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Many of us do not think of our healthcare on a regular basis. It is typically only when we are ill that we truly remember how important the care of our bodies is and how the healthcare system around us can impact the care we receive. However, over the past year, the NHS has been a topic of increasing importance in discussion and debate.

We have become quite polarised on how to go about mending or supporting our healthcare system, but regardless of how we feel about our government or the NHS as a system, we can take a moment to appreciate how vital this structure has been, particularly when we look to other countries’ health outcomes.

When we talk about healthcare systems being “good” or “bad,” we must realise that we are measuring this on both outcomes as well as goals. Our goals and values matter in healthcare. The goals of the NHS have long stood apart from those of other countries, striving to provide quality healthcare to each and every member of our community, full stop. This is a goal to be admired, one that has saved countless lives and provided for numerous medical advances.

Where we go from here does matter and it will require more input, education, and involvement from us as members of the community. We can begin to look at where we are now in order to have a better understanding of what could be possible in the future.

So, what can we do in the present?

1. Seeing the positives. In nearly every circumstance or system, there are pitfalls to be addressed, but there are also aspects to be celebrated. The NHS is not an exception to this. We can look to the good and build from there.  

2. Seeing outside of ourselves. Understanding opinions and experiences outside of our own can help us to better understand reality.

3. Looking more critically at the negatives. Rather than only focusing on the immediate and the personal, we can do our best to expand our understanding of this system and where improvements can be made.

4. Understand our goals and values. When we clearly set goals, we can better understand where we are going, together.

5. Talking more. When we have discussions about what we need, what we are concerned about, and what we see for our future, we tend to be more clear about what to do in the here and now.

6. Supporting in the ways we can. These days, our money and our time seem to be the votes that speak loudest. We can donate both of these to the health centers around us. Volunteering is an incredible way to get involved and can not only support the work being done, but can also impact the lives of others immeasurably.

Healthcare impacts each and every one of us. This is not a topic to be taken lightly, but it is also not a topic that is too big to be discussed. Every voice matters, so share your thoughts today! What do you see for the future of the NHS?

Do you have any experiences or ideas you would like to share? Let us know in the comments below.

Happy sharing!

-Sam

Photo by Matt Briney on Unsplash

Our communities are always shifting and changing, adapting to our needs and goals. Over the past few years, it seems that many of us feel our online communities expanding, while our physical communities are becoming more isolating. It can leave some of us begging the question, am I the only one who wants a stronger sense of community?

There are many small signals that tell us how we feel within our communities, such as whether or not we are willing to accept packages for our neighbours. With over 90% of Viewsbankers accepting parcels that are not theirs, we can see that many people are still looking to support and interact with the people living around us.

A sense of community support is incredibly important in each of our lives, whether we actively invest in it or not. This summer is the perfect time in our year to shake things up, to reevaluate how we are living and what we want to achieve in our communities. Summertime brings in fresh energy, a shift in habits, and more opportunity to interact with those around us. Now is the time to reenergise and make our communities stronger!

How can we start? There are many ways to build community. Depending upon who we are, what we want, and how our communities are already structured, it will take time to find our niche and to really feel the impact of our actions. Patience is key here, we must realise that every small action matters.

1. Reaching out. Finding new ways to break down barriers, connect with more people around us openly, and share with others is an incredibly important, and often difficult task. From speaking to strangers at the shops to reaching over the garden fence, making new connections is vital to building up our communities.

2. Changing habits. Writing letters instead of sending texts, walking with a friend rather than alone, inviting neighbours to the barbeque rather than just old friends. The small changes in our lives can have a massive impact. This summer, let’s start something new and see what happens.

3. Being vulnerable is okay. For many of us, we have been conditioned to think that reaching out to new people, trying new things, or offering of ourselves is a risk. Because our kindness or friendship might not be accepted or returned, we often do nothing and stick to the safety of what we know.  

4. Getting more involved. There are so many ways to be a more active participant within our communities in each and every moment, from smiling more, greeting more people on the street, volunteering, regularly shopping at local stores, or even spending more time outside, each of these acts brings us closer to others around us. We must first create the opportunities for ourselves and others, change will follow.

