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Wharf Life Mar 3-31, 2021 wharf-life.com
take a breath
by David Lefebvre Sell
how shopping at Made In Greenwich is a win-win for the community and its customers by Jon Massey
Running is great, but don’t do it if you hate it
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’m aware I’m stating the obvious, but changing yourself is hard. Even under the best of circumstances, creating a new habit takes time, hard work and support. This difficulty is compounded by mental health issues like depression and anxiety. It’s so much harder to make a positive change in our lives if, deep down, we are convinced we are unable or unworthy. Regular exercise has a positive effect on mental health for many. I am not suggesting it is a cure all and there are many reasons why it may be impossible for some, but it should still be one of the first things to try when it comes to mental health interventions. The first thing is to start small. Setting unattainable goals is just a form of self Keep trying things until sabotage. Some people can walk into their first you find the activity or CrossFit class, have the support network that time of their lives and get hooked. Others will works for you. Change just find it demoralising and awful. Start with is hard, but people do it the long walk, or five every day. So can you press-ups or a little stretching, build your David Lefebvre Sell new habit on a gentle foundation. It’s easy to find reasons to not exercise – you may need to trick yourself. Put your running clothes beside the bed at night or your weights in front of your TV. Set reminders, get all the apps on your phone and ask your friends to keep you accountable. Not everything will work – the point is to find out what does get you moving and motivated. Make it fun. Running is a cheap and effective exercise routine. I absolutely hate it. You don’t have to do the thing you hate, so dance in your bedroom or get a dog or lift weights or swim or whatever. Keep trying things until you find the activity or the support network that works for you. Change is hard, but people do it every day. So can you.
David Lefebvre Sell is a Greenwich-based psychotherapist and Yoga instructor who teaches at Third Space in Canary Wharf Follow @davetheyogi on Twitter and Instagram and @DavidLefebvreSellYogaAndPsychotherapy on FB Scan this code for more on David’s work as a psychotherapist and details of his online Vinyasa and Hatha Yoga classes
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ews that non-essential shops could reopen in the UK on April 12 will be welcome to Mary Jane Baxter and the dozens of makers that sell their products through Made In Greenwich. The store, which opened in Creek Road in September 2019, falls under the umbrella of Greenwich Co-operative Development Agency (GCDA) and provides a physical space where local craftspeople and artists can display their wares and, in normal times, mix with customers. Mary Jane, an author, maker and former BBC correspondent, works as the shop’s curator, seeing that it acts both as a retail platform and hub for established talent as well as supporting startups in the borough. She said: “I’ve got quite an unusual background. I initially joined GCDA about four years ago to do press and PR, because of my background as a journalist. “I’m also a maker – I left my job with the BBC in Brussels to train as a milliner and I publish craft books, which are all about helping other people to make things. “When GCDA decided to go ahead with Made In Greenwich, its CEO, Claire Pritchard, saw me as the ideal person to run it because I’m a maker and perhaps also because I’d published a book called Chic On A Shoestring – I had a budget of £300 to open up. “Me and a team of volunteers did all the work – we got the paint from a recycled paint project in Walthamstow and a lot of the decoration was done using old wallpaper sample books from a shop in Greenwich. “Ikea very kindly sponsored the interior of the shop for us and did a refit for free. hen we started up with a social media call out for local makers, as well as looking at people who had been on GCDA courses, and just went for it.” Having grown steadily since launch, the shop had also become something of a community hub by the time the pandemic arrived, having hosted a range of craft workshops as well as providing a space for visitors to have a cup of
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Makers stocked by Made In Greenwich with many pieces available to buy online
Mary Jane Baxter is the curator of Made In Greenwich and a maker in her own right – you can find out more about her at maryjanemakes.co.uk Her latest book Sew On The Go is due out this spring
buy it locally
Images by Silke Studio – find out more at silkestudio.co.uk or via @silkestudio on Insta