Over-binging on bad news is the equivalent of ‘junk food’ for the mind. For the past few months, my preoccupation with good news has been spurred on by working through Fiona Brennan’s excellent online programme ‘The Positive Habit.’ I now have to report that I’ve become even more of a ‘good news’ junkie because the
Is life beginning to get you down? Fear not, read on… I need to let you into a secret: some weeks ago, I decided that living through the pandemic, not being able to see many of my loved ones and hearing news which seems to get worse by the day was seriously damaging my mental
Developing positive habits to support our mental health is more important than ever In July and September last year I wrote about my need to feel optimistic in these difficult times and I make no apology for returning to the very same subject again because as we move through the early months of 2021 things
Harnessing the power of volunteering to bring about change As a representative of Castle Point Climate Action group I recently took part in the on-line annual general meeting of the Castle Point Association of Voluntary Services and I was reminded, if I needed reminding, that a great deal of fantastic work is going on at
The Queen’s Christmas broadcast highlighted local communities supporting each other I thought the Queen’s Christmas broadcast last year was pitched perfectly. I found it really uplifting. It almost brought a tear to my eye! Why? Because it spelt out just how the pandemic has brought local communities together: how the people in those local communities are
Is a different Christmas story emerging? Perhaps one that may also have lasting positive impacts? We all know the story of Christmas this year will be very different – no big family gatherings, no office parties and no popping into the neighbours for mulled wine and a mince pie! Yes, we’ll all be missing out
I’m delighted that more good news stories now seem to be coming in thick and fast! As stories of gloom and doom flood ever faster into television news channels and onto the front page of newspapers, as the COVID crisis drags on, as democracy and truth seem to have been undermined and as the dark
Light bulb moment: I’m suffering Eco-Anxiety! [Editors note: this article was first published in on 5th July. We have republished today because the brilliant video below has just been added. Eileen talks about her eco-anxiety because of climate change fears but ends on a note of hope…. ] It was on waking in the middle
The power of a regular dose of good news to stop us feeling overwhelmed Just as I was having one of those black days when my eco-anxiety was taking hold and I was feeling overwhelmed by the violence, misery and sadness of our world – I guess we all have those days sometimes, don’t we?
The Global Green New Deal: What’s That All About? I’ve been hearing a lot about the ‘Global Green New Deal’ lately so I set off to find out what it’s all about… I’ve come to see that it attempts to cover what needs to be done on a global scale to deal with the climate