Planet Mindful

welcome

“Encourage yourself, believe in yourself, and love yourself. Never doubt who you are.”STEPHANIE LAHART A new year is a time for reflection – learning from the lessons of the year behind us – and of hope for what lies ahead. 2020 taught us many things, but the overarching message was that we need to live in harmony with nature if we are to avoid future pandemics and climate change. Get in touch WELCOME 2020 was also a year that brought mental health to the fore – we realised that we can no longer neglect our wellbeing, and that small changes to our self-care routines can make a big difference to how we feel and cope during difficult times. Kindness, compassion, love and friendship were held dear over material things, as many of us…

contributors

Leah Larwood Leah is a hypnotherapist, lucid dream coach and wellbeing writer. She teaches us how to harness the power of our inner world on p20 this issue. Nancy Levin The bestselling author and Master Integrative Coach reveals how to start setting boundaries for the benefit of your mental health on p42. Gabriella Clark Previously a London-based beauty PR, Gabriella shares the story of how she travelled around India, trained as a yoga teacher and gave up fast fashion on p60. Camilla Sacre-Dallerup Life coach, hypnotherapist, meditation teacher and best-selling author of three self-help books, Camilla, teaches us how to develop an abundance mindset on p26. Jill Ettinger The Director of Content at planetSHINE, a platform dedicated to making positive change to the world, explains greenwashing on p50. Meg Mathews Best known for her 90s party lifestyle and marriage to Noel…

the happy place

“When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with ourselves.”JACK KORNFIELD 1-minute mindfulness This year, why not make a promise to yourself to make mindfulness a part of your lifestyle? It doesn't have to take up much of your time – in fact, one-minute mindfulness is the most recent way in which more of us are bringing mindfulness into our daily routines. Exercise ideas include listening to a short meditation on YouTube or an app like Headspace, hugging your loved one for one minute, or breathing slowly and really focusing on your breath. All of these things will bring you a moment of calm in amongst your hectic schedule or help when you're feeling anxious or stressed. Stress can affect everything from your weight to sleep…

the marie kondo effect

January and February are the perfect time to declutter and organise your home spaces, but that can mean different things to different people. Whilst some of us will feel calmed by soft colours and clean spaces, others will attach more emotion to their home‘s aesthetic, using colour and keepsakes to create a more cosy and nurturing environment. If you haven't yet discovered tidying expert Marie Kondo, check out her Netflix series Tidying up with Marie Kondo, or her book Spark Joy. One of the notions behind her method is that if it doesn‘t make you happy, let it go. So spend some time looking around the spaces in your home and consider what possessions could be sent to a charity shop or given away. Marie then suggests visualising your ideal home…

12 ways to make 2021 the year of positive change

1 Move more Anyone who has a desk job will know how easy it is to sit still for an hour or more whilst working. This can lead to stiffness, poor blood circulation, back pain and other problems. Try getting up a bit earlier and doing a couple of laps of the block, or walk down to the local park before you start work. Then try and get out again for 10 minutes at lunchtime, and finish the day with another walk. If there’s somewhere you need to go that’s within walking distance, make a conscious decision to leave the car at home. If you’re working from home, these regular walks could be even more beneficial as they’ll provide structure to your day with ‘start’ and ‘end’ markers around your working day,…

dream yourself well this winter

Winter is the perfect time to slow down, embrace the dark nights, go deeper and tune into your dream world. With the world spending increasingly more time indoors, for some of us that has meant more naps, and for others that has meant an increase in disturbed nights. Whatever your sleep routine is like at the moment, the year ahead is a great opportunity to tap into your own resources to find solutions to personal situations – and to stay well. Once you have an understanding of the different sleep and dream states, you can begin to access your inner world. It’s a wonderful opportunity for you to boost your sleep, support your health and explore the issues that are causing you most concern. What is a lucid dream? A lucid dream is effectively…