“Think local, act personal.” We are building homes of our communities, investing in ourselves and the people around us. These are important endeavors and we must act accordingly. We are all responsible for our communities and how they support us. Now is the time to come together and make the changes we would like to see!

Share your thoughts, tips, and experiences on community in the comments below. We can’t wait to hear your voice.

Happy sharing!

-Sam

Photo by Mathyas Kurmann on Unsplash

Most of us know the summer season to be a time for vacation, time off work, and more time with friends and family. While in theory, we may think of these things as relaxing, in reality, these shifts in schedule and added pressure to fit in activities and holidays can often add to our stress level rather than reducing it.

There are many ways to reduce stress and to bring in more mindfulness, but many of us do not have the time, patience, or desire to begin meditating every day. So, what can we do to fully enjoy the summer and to actually relax more often than not?

We can start right now, exactly where we are, exactly as we feel.

1. Slowing down. No matter what we find ourselves doing, there is always room for taking a step back and clearing our heads. Deep breaths in a quiet space can truly shift our entire mindset for the day.

2. Taking what comes. When we realise that plans rarely ever go exactly as we want, we allow ourselves to appreciate what happens naturally. There may be unexpected events, twists, and turns this summer, and that is all a part of the adventure.

3. Letting go. The tighter we try to hold onto our ideas of perfection, happiness, or how things should be, the more we set ourselves up for failure. When we work to let go of these concepts, we create more space for

4. Laughing a little more. If we find ourselves stuck doing something we would rather not do, we can either be upset or we can laugh. How we react to the situations around us makes the difference in how we, and even others, feel. The choice is completely ours.

5. Sharing with others! Whatever we find that helps us to keep more presence and joy in our summer, no matter the circumstance, weather, event, or surrounding, we can share this knowledge with others. We never know who we might be helping.

Share your thoughts, tips, and experiences for keeping relaxation in your summer in the comments below!

We can’t wait to learn more from you.

Happy sharing!

-Sam

Photo by Phoebe Dill on Unsplash

In our busy world, it can become easy for us to overlook how and when we take the time to truly care for one another. In most of our day to day lives, we are thinking about ourselves, our families, and our friends. For many of us, it has become easy to focus on those immediately surrounding us and forget about the care and support needed from others.

We have reflected these sentiments in our decision-making surrounding key caring professions in our society, leaving nurses, midwives, teachers, and social workers often unsupported and underappreciated.  

So, why are the caring professions so important? Roles that support the development, health, and wellbeing of others are vital to a healthy society and to each and every one of us. While these roles are the building blocks of our communities, they can often be overlooked for this very reason.

This week, quite a few articles were published stating that midwife and nurse numbers are worryingly low, with more people leaving these professions than coming in. While there are quite a few causes to this phenomena, placing blame is often unhelpful and even counterproductive. This shortage will likely impact nearly all of us, in one way or another, so now is the time for us to get involved, consider our experiences, and do our best to support these professions.

What can we do about it?

There are many ways to get involved and make a difference for caring professionals, whether it be through a small act of gratitude, emotional support, or working to change policy, each action we take matters. Merely being mindful of how we and others interact with caring professionals can have a massive impact.

1. Showing Gratitude. Whenever we receive any form of care or support, it is important we show how much this means to us. When someone else places our well-being at the forefront, there is much room for gratitude.

2. Listening. While we can all make judgements about what we think is best, those working within these professions know exactly what is needed to make these fields stronger. Now is our chance to listen so that we may begin to move forward in a more informed way.

3. Providing Support. Whenever we come into contact with someone from a caring profession, providing a space to feel supported, in whatever way they need, is crucial. Merely being mindful of the need for support can change things completely.

4. Fostering Patience. Systemic issues such as this will not be fixed overnight, so in the meantime, we can practice patience as much as possible.  

5. Donating. While Nurse’s Day has come and gone this year, we can still get involved and help to support nurses financially by donating to the RCN or to the RCM to support midwives!

6. Discussing. When we keep talking about these issues, we find alternative ways to approach, think about, and eventually solve them. Let’s keep talking and sharing our thoughts, opinions, and experiences. We never know who this information might help!

Share your thoughts and experience around caring for one another in the comments below!

