Health
Flying the flag with pride By ALICE O’BRIEN
Churchview Psychotheraphy, Millstreet
As we come to the middle of March every year, we are livened up by the presence of green, white, and gold. We hang our tri-colour flags from the windows, the signpost, and anywhere that we can proudly display our love for St. Patrick. This year we have an added friend, an injection of other colours; the yellow and blue of the Ukraine. We have hung the national colours of their country to show our support and solidarity for their people, to show that we walk with them and feel compassion for their current plight. When we think about the events
in the Ukraine it is easy to become stressed. We held our breaths as we waited for Covid to pass, and now, very soon after, we hold our breath again while we wait in hope for another crisis to pass. Thoughts of catastrophe are understandable as we face more uncertainty in the future. It is very normal to feel anger, helplessness, and worry at this time. It can be very triggering to watch the news bulletins, but we need to be aware of headline hysteria. Newspapers and news channels are trying to grab your attention so they need to be sensational. We watch the news and read the papers so we can be informed but watch out for the shock factor as it can often exaggerate the reality.
We have a duty to ourselves to look after our own mental health during these times. It is important that we do the things that bring us pleasure and joy, that we practice gratitude for what we have, for the peace we live in and for the comforts we are lucky to enjoy. It can feel conflicting knowing that there is a war occurring for our neighbours but we owe it to ourselves to have peace inside our own front doors. So, as we wave our green, white, and gold this year, we carry the yellow and blue in our hearts.
Do You Really Not Have Time? By SIOBHAN O’SULLIVAN SOS Fitness “I don’t have time to prep meals.” “I am too busy for exercise.” “There aren’t enough hours in the day.” Let me ask you: Do you have time to spend half an hour scrolling on your phone? Do you have time to watch television for an hour in the evening? When you say you don’t have time or are too busy for something, it means that you don’t value it. If you valued eating nutritious foods, you would take 30 minutes a few times a week to batch cook meals and have nutritious foods in your fridge ready to eat.
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You would plan out your time so that you can ensure you do a regular food shop to have nutritious foods in your house. If you valued exercise, you would take every 15-minute opportunity to get out for a walk. You would book your exercise appointments in your diary each week the same way you book other appointments or your kids sports activities. We make time for the things that
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we value. Saying you don’t have time to have nutritious meals or exercise is saying you don’t value it. Does this make you think differently about your diet and exercise? For nutrition coaching, check out my website https:// sosfitness.ie/nutrition/
Issue 60 March 25, 2022
