With “that time of year” rapidly approaching – have you put the brussel sprouts on yet?!? – it’s time for our customary reality check. Or, dare we say it, dose of common sense… 

 

With last year’s festivities being somewhat curtailed – to put it mildly – many people are going into overdrive this year to try and make up for it. And, if the warning bells aren’t already ringing loud and clear, you haven’t been listening. Adding even more pressure and stress to an already – potentially (!) – stressful event is never a good recipe for a positive outcome. 

 

We’ve talked about the madness of the season many times before. The stress. Desire to make it “perfect”, whatever that may be. Trying to do it all single handed, with all too predictable results. And that’s just the start. 

It’s all too easy to spend our lives dashing around from one thing to another, permanently distracted, with our heads full of “stuff”. Hardly noticing what’s going on around us. Let alone how we’re feeling. 

 

So, today, why not slow down and take a moment to notice all the good things going on in your life, as well as around you? Savour life’s little treasures. All the things that help ease our lives along but are easy to miss. 

 

To help get you going, here are a few things we’ve noticed over the last couple of days: 

Supplements are big business these days and much more than the traditional multi vitamins and minerals. Just about every vitamin and mineral is available along with herbal extracts and proprietary formulas for every possible health concern. Here in the UK, it’s estimated that £1.3 billion will be spent on them this year – 2021 – with the market growing every year. 

 

However, from conversations with Clients, it’s clear there’s still a huge amount of confusion about them. It’s a subject we’ve touched on before but one well worth revisiting. 

 

The first question which comes up is obvious and guaranteed to polarise people into two opposing – and usually vociferous (!) – camps. 

You may have come across these words of wisdom before and, perhaps, like us thought they came from a song. Well, no, they come from an American author Stanley Gordon West whose books revolved around life in rural America. So, once again, in writing a blog post we’ve learnt something new – perhaps you have too!?! 

 

However, this isn’t where the inspiration for this week’s post came from. Instead, it came from one of those slightly random discussions about whether it takes more muscles to frown or smile. Modern folklore says it does, so why not smile instead? Or, to use another piece of conventional wisdom, “turn that frown upside down.”