Happy sharing and happy Friday!

Sam

Photo by Ludovic François on Unsplash

Now that we’re well into the swing of summer, we can take a moment to look at how we’re doing, where we would like to make changes and where we should give ourselves a pat on the back. No matter where we live, where we travel, or what we’re doing this summer, there can be quite a few risks that come up when the temperature rises. It can be helpful for us to gather information and share tips with one another, especially when we may not always be completely prepared for this much summer heat!

As more heatwaves are expected to pop up until September, we can help each other prepare and even enjoy the changes in weather and habits to come!

So, what should we be doing more of?

1. Not skipping breakfast. We know that breakfast starts our day off on the right foot, but we sometimes forget that when our bodies are under a little extra pressure (like sun, heat, and sweat,) a little can go a long way. We can best prepare our bodies by starting the day off fueled up and ready to go.

2. Protecting our skin. Sun cream: store bought vs homemade? There have been quite a few articles rolling around social media this summer about the dangers of store bought sun cream, advising that we should try making our own at home instead. There seem to be many conflicting ideas of what is safest in this instance, so we would say, doing our own research on what works best for each of us, but err on the side of caution. We can always give our skin some added protection by remembering to cover up and take advantage of the shade!

3. Drinking more water. We can nearly always do with drinking a bit more water throughout the day, but this especially applies when the weather is warmer! Water has incredible health benefits on a normal day, but during the summer, extra water is crucial.

4. Taking extra care of our furry friends. From fireworks to hot cars or sizzling pavement, our furry friends need some extra attention as well. We can all do our best to make sure they’re safe and comfortable, no matter the situation.

5. Watch the bugs! Insect bites can have serious side effects and affect our health in a multitude of ways. Being aware of our surroundings and using more natural insect repellants this summer can be a great way to stay safe.

6. Looking out for one another. This may seem a bit silly, after all, it’s just a little heat, right? But it’s important for us to remember that for those of us who may be more vulnerable, changes in temperature like this can be more dangerous. When this happens, we can all take a bit more time to check in with one another, stranger or close friend.

Share all of your summer tips in the comments below, you never know who might need them!

Happy sharing and happy summering!

-Sam

Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

Today is Social Media Day, a time to take a look at how much this new form of world-wide connection has impacted our lives. Whether we actively partake in posting, sharing, or liking, social media is a part of daily life everywhere. Our world is filled with constantly evolving ways to interact with one another, keep in touch, and to stay connected, nearly constantly. Our networks have become larger, but are they really helping us to grow in the ways we want?

This day is a great opportunity for each of us to take a step back and evaluate how we interact with social media and the world at large, including better understanding the people most directly using social media. It is important for us to realise how recent this level of networking and is, leaving many perspectives on social media largely dependent upon generation and age. Many of the tips on how to “take a break” from social media may feel completely irrelevant to those of us who have rarely, if ever, used these forms of communication.  

Today, and throughout this summer, we can all focus on changing up how we interact with the world around us. We can look at how we use social media and see where we would like to make changes. If we find ourselves not using any forms of social media, this could be a great chance to see what all the fuss is about. If we’ve taken a leave of absence for a while, this could be an opportunity to step back in for a bit. Social media has changed the way we learn from one another, allowing us incredible opportunities to share, grow, and experience the world in different perspectives. If we are sticking to the same patterns and habits, we might be shutting ourselves off from potentially great avenues for our development.

So, how can we shake things up this summer?

1. Take a look at what we are using now. Like nearly everything we do in life, our social media habits can always use some reflection and consideration. Looking at how we have interacted with social media in the past and what we are doing now can help us to more clearly understand what we want our future use to look like.

2. Try taking breaks this summer! No matter how much social media we use, nearly all of us could use a few reminders here and there to put our screens away. This summer is a great opportunity to make some radical changes and see how they feel!

3. Where were we before? A great experiment for many of us this summer could be “getting back to basics.” What did we do before the internet? There is no better time to remember.  

4. Trying something new. Whether that be shutting off all social media, taking a few breaks, or getting involved in an unfamiliar form of social media, we can all do with a little challenge! Pushing ourselves outside of our “norm” is a great way to grow and learn this summer.

Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Happy sharing and happy social media day!

-Sam

Photo by ian dooley on Unsplash

Recently, we’ve seen quite a lot of noteworthy news on how we look, how we present ourselves, and what is becoming acceptable or not. From dress-codes and uniforms to blurred gender lines and culturally appropriate clothing, many of us are seeing conversations turn on their heads, discussing the repercussions and potential ripple-effects of self-expression, respect, individuality, and equity.

Many of us went to school wearing uniforms, with some having strong opinions and others not caring in the least. Incredibly valid arguments can be made either way, from protecting forms of self-expression to leveling of the playing field, taking away distractions, and directing more attention to the coursework.

No matter how we felt about wearing uniforms in school, we can better understand our arguments, for this and any other presentation-related discussion, in terms of what our goals are. Are we looking to break down barriers that potentially cause harm to others? Are we looking to protect individuality? What about preserving culture?

There are many facets of how we present ourselves that are changing simultaneously, so how do we keep up? Do we just stick with what we know and ignore the rest or should we do our best to understand why people are changing how we see and discuss how others present themselves? It may seem strange, unimportant, or even scary, but ignorance is not always bliss, and in some cases, it can even be harmful.

So, how can we begin to understand what’s changing in the realm of self-presentation? Well, there’s a lot, so here’s just a few quick and rough tips.

1. Understand ourselves. When we’re trying to better understand these topics, we can first look to why and how we show the world who we are. Why exactly do we wear what we wear? Has it been a purposeful decision or were there some things we accepted as ‘normal?’ Is there anything we would do differently if we could?

2. Take a look outside of ourselves. What is it that we don’t quite understand? Have there been terms that seem silly or confusing? When we pinpoint what it is that seems uncomfortable, we can then work to understand it.

3. Doing our research. Once again, this is where we will find the complexity of these topics and discussions. We will find that there are a multitude of opinions, experiences, and thoughts for what is best. While that can seem overwhelming and confusing, it is important that we do our best to understand and accept that this is a constantly evolving topic, including many different voices.

   1. Here’s a little bit more about uniforms and dress codes

   2. What about cultural appropriation?

   3. Here’s some information about gender and gender-neutrality dressing

   4. What about dressing religiously?

4. Taking a step back. In many of these discussions, it is important for us to realise that not everything is about us and not everything completely includes us- and that is okay.

5. Being patient. We are dealing with a complex topic that includes nearly every single person, but in very different ways. Understanding that there is not one solution to every discussion or issue is important. Patience is key here.

6. Asking questions. There will be a lot that we don’t understand, for each of us. It is important for us to not ignore what we don’t understand, but to get involved instead. Asking questions and respecting answers that are provided is a great place to start.

It is important that in these discussions, we do our best to see past what is at the forefront and reach deeper into our most basic goals. For the most part, we are all doing what we think is best for our future. We can take a step back and recognise that these issues are far more complex, messy, and longer-term than we know. We cannot have the perfect answers, we can only do our best with what we know and what we experience right now. We can only listen to others, growing our understanding of the world around us, helping us to build more comprehensive and inclusive approaches.

We can all do with a little more listening and a bit more sharing. So, share your thoughts and listen to others in the comments below!

Happy sharing,

Sam

Photo by Syd Wachs on Unsplash

Wow, we can’t believe it’s officially summer! For many of us here in the UK, the recent heatwave that ushered in the summer season felt like a bit of a shock, either welcome or unwanted, depending upon our comfort with a sunshine overdose. The drastic shift into summer provides us with a great opportunity to take a step back this weekend and think about what this season means to us and how we want our summer to look.

Each changing season is a reminder for us to live in the present, but summertime can often provide the strongest pull for us to do so on a daily basis. Not only are we more conscious of how we feel physically, for many of us, it can feel like the clock is ticking, counting down the time until the warm weather, sunshine, or vacations are over. We can feel that we are pushed to “fit it all in” and enjoy as much as we possibly can while it lasts.

For many of us, this season brings with it a deeper sense of freedom, both physically and mentally. In many ways, summertime gives us a much needed break from our routine, from the ways we typically do things, and it can often bring in a more casual approach to our lives. This is the time when many people take some form of break from work and obligations, but also a break from being cooped up inside! There are many more opportunities for us to get outside and enjoy the world that surrounds us!

