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Christmas time is here again.

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Christmas time is here again and another year is nearly over. I really hope it has been a happy and healthy one for you. Christmas is a time of happiness, joy and excitement for many, an occasion for families to come together and an opportunity to rekindle traditions.

As I come from a European background (my parents were Hungarian), our biggest celebration was on Christmas Eve. Christmas actually started for my family with the feast of St Nicholas on the 6th December. My sisters and I would put our shoes outside our bedroom door at night time, to find them filled with fruit, nuts and occasionally sweets, the next morning. St Nicholas was said to have been a very generous man with a love for children.

It was the start of a very exciting month which culminated in the delivery of our Christmas tree by the angels. Our sitting room was locked and the blinds and curtains drawn in preparation for the big day. My sisters and I would look for clues in the garden, searching for pine needles that would show that the angels had been. We would excitedly follow their trail from the front gate, along the garden path, up to the verandah and the french windows that opened onto the sitting room. The tree had arrived and Christmas was nearly here.

Although I didn’t keep up this tradition for my own son, he did grow up believing in Father Christmas and would take ages to get to sleep on Christmas Eve, too excited to close his eyes. Hence my husband and I would set our alarms for the middle of the night so that we could sneak in with a stocking full of presents. We would place these on his bed to surprise him in the morning. The rustle of wrapping paper would greet us the next day and we would go into his bedroom delighting in his joy and excitement. Very special memories.

Christmas to me is a time of giving. A time to include others and share what you have. Very often we have an extra person or two who would otherwise be on their own, to share our Christmas lunch with. Their presence only contributes to the celebrations and enriches our Christmas meal. Although a happy occasion for many, Christmas can also be a sad and lonely time. Not everyone has a family to be with or the love of those close to them. This time of year can also bring up memories of happier times spent with those who are no longer with us.

For Christians, it signifies the birth of Jesus Christ and the love and teachings he brought to the world. It’s also an occasion of ‘togetherness’, a time to think of others and not of ourselves and of showing kindness to those around us.

Christmas time is nearly here and it’s a great opportunity to be grateful and reflect on the past year. It’s easy to get caught up in the shopping frenzy and commercialism, but to me, Christmas is much more than that. Yes it’s lovely receiving gifts but gratitude goes much further. The past few years have been such a mixed bag of worry, fear and anxiety, but they have allowed many of us to re-evaluate our lives and how we live them.

I’m grateful to have rekindled my creativity and passion for writing. Others have found a better work/life balance. Some have moved homes to somewhere less busy and crowded. Silver linings can be found in many difficult situations.

This Christmas, enjoy your time with those you love, give gratitude for what you have and seek out opportunities to live a life you are truly passionate about.

Thank you all for reading these newsletters and sending much gratitude to my lovely clients, who entrust me with their care.

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and a wonderful, healthy and enriching New Year.

With warmest wishes,

Judy xxx

Wishing you a truly Happy New Year.

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Wishing you a truly Happy New Year.

These words may sound a bit trite as the new year dawns and we repetitively greet those we meet in a similar way. But my wish for you all is to have a truly happy New Year ahead.

The past two years have been really difficult and have brought up huge fears and much uncertainty. We have had to reassess the way we live and adjust to unfamiliarity and constant stress. Even though life remains unclear, it is important to give closure to the year that has passed and start the new year afresh.

One way of doing this is to acknowledge what has been and then give thanks for all the positive things that have happened over the past twelve months. Even though there have been difficult times for me, with closing the clinic, loss of income, cancelling holidays and coping with the everyday stress of lockdown, I too, found lots to be grateful for.

At first glance, I decided it was a pretty horrible year, but when I looked back at my photos and memories of what had been, I found so many occasions to celebrate and give thanks for. You can do the same. It could be birthdays, chats with friends – even over Zoom, walks in nature or time with family. Giving thanks for the good times helps to bring closure for the year and provides an opportunity to enter the new year with hope and optimism.

A New Year brings with it new dreams and plans for the months ahead. It gives us an opportunity to reassess what we want to bring into our lives and what we want to leave behind. It also brings us hope. Hope for an end to the pandemic, hope for great health, hope for holidays that actually take place and hope for the things we want to create in our lives.

What do you no longer want to do this year? Do you want to leave a job you no longer love? Do you want to end a relationship or friendship that brings you distress and unhappiness? Do you want to let go of playing small, being perfect, trying to please everyone? The New Year is a perfect time.

What do you want to bring in to your life this year? Do you want to spend more time in nature and do more walking? Do you want to learn a language or start a new craft? Do you want to commence a new career or finally do something that you have always wanted to do? Do you want to have stronger boundaries around your time and availability? Do you want to have a healthier lifestyle? A New Year is the perfect opportunity.

Many people do vision boards, pasting pictures or photos on a board, of what they want to do over the next twelve months. I have done this myself, on many occasions and it has always been rewarding. I put together a collage of images from the internet, of holidays, food, experiences that I want to bring into my life, and then print it off. I stick it on some cardboard and put it up on my fridge, where I can see it everyday.

This works to remind me of my dreams and plans and if I get sidetracked as I inevitably do, this grounds me and brings me back into creativity. I also choose a word to embody what I would like to do or be in the new year. This year I have found it hard to do and have felt conflicted. How can I choose a word when so much is uncertain? I decided that as my mind is always wandering into the future and what might happen, I need to focus on the present instead and on what I can do and achieve now. So my word is to be Present.

