Home and Health Hints by Leanne Foreman

16/01/2024

Do we forget to smile when we feel so bogged down with all we have to do as a mother? It can be even harder to remember to smile if we are mothers of a neurodivergent child.

Smiling helps us feel more joy within and for those around us, especially our children.

Follow for more simple and holistic hints and hacks to make your life easier and more joyful!
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16/04/2023

Chlorine is one of those things that’s very difficult to avoid either in our drinking water, bath, shower or public swimming. While it’s added to our drinking water and bathing ... Read More…

17/03/2023

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to those of you who have Irish in their blood as I do, or those who simply want an excuse to have a bit of fun! 😀

Here are a couple of “green food” recipes if you want to extend your fun to the food table. ☘️

17/02/2023

I have previously posted about the importance of getting “joy time”.
Last night my joy time was an Ed Sheeran concert played to a crowd of 60,000.

16/11/2022

Do you have perfectionist tendencies? As a guest on The Wellness Poet podcast, I get raw and personal about my experience with perfectionism, why I now recognise it as an unattainable myth, and how I moved away from it.

Leanne Foreman and I discuss the curse of Perfection and the impact on our relationships. The questions I put to Leanne were; • Tell me about your battle with Perfectionism? • How did it manifest for you personally and how did it play out in your relationships? • Your book talks about avoiding...

15/11/2022

The last few posts have been about setting up a better end-of-work-day routine because I was finding it difficult to actually stop work and move away from my desk.

I've added a "stop work" activity to my end-of-work-day routine so that there is a clear division between my work and personal life.

For my stop-work activity, I have decided to walk the dog as it has the mental advantage of clearing my head. Walking also has a physical advantage.

If I train my dog, Asha, at the same time, I don't give my brain a chance to keep thinking about work.

If you think a "stop work" activity will help, choose something that you will look forward to and not something that you feel you HAVE to do, otherwise, you will just keep working. It could be anything that will signal to the brain, "I've stopped work for the day!"

It can be an activity you can do on the way home, like reading on the train or cycling home, or something you can do as soon as you get home, like taking a shower.

Here are some other suggestions:

Play with your children or 🐶
Cuddle your kids or significant other
Cook dinner (this is my husband's stop-work activity)
Go for a walk, run, or 🏊
Play or listen to music 🎶

What would you choose or what do you already do?

11/11/2022

Do you find it easier to start a task when all the needed tools or equipment are laid out first? Well, wouldn't it feel good to know that when you arrive at your work area in the morning, all your equipment and/or resources are there ready?

I want this to religiously become part of my stop-work routine because it helps me so much - I don't have to think about what I am going to do as that is on my list (see the previous post) and I don't have to think about what I need because it was prepared the night before.

Do you think this would help you?

07/11/2022

Crossing off what I have finished for the day, helps me to celebrate my accomplishments.

Writing down the three main things I want to accomplish the next day helps me to approach the next day intentionally. I may even get some inspiration on how to do the tasks if my mind is given time to ponder consciously or subconsciously. I’m less likely to procrastinate at the start of the day if it has already been decided what I will start.

Why just three things? Because three is not overwhelming. There will always be more to choose from when the three are done. Some people like using a list with "need to", "could do", and "want to" tasks. Or a "very important", "not so important" and "maybe" list. Whatever works best for you.

What have you already tried that works for you?

03/11/2022

When working from home or in an office, it can be difficult to leave your desk when there is such a long “still needs to be done” list.

Because I no longer have younger kids needing my attention, I get very tempted to just stay at my desk. I am starting to wonder if my husband feels my work is more important than spending quality time with him.
How often did my children feel my work was more important than they were?

Work is necessary to put food on the table. It also can give a sense of purpose and accomplishment. However, our work life can become a problem when it is given priority over our personal and social life.

I remember how often I would sacrifice my quality time with family and friends, and even with myself, in order to get some work finished.

To prevent me from staying at my desk too long, I need a solid “end of work” routine. The first step is to set a stop time and set an alarm to remind me.

For the next couple of posts, I'll outline three other parts of my new afternoon routine.