that beauty – while getting a good blast of fresh air in the process! I know the thoughts sometimes seem harder than the actual doing! But ‘you’ start to reap the benefits from doing so…
Onto that lovely word called ‘kindness’
I shared the following poem about being kind as one of my first blog posts (I’m 2 months blogging now, so still a newbie 😉), and I’m sharing it with you again. With it being ‘mental health awareness week’ I think ‘kindness’ is so important and how a little bit goes such a long way. Its one of the first poems I wrote when I first started writing poetry during this pandemic.
Poem:
Thank you, it’s nice to be kind
A gentle smile, a heartfelt word, clears the cloud from my mind: lifting me out of the darkest of places ‘thank you’ it’s nice to be kind. A little text with those words ‘I’m here’ travels the length of the earth – the racing mind slowly calms from every word and its worth.
In a world portraying so much anger yet still has so much beauty – spreading kindness every day is undoubtedly everyone’s duty. Be kind you say, how hard is this in a world with so much confusion? kindness helps one another, without the fear and intrusion.
To someone in need a simple hello or even a chat over tea – is the greatest gift for a person to thrive and also to somewhat feel free. A withered flower blossom’s again and is no longer blind. Lifting me out of the darkest of places, ‘thank you’ it’s nice to be kind.
– Bernie Egerton June 2020
Kindness is so easy
Little gestures – heartfelt words
The ‘kind’ that matters
Connectwithpoetry.com
Thank ‘you’ for taking the time to read my post 💖🙏. Be gentle and kind with yourself; may it be filled with lovely walks/jogs/cycles (whatever you enjoy) kindness and surrounded by the beauty of loved ones and nature 🌲🌱🌻
Have a beautiful day and keep smiling – you’ve got this 🙏💫
Do you feel a sense of connection to nature?
Soaking up the beauty of nature 🍃Family 💖 – outdoor adventures with our busy bees 🥰💖💖
So things are starting to slowly open up again in England. Evenings are brighter, weather is just so lovely and there really is a buzz around the place. How are you feeling? Are the many months in lockdown making you feel nervous about normality returning and visiting places again? Its only normal to feel this way if you do. Its been a tough year.
I’m not going to rush back to non-essential shops just yet, but I’m enjoying meeting up with friends again for leisurely walks outside in parks, with take away coffees and a bit of banter!
I’ve really enjoyed the reflective work and my new hobbies (poetry writing and cardmaking), connecting more with nature and appreciating things you really took for granted when life was full of hustle and bustle before the pandemic.
Once cases get to a very low level, I’m really looking forward to getting back home to Ireland and seeing my family again. I’m sure you also look forward to that day and where you and I are mask free – with social distancing no longer being part of our norm.
This pandemic has changed us all in so many ways, having to deal with a huge wave of events, losing loved ones and having the virus. Its a time of constant reflection, looking at the small but important stuff that makes a huge difference to all our lives.
Mindful moments:
Throughout the pandemic I’ve been practicing mindful techniques and just being more ‘aware’ of the moment and appreciating the simple, yet powerful things in life.
So much beauty is out there when you stop, look around and look up.
On a recent walk with my daughter we discovered this little bee burrowing in the ground, flapping its little wings and it really was amazing to watch. We both enjoyed that moment in a little area with lots of pretty flowers. Nature is ‘always’ there.
During a time when lockdown feels like its never ending, you tend to forget the importance of nourishing the body and mind… Do you forget to drink some water? do you forget to eat a healthy breakfast and pack up on those fruit and veggies? I certainly do.
I’ve been a bit too fond of those chocolate treats during lockdown (I really have a sweet tooth) skipping breakfast and running on empty. Its challenging when you have nothing to look forward to during a global pandemic and all you want to do is turn to those snacks and chomp away!
Being a parent and running after two busy toddlers, I’ve recently started focussing on eating a good healthy breakfast to start the day with, and drinking plenty of water (I mix a pint glass with cold and a bit of boiling water as I find it easier to drink).
I feel so much better adding the healthy foods along with water – then you’re ready for whatever work you do throughout the day as well as having energy to run after your little cherubs!
Open those windows, let the fresh air in and circulate! Working from home and more time spent indoors means a fresh working environment is needed to help ‘you’ when you’re constantly confined to a new office space you’ve had to adapt to.
Spring is here, the evenings are brighter, those beautiful blossom trees and daffodils are flourishing, and as my little girls say “mummy, the birdies are singing!”
During a time when our busy lifestyle can make us feel tired, stressed and exhausted: taking time out for some mindful moments can help you to find that balance needed to reconnect with yourself. Visualization exercises are great for finding that balance needed and for a bit of ‘you’ time.
Connecting with nature:
A walk along the beach is so relaxing. There’s something peaceful about being near the sea, listening to the swishing sound of that ocean, as your bare feet glides through those ripples. You can feel a sense of calm and connection to this beautiful environment, as you dip your toes into that water, feeling the smooth sand sinking under your grounded feet, being mindful throughout and soaking up that peaceful scene.
Its tough when you’re feeling anxious and trying to stay motivated and relaxed, especially during a global pandemic. Throughout lockdown, I found going for a brisk 20 minute walk outside and connecting with nature helped to clear my mind and reconnect with myself. Also being a mum, its important to have a bit of ‘you’ time, refreshing the mind and to relax if feeling overwhelmed.
Relaxation exercises are helpful if you are having trouble relaxing or sleeping. I’ve been practicing vizualization exercises on occasions where I struggle to fall asleep at night. Helping me to focus and relax while taking deep breaths throughout.
Visualization exercise:
The following technique, can help anytime when you’re feeling stressed. it can be very beneficial, especially after a busy day!
Close your eyes
Inhale deeply for 3 seconds
Exhale for 4 seconds
Visualize the soothing swishing ocean and the scene of that calming beach
Repeat, inhaling for 3 seconds and exhaling for 4 seconds
Deep breaths
Visualize
Relax…
Take some time out during periods of stress for relaxation exercises to recharge those batteries. You deserve it!
I wrote this reflective poem, just after a mindful walk. Being present, focussing on nature and the beauty that surrounds you, while appreciating the small but important things; makes such a difference!
Lost in the Moment of Life and its Art
A Flock of wild birds they fly in chilled air I walk, embracing the earths open heart. A seagull it sweeps, alone with no care lost in the moment of life and its art. The ring of church bells, white tracks, a blue sky, children, they giggle dog walkers pass by. Bare trees that stand tall with nests where birds grew, leaves lying crumpled and soggy from dew. Clear beads as they rest on blades of green grass, autumn alive, soft clouds as they pass. A squirrel, It dances, I watch, he’s aware, Its bushy long tail, he captures my stare. This vision absorbed, the rush is no more, nature alive unlocking my core. Connections so strong I open my heart, lost in the moment of life and its art
Bernie Egerton Mindset Coaching 