You might like to try it too. You may have other ways of planning for the coming months or you may prefer not to plan and just wing it. Neither way is right or wrong, so long as you continue to have dreams and act on them. Having dreams is the first step but unless you take action, they remain dreams only.

Book dates in your diary to start the ball rolling. Book in that reflexology treatment you have been promising yourself. Sign up for that art or language course. Buy yourself some paints and pencils and start drawing and creating. The world awaits you and your unique gifts and talents. A New Year is your time to shine!

When so much is out of our control, focus not on what you can’t do but on how you react to change. As the quote says, “Sometimes in the waves of change, we find our true direction.”

Wishing you a truly happy New Year. May it be a really magical one for you.

Warmest wishes,

Judy xxx

References: Photo by on  Ester Marie Doysabas on Unsplash. Quote – author unknown.

Disclaimer: Please note that all information in this article is the opinion of the author and obtained through her research and knowledge and the above references. It is not meant to replace medical advice and a medical opinion should always be obtained.

May you all find Happiness this Christmas.

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May you all find Happiness this Christmas, whatever the day may hold for you.

It has certainly been another very challenging year and the future seems uncertain. Yet as this very special time of year, I believe that it’s important to pause and reflect on the year gone by. Not everyone celebrates Christmas and I know that for many, it can be a sad and lonely time. Families get together and tensions may arise. However it’s important to remember that happiness can be found, whatever the circumstances.

I have been fortunate to have very fond memories of Christmas. It was always a magical time for me as a child. It began early with the feast of St Nicholas celebrated on December 6th. My sisters and I would leave our shoes outside our bedroom door, in the hope that they would be filled with small gifts by the morning. If we had been good (we were always told this as an incentive), we would find some nuts, fruit and chocolates waiting for us. Apparently St Nicholas loved children and these tokens were a reminder of the simple things and allowing ourselves to receive. The rest of the month was then spent excitedly waiting for Christmas to arrive.

As I reflect on the past twelve months, despite the difficulties of trying to run a business during the constant lockdowns, there has been a lot to be grateful for. As a family, we have had a lot of time together. This can be stressful at times, but there have been so many laughs and fun times together. We have celebrated birthdays and anniversaries in ways we haven’t before. Although we could not go out for these occasions, we still dressed up and had a lovely meal to make the most of the day.

Often opportunities present when you least expect them to and I have had time to write a book, as well as some poetry. I have also joined a group of creatives, that have supported my endeavours in the artistic field. I have returned to photography and am playing around with painting. No masterpieces yet but it has been fun.

Whatever happens in life, be it illness, loss or some other stress, there is always been some joy to be found. Nature keeps giving to us repeatedly, and it’s so rewarding to spend some time walking in the local area or spending time in the garden. What have you done to bring joy and wonder into your life? It is always there, even if sometimes, you have to look a bit harder.

Give yourself the gift of slowing down, of finding time just for you. It can be hard, as life gets very busy leading up to Christmas, but take an hour or even a few minutes every day. Remember to breathe, give thanks for all that your have and sit in the moment. A new year is around the corner and with that comes the magic of possibility.

May you all find Happiness this Christmas and may it be a peaceful and joyous occasion for you. Thank you so much for your support of Reflexology, all your care and for reading these newsletters. It is all greatly appreciated.

Warmest wishes,

Judy xxx

References: Photo by  Max Beck on Unsplash

What Lessons can you Learn?

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Calm, rest, time out, balance

What lessons can you learn from the past two months? As our lives have been turned upside down and we have had to change the way we work, live, socialise and go out, what lessons have you learned?

Have you found that working from home is less stressful or that you miss the company of your colleagues? Have you found that home schooling is enjoyable or maybe you have found it to be a nightmare? Have you found that you are lonely and feeling isolated or are you enjoying the peace and quiet?

Every one of us has been affected in some way. The past few months have changed the whole world. There has been a lot of fear, anxiety, the loss of routines and livelihoods and the passing of many lives. It is something that we have never experienced before and the unknown has brought up many challenges.

It has made many of us question the way we are living and ask ourselves if the past was really that great. Are there changes that we have implemented that have benefited our lives? What lessons can you learn?

I know myself, that things have slowed down a lot. I had to close my clinic in late March and have been starting online work. The days feel longer stretching endlessly and I’m enjoying all the space in my life. I’m going on more walks, cooking more exciting meals with my son and doing online classes that I have been wanting to do. I miss my family and my friends but we chat a lot on the phone or on Zoom. We are blessed to have the technology to connect. I miss my clients and Reflexology and some of the old routines. I miss eating out, concerts, the theatre and seeing family and friends in person.

However I have grown during this time. I have realised that the old ways of doing things no longer work for me. I crave creativity and quiet time and time to do things that light me up. I miss my in-person clients and look forward to seeing them again but I have also enjoyed consulting with clients online. I hope to continue both moving forwards. I am enjoying the flexibility of my life, the ability to go for walks when I want to, rest when my body feels like it and the availability of learning so much online. I am finding balance and I know that I will keep doing these things once restrictions are lifted and more freedom of choice returns.

How have you found this period of time? Have you realised that there are certain things that you will continue doing and take forward with you? Have you learnt that there are certain things that you no longer want in your life? Have you realised the importance of connection and hugs and real physical contact?

What lessons can you learn from the past few months?

It’s worth reflecting on this time as hopefully, we will never experience it again. Despite all the chaos, fear and uncertainty, it may bring about positive change. I hope it has do done so for you!

Warmest Wishes,

Judy xxxx

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