Summertime can help us to feel more connected to the nature around us. Our bodies become in-tune with the season, often asking us for fresher, more natural foods, itching for more movement, and enjoying the fresh air and sunlight. Our days are longer, changing our sleeping patterns, and making each day feel like two. These feelings bring with them an awareness of our health, helping us to see more clearly where we are lacking and where we want to be.

So, how can we truly live in the moment, enjoying all that comes this summer? No matter where we are, what we are doing, vacation or work, we can all use these tips for enjoying this season and learning more about ourselves in the process.

1. Bringing in the healthy habits. We can take this time to listen to our bodies, understanding more and more what makes us feel strong, healthy, and alive! From eating fresher foods, getting some extra vitamin D, breathing more fresh air, and getting outdoors more often than usual, each is a vital piece to healing ourselves and building great, long-lasting lifestyle choices.

2. Doing something each day that challenges us. Each day is an opportunity for us to grow. While summertime is about taking it easy and enjoying, we can also infuse growth and exciting challenges into each day. Choosing to learn and grow this summer is the first challenge we can accept.

3. Clear our minds. Summertime gives us the opportunity to shift from our routines, to infuse a little relaxation into our lives. Clearing our minds during this time is an important step in being present, enjoying what we do, understanding all we have done this year, and preparing for what comes next.

4. Get outside more. No matter how often or how little we find ourselves in nature, now is the time to increase it tenfold. Connecting to nature helps us to connect to ourselves and others, understanding the world around us in a different and more simplistic way. Each of us has a connection to nature, now is the time to explore it further!

5. Make time for the quiet. Bringing in more moments of complete silence, total stillness, even if just for a few minutes or even moments, shifts us from our trajectory. When we allow ourselves to be truly quiet, to sit with ourselves and all that comes, we are listening to ourselves, checking in, and helping to understand ourselves better.

6. Strengthening our self-love! No matter how wonderful, beautiful, and amazing we may feel, summertime can bring out our insecurities more than any other season. We have often been told to stress about our bodies, bathing suits, and looking fit during summer. This year, we can shift our awareness to being self-conscious to being full of self-love.

7. Bringing more play into our lives. No matter our age or lifestyle, we can all do with adding some more play into our lives, whether that means dancing, singing, building, creating, or even making more jokes and laughing more often! Play is what keeps us connected to one another and to ourselves, it’s how we explore the world. We can share this summer with the people around us and play more often!

How will you be diving head-first into summer? Do you have any tips you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments below!

Happy sharing,

-Sam

For many of us here in the UK, this weekend has brought the warmest June days since 1976. While the sunshine and barbeques can be a wonderful welcoming of summer, they can also serve as an important reminder for how we should be treating the environment in which we live.

Climate change has become a part of debate, policy, conversation, and in some cases, belief with increasing intensity over the past few years. We see that in places like the United States, the topic continues to divide, with many still believing that this phenomena is not occurring. Where do we go from here? Informing ourselves is key. With so much information available to us, it can seem overwhelming and feel easier to just take the bullet points, or even further, to just ignore its existence and our role in shifting our environment.  

While the data largely exists and is relatively accessible, why do some of us ignore it?

In many instances, we can become stuck looking at the world from our singular perspective, making it more difficult to accept information that does not clearly align with what we are observing. A clear parallel to this in terms of concept of climate change is an often overlooked misunderstanding of the distinction between weather and climate. This is essentially the difference between what we see in our daily lives versus the overarching trends of weather in the areas we live. These trends are what we are concerned about, whether we see them in our daily lives yet or not.

It is often much more comforting to think that we have not harmed ourselves or others and that our futures are safely untouched. It can feel better to think our collective decisions may have had no impact, even when there is data telling us otherwise, it can feel safer to look to those telling us it might not be true. Regardless of where we fall on understanding or accepting climate change, we all have habits that are unhealthy for our bodies and wallets, as well as our earth. In changing these habits, we align being environmentally friendly to being cost efficient and living healthier, more mindful lives.

So what can we do?

