All posts tagged: mental fitness

How to Cope with a Plot Twist and Lose your Fear of Failure

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‘Plot Twist’ is a nice euphemism for ‘Shit has gone really wrong and I no longer know I’m doing!’ One of my first and most popular posts on the blog was this one about my 2015- how I traveled a lot, did a lot of yoga and other cool things (climbing an active volcano in Bali anyone?) but also how I was knocked completely sideways by not getting in to a Masters I’d applied for and then having a shitty few months job hunting which left me feeling like a complete failure. So many people shared the post- to be honest, if I’d known just how many people would share it, I probably wouldn’t have written the bloody thing. But I’m glad people could relate or that they found it helpful. A lot of people commented that it was refreshingly honest but to me, it wasn’t such a big deal. Anyone close to me was aware at the time how much I’d been struggling- pretty Instagram pictures notwithstanding- so speaking about a tough time didn’t …

#NoExcuses: Insta-obsession and staying mindful

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Sometime last Spring, fresh from a Bali yoga retreat and doing my best to stretch that post-holiday positivity into a daily mindfulness habit, I was watching Richard Quest on CNN. I have a strange affection for Richard Quest; I love his old school manner, his suits and how he makes global economics intelligble for the every person -the ‘every person’ in question being me, of course. Oh and I also love the fact he managed to bounce back from a very public fall from grace circa 2008 involving crystal meth and a sex toy in Central Park. Seriously. Anyway, Richard had fellow CNN anchor Anderson Cooper on to discuss a book for his ‘What I’m reading’ segment; Wherever you Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn. I liked the title and mentally filed it away . A few months later, on a rainy day back in Ireland, I spotted it in a bookshop and bought it.   Then I left it on my bedside locker for seven months before finally opening it. The title alone is …

Plot Twist or F**k Up? Thanks, 2015!

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The only thing we know for sure is that things will always change. Nothing is permanent. And when we find ourselves in the middle of trauma, in the middle of crisis, even when you’ve hit rock bottom and you have no idea how on earth you’ll ever find the courage to climb back up, you are still okay. You are okay. Rachel Brathen, Yoga Girl I had a rough year. That doesn’t mean it was all bad of course; there were many amazing things. I traveled to Kuala Lumpur, Bali, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Australia. I began practising yoga and after years of intermittent exercising, finally built up a proper fitness habit where I felt consistently healthy and fit. I even had visible abs for a small while early in the year (far too difficult to maintain but I’ll live off those few months forever!) I read good books, drank good wine, cooked good food for myself, for family and for friends. I danced and drank and ran on beaches and stayed in five star …