Four crisp new 2019 days have already unfolded and here we are with “The Year Ahead” on the horizon. We made it to the “right side of winter” and spring suddenly feels like it’s within driving distance instead of somewhere very far away. Not around the corner, but it’s there. Getting closer by the week.

In the leafless tree outside my window, the birds have been sounding chirpier on feet-freezing mornings and the extra minute of daylight every day will start building up nicely, soon. Until that one evening on the bus home, or on a dog walk, or glancing through the kitchen window, when you notice that the sky is still light… “It really feels like spring today!”

Instead of spotlighting beauty today, I thought I’d share some of the best decisions I’ve made for my own wellbeing, and the most useful advice I’ve received which I try to stick to. So here goes, what are yours?

Happy 2019! 

1. When faced with a decision or difficult situation, ask yourself “what would my higher self do?”
2. Always get a 2nd or 3rd or even 4th opinion after a worrying diagnosis. Sometimes there is a better way to deal with an illness. I have countless stories which are testament to this. Friends of friends who’ve outlived their doctor’s “six months to live” decree by years. One went to the Hippocrates Institute and healed herself by continuing to live according to the HI’s nutritional guidelines, another friend of a good friend is getting good results from CBD/THC (with late stage cancer which has spread). In two weeks she looked like a new person, gone from painfully thin and very grey to noticeably more radiant, you can see the life force in her eyes now. The CBD completely calmed her extreme pain. It’s still early days but talk about a turnaround. You also need to be your own doctor. Blindly agreeing to and following doctor’s advice has never been my modus operandi. (After 3 car accidents I was told I’d never be able to turn my head to the left by a specialist but after 3 (ironic!) acupuncture treatments I was totally cured and have never had neck pain since). Have faith, fine tune your gut instinct, harness your research skills, and install an unwavering belief in your own ability to get well. And surround yourself with the right people.
3. Don’t let “shit” take up your space or time. Negative thoughts, habits, people, all of that. Ain’t nobody got time…
4. Something that will buy you more time, daily, is to dedicate just one or two hours, max, for replying to emails (especially if you have email overload). You’ll most likely respond faster and more concisely and you’ve stopped yourself from getting dragged into email ping pong which is a sure fire way to waste away an afternoon.
5. Make better choices. A big one. Read those ingredients labels. Spend your money wisely and your precious time with good souls. I don’t watch the news any more and never will.  It’s worth reminding ourselves that voting with our wallets does make an impact.  Let’s buy the zero waste products, choose the loose fruit and veg (not plastic-wrapped). Go to that cafe with the nice waitress. Buy from the friendly vendors at the farmer’s market. Shop ethical brands, there are so many worth supporting!  I’ll do another post on the Johnson & Johnson story soon, ahead of our Baby Awards. If you saw my Instagram post last month I shared the news that their shares plummeted by 10%. J&J lost a shocking $45 BILLION in a single day because of the Reuters report exposing the brand’s failure to disclose it was well aware that Johnson’s Baby Powder contains traces of asbestos and is potentially toxic/carcinogenic. It got worse, and the total damage was a 15% loss in share value in the end. This particular story aside, J&J has had one lawsuit after another flung at it in recent years, forcing J&J to pay out additional billions in fines and damages in ovarian cancer cases – you don’t hear much about this in the news but it’s all over the internet and the class action suits are building.  I agree with those who say that marketing and selling potentially dangerous products a criminal activity. For more on this story and read everyone’s comments, see: instagram.com/beautyshortlist 

Life is too precious and too short to buy synthetic products with potential carcinogens, allergens and toxins – and then use them on babies?

2019, The Year of Better Choices.

Dates for the Diary

2 0 1 9

FRIDAY 1 MARCH

2019 BEAUTY SHORTLIST AWARDS (Year 8)

2019 BEAUTY SHORTLIST WELLBEING AWARDS (Year 1)

 

MONDAY 1 APRIL

 2019 MAMA & BABY AWARDS (entries open)

 

FRIDAY 21 JUNE

2019 MAMA & BABY AWARDS (Year 6)

 

MONDAY 2 SEPTEMBER

2020 BEAUTY SHORTLIST AWARDS (entries open)

2020 BEAUTY SHORTLIST WELLBEING AWARDS (entries open)