I was going to go back to blogging about books because I’m a bit fed up of talking about myself and I’m sure you are too - blah, blah, blah, insecurity, blah, blah, blah, body issues, blah, blah, unsuccessful forays into veganism...etc. But I’m going to expand on that by focusing on reading, amongst other things, as an aid to relaxation, instead.
Reading
So let’s talk about books first, yeah, ‘cause everybody loves books, don’t they? And if they don’t, they should do because reading is good for you, it’s a FACT:
https://www.realsimple.com/health/preventative-health/benefits-of-reading-real-books
If you can’t be bothered to click on the link - it’s a very short, snappy article, but that’s your business, and you’re already reading this so I thank you for that, I’ll paraphrase it for you: reading makes you more intelligent, empathetic and it’s very relaxing! Bosh!
If you can’t be bothered to click on the link - it’s a very short, snappy article, but that’s your business, and you’re already reading this so I thank you for that, I’ll paraphrase it for you: reading makes you more intelligent, empathetic and it’s very relaxing! Bosh!
I am currently reading: The Good Immigrant - Edited by Nikesh Shukla
I’ve been meaning to read this for quite some time, since the E.U referendum, in fact. Perhaps it doesn’t seem like the most gentle and calming bedtime read but I’m certainly experiencing all kinds of ‘Oh, my god - that’s me!’ points of recognition in the book, and I’m only four essays in. And there’s something very reassuring about seeing your experiences reflected in literature. Even if you don't have any experience of immigration, historical or otherwise, yourself, (What I've read so far of) The Good Immigrant is a highly entertaining and illuminating read.
P.S It's only when reading something so choc-full of diversity and representation, that you realise how lacking in diversity other things are: posters, adverts, the little picture of the journalist who has written the piece you are reading (not this piece - other pieces). The people who produced The Good Immigrant are crowdfunding to produce a periodical called The Good Journal. You can contribute here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thegoodjournal/the-good-journal-a-quarterly-literary-magazine?ref=email
P.S It's only when reading something so choc-full of diversity and representation, that you realise how lacking in diversity other things are: posters, adverts, the little picture of the journalist who has written the piece you are reading (not this piece - other pieces). The people who produced The Good Immigrant are crowdfunding to produce a periodical called The Good Journal. You can contribute here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thegoodjournal/the-good-journal-a-quarterly-literary-magazine?ref=email
I've just finished reading: All Grown Up - by Jami Attenberg.
I can’t go into too much detail about this book as I read it for book club and we haven’t had the meeting yet. I have a feeling that this might be one that the others in my book club either
a) Read and hate and blame me for choosing it and hating it. Or
b) Don’t bother to read at all.
a) Read and hate and blame me for choosing it and hating it. Or
b) Don’t bother to read at all.
All I'll say about All Grown Up is that it’s an examination of the life of single woman in New York and that one of the reviews said it was more Fleabag than Sex and the City. To me this felt like a book about family. The main character, ANDREA, details her relationships with men, her mother and with her friends. It doesn’t pull any punches; is quite brutal in places, in it’s honesty, but it is witty and well written and it has a heart.
Moving on from books, the thing I keep meaning to go back to and, aside from the odd, impromptu, stress-busting downward-facing-dog, never quite ever doing it:
Yoga
Not only does it aid relaxation but this study claims that it helps with period pain too:
http://www.stylist.co.uk/life/yoga-can-ease-period-pain-and-pms-health-fitness-exercise-pain-relief-science
Someone give me a kick up the arse would you!
Someone give me a kick up the arse would you!
The thing I still do and which, despite my gleeful abandonment of My Fitness pal (you ain't no pal of mine!) is keeping me from becoming one of those poor folk who become so vast that the emergency services have to remove a wall in order to lift them onto a pallet and transport them to hospital:
Walking
Being around animals
My brother and I used to take great pleasure in telling our pet-hating father that studies had shown that stroking a cat could bring you heart rate down and was shown to aid relaxation.
Years later, a fully grown adult, I don’t have any pets either (my partner is allergic to pet hair and I don’t want to pick up any creature’s poo - especially now my own children are out of nappies) but I do enjoy a visit to the local urban farm.
Most of these places allow you to feed and stroke some of the animals so you get some of the benefits of having a pet, without having to pick up animal faeces and put it in a bin!
Doing the crossword
Love it - thinking but not too deeply, problem solving without any consequences, a challenge without any losers. This is my favourite:
So, it's the weekend, I hope you have a wonderfully relaxing break, find a book that you can't bear to put down, cuddle up with the cat and withstand the ravages of Storm Brian!
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