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It's February, which means it's spring, right? RIGHT?!!

As I write this message to you, the sun is streaming in through my office window and I feel hopeful that warmer weather is on its way...

But the weather, like many things, is outside my control.

What is within my control?

My actions.

Look, I know your current state of health and wellness is not all down to you.

You have been affected by external stuff... chance, environment, other people's decisions and actions... and this has had an impact on your wellbeing.

But the thing is, you can't control that stuff so there isn't much use in dwelling on it (other than to learn from it)

So what can you do?

Here are three things you can do right now to start making a positive difference to your wellbeing:

1. MOVE

Get up from wherever you are, and have a stroll, or stretch, or do some press ups, or dance around - whatever is accessible to (and enjoyable for) you.

It really doesn't matter what it is, just move your body for five...

Happy New Year! 

Okay, okay, I'm a bit late to the party on this one...

But January is a pretty hectic time for me, so getting going on new projects at the start of the year is not the best idea.

Jan 1st is a family day, to celebrate the New Year. I'm a bigger fan of NYD than NYE.

Jan 4th the kids went back to school, so before that date we're still wayyyy out of routine.

But then that week is only 3 days, and most of that is catching up with what I missed while offline for 2.5 weeks, plus finishing off my university coursework which was due in on Monday 9th and Thursday 12th.

The week after that was a write off, because it was my birthday on Tuesday 10th and then I was away in Bristol for a couple of days, so again no projects could be started in earnest.

But then I had two exams on Monday 16th and Thursday 19th, so I was in last-minute cram mode - and Saturday 21st was my youngest daughter's 8th birthday - no time for new projects.

And so it continues...

I'm just getting...

It's funny, isn't it, how often we end up following the paths of others because they appear to have achieved what we want?

Granted, we can learn from the successes of others, and what actions they took.

But the glaring problem is no two people are alike.

No two people have had the same experiences, have the same abilities, the same understanding, or the same circumstances.

We may attempt to emulate someone who is where we want to be, but unless we allow for flexibility and adaptability around our own needs, limitations and responsibility, we cannot hope to make progress.

Comparing ourselves to others is rarely a healthy thing to do, but it's nigh on impossible to quit completely.

My advice to you this week?

Try to have the self awareness to clock when you're comparing yourself to other people, and remind yourself that you're never comparing to the full picture.

And when you're looking to achieve goals similar to other people, look for the lessons but don't assume that you can...

Happy Saturday!

And welcome to the first edition of my brand new Slight Improvement newsletter.

The idea (as you no doubt already know) is to send you something useful and actionable every Saturday morning.

(you can subscribe here)

We’re talking about habits, routines and lifestyle for improved mental and physical fitness.

I.e.: your capacity to cope with and recover from stress

These emails will be pretty short, as I know you already have a busy life.

I’m about managing stress, not adding more to your plate 

I am also totally open to conversations, so feel free to hit the reply button and ask me a question, or give me some feedback…

What shall I teach you today?

Well, as it’s the first edition, it makes sense to me to give you a starting point for making sustainable changes…

YOU DON’T WANT WHAT YOU THINK YOU WANT.

What do I mean?

You have...