While the research is telling us we may be past the point of turning it all around, there is a multitude of ways for each of us to get involved and make a difference in how much we impact the world around us.

1. Getting informed and involved! Looking at the life-cycle of products and the impact each of our decisions makes allows us to truly understand how much we are impacting our world with the choices we make. Joining groups helps us to move our thoughts into potentially larger actions.

2. Being mindful of our energy habits. Looking at our homes, our purchasing decisions, and our habits, there are many ways we can improve our energy usage, not only helping us to reduce our carbon footprint, but also to reduce the amount of money we pay in bills!

3. Re-thinking our food. The ways in which many of us are eating is largely unsustainable and continues to be harmful for our environment. Each of us can take this opportunity to be more mindful about how our plate impacts our world. There are many ways to easily reduce our impact, just by re-thinking how we eat. It may even be healthier for our bodies and wallets at the same time!

4. Taking a look at our transport choices. This aspect of being eco-friendly can be a barrier for many of us without a vast amount of choice. This aspect requires more long-term, collective work than merely our individual choices. Using and strengthening public transport is incredibly important, but there are many other great choices out there as well!

5. What are we tossing? There is always room for improvement on how much waste we are producing and throwing into landfills. Small changes can make a huge difference, all we have to do is a bit of research!

Realising that every little bit counts, that when we collectively make different choices, we have immense power. Long-lasting change needs to include both the overarching policies as well as the everyday actions of people like us. Sharing information is a key part to this, so share yours now! If you have any tips, tricks, thoughts, or special experiences, be sure to share them in the comments below!

Happy sharing,

Sam

Families are different shapes and sizes, so whether we have a direct father figure or not, it is very likely we all have some sort of male role model or figure in our lives. This weekend, we have the opportunity to celebrate these figures in our lives, the parts they have played in shaping us, and all that they have done, for us and for others.

The world of fathering has been shifting over generations, acutely changing within the past few years. We have brought more flexibility to what we consider a father, what roles fathers play, and how active they are in our families and communities. We have been creating room for people to act in the ways that fit them most and contribute in the deepest ways to the lives of others. We have been shifting for the better, according to many studies on fatherhood and families.

While current and future generations are being raised with different ideas of what being a father means, many of us need to look back. Forgiveness is often an important part of celebrating our parents. Many of us might feel the need to forgive our fathers, in particular. As a society, we have traditionally placed a heavy burden onto fathers with little room for straying from the expected breadwinning, manly, figurehead we had been told to expect. These expectations have had ripple effects upon entire generations of fathers, children, and mothers that go far beyond the immediate relationships. In many ways, we are taking steps to change these effects, as we see more discussion and more wiggle room and more acceptance of difference.

The involvement of father figures, in all of their forms, are incredibly important to the outcomes of children, families, and communities. We can all do our best to celebrate the great things these figures have done and will do in our lives, while making room for different types of fathering.

So, let’s celebrate! The fathers and father-figures in our lives deserve to be acknowledged, for all that they were, all that they could be, and all that they are. Let’s take this weekend as a challenge to get to know them more, understand their world, and to appreciate all they have done for us.

1. Eliminate the pressure. There is no perfect day or perfect way to celebrate a human. We can make the celebration as close to what they might want as possible, but taking the pressure to have a perfect Father’s Day and to be a perfect dad can feel incredibly helpful for the whole family.

2. Spend time together! We often get distracted in all of the little things that need to be done that we forget the purpose of days like this. Being mindful of how we’re spending our time this weekend can help bring us back to celebrating the people in our lives.

3. Bring on the praise. Being a parent is one of the most difficult jobs, one in which you often feel like nothing you do is enough. Sharing appreciation is one of the most impactful ways to celebrate a parent on their day.

4. Share. The memories, appreciation, and the moments that stick with us are what matter. Telling our stories helps us to bring us closer, to see one another’s perspectives, and to remember all that we love about each other.

Most of all, make the time and space for gratitude this Father’s Day. There are so many wonderful fathers and father-figures in our lives and we should take some time to remember, praise, and celebrate all that they do on this day.

Share your stories, thoughts, or plans for this Father’s Day in the comments below!

Happy sharing and celebrating,

Sam