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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 15 April 2022
kilkennyobserver.ie
Opinion AS I SEE IT MARIANNE HERON
The thing about working as a journalist is that you spend lots of time trying to have bright ideas about things to write about. Some of the ideas may not be so bright and are likely to be shot down by critical editors with remarks like: “People don’t want to read about stuff like that over their cornflakes/ muesli.” Sometimes the past ideas were about things that I would really like to do: being a millionaire for a day was a good one, it involved persuading a company to lend me a helicopter, complete with pilot so that I could fly around Ireland popping in to the best hotels and restaurants with some exciting contour flying on the way. The article about emu farming – this was in South Africa – was memorable too, maybe because emus lay dark green eggs, have incredibly bad hair days and are more friendly than ostriches which are liable to kick you if they are males in the mating season. My take home from this is that it’s a good idea to aim do things that you really enjoy doing. Ideas for articles can turn into potential books, like the one I had titled The Gentle Art of Self- Management.
Be creative... find your everyday nugget It didn’t get written but it could have turned into one of those How To books which have lots of catchy acronyms which are meant to remind you of the ingredients you need for a happy-ever- afterlife. The problem is that you – well certainly I – have trouble
remembering what the letter in the acronyms stand for. Nuggets, I decided were a better idea. A nugget is a handy piece tip or advice which might be worth its weight in gold as you prospect life’s hills and valleys. You can mine a whole How
Saving friendships from the aftermath of Covid ANDREW MCDONALD HYPNOTHERAPIST
Two years of limited socialising, or none at all, left scars. We’re out of practice in the art of being around others. Navigating inevitable bumps in the roads of friendships isn’t secondary nature anymore. Psychologists say that two years apart from our friends created new tensions. We’re quicker to overreact to slights, even unintentional ones. Being left out of social events, even accidentally, makes us feel insecure. People are lonelier because of lockdown. This increases our vulnerability. Things which only bothered us slightly, or perhaps not at all, in the past, seem worse now. Psychological studies show less in-person interaction leads to insecurity and overanalysis. A missed text message or an invite which never arrives can explode into a full-blown confrontation. The fact that social occasions are now less frequent
doesn’t help. Before lockdown, a missed coffee date was no big deal, shrugged off with ‘we’ll meet up in another couple of days’. Now, the next event might be much further away and missing out feels much bigger. Pressure also plays a part. During lockdown, for many, going to work meant simply getting up and turning the laptop on. With re-opening, we are faced with commuting again, and all the frustrations involved. We are also being hit with mass news coverage. Covid was perhaps the first major event for many decades which absolutely dominated life. Not since World War Two has a news story been so constant and in our faces. Most of us weren’t even alive then. However, as soon as coronavirus diminished, two new mass events have taken over. First, it was inflation, which still continues, and for the last couple of months, the confrontation between Ukraine and Russia. For many people, this is too much. It has weighed them down with unbearable stress. This tension then creates
relationship problems. So how do we overcome this? Before deciding whether to address something, question what the friendship really means to you. Is it a relationship worth fighting over? If not, the best course of action might be to walk away. If your difficulty is with a friend you truly care for, ask yourself whether this is a problem which can be resolved at a later date. Tackling an issue immediately means the pain is at its rawest. Emotions take over, and something which was fairly minor can become a massive deal very quickly. Giving yourself, and your friend, time to calm down could help. The flip side is also true. Allowing something to niggle away at you but saying nothing is liable to lead to an explosion at a later date. Trust your instincts on when it feels right to resolve a problem. Perhaps above all, remember to be kind. Just as you are feeling overstressed, so too may be your friends. Showing understanding is a powerful weapon in relieving tension. Good friends support each other and this works both ways.
To book and, perhaps, find just one nugget worth treasuring. The nugget approach evolved when I was training as a life coach on an assignment to coach young IT entrepreneurs. I know minus nothing about IT but the idea was to facilitate
the clients to define and reach their business goals. As well as homework after each session, they each got a nugget, and I like to think these tips were useful. Sometimes other people give you a valuable nugget. I have a friend who was fond
of remarking: “I have to have my carrot.” She meant that she needed to have a daily treat, something to look forward to and a reward for getting jobs done. It works like a charm, for me anyway, and the carrot doesn’t have to be anything extravagant... a cup of coffee shared, time spent in the garden or a favourite walk. Do the worst first, was another handy piece of advice, and a sure cure for procrastination. The paradox about avoiding doing things is that apparently people who put things on the long finger are more stressed than those who actually tackle the task they would rather avoid. It also required more energy finding reasons to procrastinate, than to do the thing itself and if you put it off until last you won’t have so much energy left anyhow. My late mother- in- law – not that you necessarily pay much attention to MIL views – had a good one too: it was always do the creative things first. I really did follow that one, always writing, painting or whatever first thing in the morning, leaving routine stuff like the housework or doing the washing up until later, the kind of things that are definitely thieves of creative time. To this day I have trained myself not to see dust, generally only getting around to hoovering or dusting by the time it is dark and I really can’t see the grime.
Balance blood sugar naturally CLAIR WHITTY
LET’S talk about balancing blood sugar levels and ways to curb sugar cravings for a healthier you. Long term problems associated with blood sugar imbalance can result in problems like diabetes, heart disease, obesity, chronic inflammation, hormone imbalance, and increased risk of cognitive problems. Prediabetes is a health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes which can be prevented through diet and lifestyle. I’m not suggesting that you have no sugar in your diet, the brain needs glucose to function as this is its energy source. But you don’t need it from sugary treats, instead choose fruit, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates. If you crave sugar, you could be lacking magnesium, or not have enough protein in your diet. Protein helps you to feel more satisfied from your meal. You might crave sugar when you’re are tired, stressed, hungry, or many
women crave sugar at the time of the month. Eat regularly and don’t skip your meals. Ditch the sweet treats and high sugar drinks. Add cinnamon to food as it may help lower blood sugar and fight diabetes by imitating the effects of insulin and increasing glucose transport into cells. Take a drink of water when you think you are hungry you might just be thirsty. A table spoon of cider vinegar diluted in water sipped with
your meal can be helpful. Increase green vegetables as they are a good source of magnesium. Eat food rich in omega 3, an essential good fat, as this can help to turn on fat burner genes! My favourite supplement to help you control blood sugar balance is New Nordic Apple Cider Vinegar Mega Strength tablets. It contains 1000mg highly concentrated apple cider vinegar per tablet with “the Mother” and chromium which contributes to the maintenance or normal blood glucose levels and therefore help to control appetite and cravings. Of course, excess sugar in your diet may be the cause of weight gain and this is an ideal in this occasion to use this supplement to balance blood sugars. Many of you love this supplement and tell me that it works for you, all the goodness of apple cider without the strong taste. I believe that balancing blood sugars is one thing you can do ensure a healthier you. Natural Health Store, Market Cross Shopping Centre Phone: 056 7764538 Email: info@ naturalhealthstore.ie Shop online www.naturalhealthstore.ie
