Hello lovely Oh Naturalites

I hope you and your loved ones are keeping safe and well during this unsettling time.

We’re all feeling the effects of another lockdown, whether this is not being able to see loved ones, having kids at home going crazy, juggling busy work schedules and life or dealing with going to the supermarket.

On a more personal note, we’ve had some physical and mental health challenges lately in our family (aside from lockdown) which have been difficult to deal with alongside keeping up with business and family life. During this time, I’ve been trying to focus on building my resilience and finding tools to help with this. So with what we are all going through at the moment, I thought I’d share with you some tools and resources that have helped me through challenging times and that may also help you and your loved ones. And no I’m not getting paid or given anything to share this info! I’m just doing it because I genuinely care about helping make the world a better place and because I’ve been there and I know how hard life can be. 

I recently watched this great Ted talk that I’ve been sharing with friends and family, presented by resilience researcher Lucy Hone from Canterbury University who tragically lost her 12 year old daughter in a car accident. It’s a short talk (only 15 mins long) and along with sharing her story, she also shares three simple resilience strategies that everyone can use during tough times. I’d highly recommend watching it and keeping it in your kete (basket) because, as she mentions adversity does not discriminate, it happens to all of us. 

Secondly, I’d recommend checking out the Insight Timer app which is a FREE app providing tools to help with sleep, stress and anxiety. And if you’re looking for a teacher, I’d recommend  checking out Fleur Chambers’ mediations and courses, she’s the person behind the Happy Habit App and I’ve enjoyed listening to her voice and courses which have helped me get through challenging times. 

Another tool I’ve been using is a gratitude journal which I’ve found to be a great grounding practice. It’s helped me build my resilience and remember that there are always good things in life even during adverse times. Recently I Gratitude Journals for myself and my two step daughers from Awesome Inc, another small kiwi women owned business helping to make the world a better place by providing tools to help people in their everyday lives. They have journals for kids, teens and adults and their journals are really well structured and give you helpful tips and tools to use along the way. 

Exercise is key to a healthy body and mind, I recently sprained my ankle so I haven’t been able to exercise as much as I’d like, but I’ve been enjoying getting out for walks, even if it’s just a short one around the block, it really helps with my mental and physical health and to get some much needed Vitamin D!

And don’t forget we have some great products in our Sleep & Relaxation category to help you and your bubble get some much needed rest and sleep during this uncertain time.

In case you need it you can get free professional mental health & wellbeing help & support here from trained counsellors.

I hope these resources and tools might come in handy for you and / or your loved ones and if you have any other tools or resources to share, please let us know in the comments below or by sending us a message so we can help each other out during this uncertain time.

Thanks so much for being part of our community, as a small family run business it means a huge amount to us, more than you can ever imagine.

We will all get through this, one hour and one day at a time. Be kind and take good care of each other. 

Wishing you all the best in health and wellness

Kate and the Oh Natural team ox 

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