Tuesday 31 March 2015

With fifteen minutes and nothing much to do


Pirates and Mermaids. illustration by Marina Wild
In the midst of the daily bustle it happens that suddenly you,
Find yourself with fifteen minutes and nothing much to do.
You could in those nine hundred seconds precise,
Take a melon from the press and cut yourself a slice,
Or plan a new renewable energy source powered by giant mutant mice.
You could of course lie back, close your eyes and dream
Of oceans and sands kissed by many a dazzling sun beam,
While mermaids and pirates leap through waves all agleam.
You could practice a tune on some maracas or a flute
Or, as my children suggest, let rip a fruity toot toot,
Or even prance about wearing only yir birthday suit.

You could step outside and take a walk in the wind or rain or sun
(A simple walk is scientifically proven to be a wondrous medicine),
Or read a page of your favourite book and try to guess
What the characters in the plot will get up to next,
Or of course practise a simple relaxation technique
That’ll calm the brain and heart and leave the mind fine and sleek,
Or open up your imagination and have a little peek.

But rather than accept the wonder of the moment you’re living in,
There are some who feel compelled to switch on the internet connection,
To see if a better bigger bolder piece of news lies waiting in the inbox,
And needs to be dealt with this instant lest a golden opportunity be lost.
Yet fifteen minutes is scarcely time enough to even lightly scan
Any messages - with no time over to consider, process, think and plan
Whether to respond, file, delete, mark as ‘to do’ or ‘act urgently on’.
With such a short span of time all you can do is make decisions that lack Consideration or contemplation, and serve only to tack
More frustration, confusion and complications on to your weary back.

In the midst of the daily bustle it happens that suddenly you
Find yourself with fifteen minutes and nothing much to do,
When you’ll get such time again is more than I can guess
So don’t waste it with clutter, distraction and mental stress
Instead, let every second stretch and fill with joy and mindfulness
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I wrote this poem in response to, and partly based on, the article Ten Things to Do Instead of Checking Email  by Natalie Houston in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

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For more on how to look good, feel good and be in charge of your life as a student at NUI Galway check out Student's Services Health Promotion  Students at NUI Galway can also sign up for the free online health and wellness magazine Student Health 101
                                                                                                      
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Wednesday 25 March 2015

‘Anxiety ruining family and intimate relationships’, ‘Benefits of eating fiber’ and lots more…


Here’s the latest Q & As from Go Ask Alice. Topics covered below include, ‘Anxiety ruining family and intimate relationships’, ‘Benefits of eating fiber’ and lots more…

Click on the links below to read more about subjects that interest you. And remember if you find the articles useful feel free to tell your friends or retweet this blog.

All Go Ask Alice articles are written by Columba University.
Copyright (C)  2015 Columbia University. All rights reserved.
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Remember, if you have problems or worries you feel you would like to talk about confidentially, contact Cindy Dring, Health Promotion Officer for NUI Galway at 091-492048. Alternatively e-mail her at cindy.dring@nuigalway.ie or just drop in to Aras Ni Eimhigh.

For more on how to look good, feel good and be in charge of your life as a student at NUI Galway check out Student's Services Health Promotion  Students at NUI Galway can also sign up for the free online health and wellness magazine Student Health 101
                                                                                                      
Keep up to date by following this blog on twitter and Facebook

Tuesday 24 March 2015

Exam relaxation techniques

Mini-relaxations can help reduce fear or pain while you sit in the dentist’s chair or lie on an examining table. They’re equally helpful in thwarting stress before an exam, an important meeting, while stuck in traffic, or when faced with people or situations that annoy you. To get the full benefit of the techniques it is important you practice them. Here are a few quick relaxation techniques to try.

When you’ve got 1 minute. Place your hand just beneath your navel so you can feel the gentle rise and fall of your belly as you breathe. Exhale. Breathe in slowly. Pause for a count of three. Breathe out. Pause for a count of three. Continue to breathe deeply for one minute, pausing for a count of three after each inhalation and exhalation.

Or alternatively, while sitting comfortably, take a few slow deep breaths and quietly repeat to yourself “I am” as you breathe in and “at peace” as you breathe out. Repeat slowly two or three times. Then feel your entire body relax into the support of the chair.

When you’ve got 2 minutes. Count down slowly from 10 to zero. With each number, take one complete breath, inhaling and exhaling. For example, breathe in deeply saying “10” to yourself. Breathe out slowly. On your next breath, say “nine,” and so on. If you feel light-headed, count down more slowly to space your breaths farther apart. When you reach zero, you should feel more relaxed. If not, go through the exercise again.

When you’ve got 3 minutes. While sitting down, take a break from whatever you’re doing and check your body for tension. Relax your facial muscles and allow your jaw to fall open slightly. Let your shoulders drop. Let your arms fall to your sides. Allow your hands to loosen so that there are spaces between your fingers. Uncross your legs or ankles. Feel your thighs sink into your chair, letting your legs fall comfortably apart. Feel your shins and calves become heavier and your feet grow roots into the floor. Now breathe in slowly and breathe out slowly. Each time you breathe out, try to relax even morr

Source: Stress Management: Techniques for preventing and easing stress – A Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School, by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. 
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For more on how to look good, feel good and be in charge of your life as a student at NUI Galway check out Student's Services Health Promotion  Students at NUI Galway can also sign up for the free online health and wellness magazine Student Health 101
                                                                                                      
Keep up to date by following this blog on twitter and Facebook

Friday 20 March 2015

The benefits of blogging



Me, online, doing stuff... picture by Marina Wild
While the health and resilience benefits of writing a journal have long been appreciated, researchers are now looking into the benefits of blogging. As the article Blogging – It’s good for you in Scientific America explains blogging not only has the benefits of expressive writing in a journal (boosting memory, sleep, helping coping with stress, boosting immunity etc.). In addition it allows experiences and thoughts to be shared, read and commented on by other people with a similar interest; all of which could be seen as forming the basis of supportive and engaged communities.

Blogging has certainly helped me make connections with many people around the globe as well as reconnecting with friends and relations. It has also benefited me as a writer; being aware that my blogs are public has obliged me to focus more on the way in which I write. As a result, my later blogs are very different in style from my earlier.  Looking back over my blogs I discovered one other totally unexpected benefit - through blogging I have accidently written a biography of my life. 

Me, rehearsing... Picture by Fionnuala Gallagher
Many of my blogs examine how I balance the stresses of performing, meeting book deadlines, raising a family and coping with other stresses (finances, touring schedules, cooking, and death). A number of the articles are about the process involved in writing two of my books Marcus Marcus & the Hurting Heart and Galway Bay Folk Tales, while the long series of articles Social Justice and Scottish Independence has a lot of information about my life from my teens up until I left Scotland in my early thirties. There is a lot of humour in my work as well as more reflective writing.

Below are links to the blogs that make up this accidental online biography. I’ve also included links to reviews I’ve written over the years as well as my Irish Times piece Fairy tales for adults.  The articles are listed in the order that they first appeared. I hope you enjoy reading them, and I look forward to hearing about the experience of other bloggers (and non-bloggers) out there. Enjoy!




2013

2014
Adventures with frogs Six articles from 11th June to 29th August
Fairy tales for adults (Irish Times article) June 2014
THE ART OF MATHEMATICS (review) 21 July 2014
Social Justice and Scottish Independence.  19 articles from 29th July to September.
Deadline dread… 10th November
Rainy Winter Solstice  Two articles on 21st December

2015
Books and empathy. 31st January & 4th February
  
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For more about my work as a storyteller, blogger, author, tutor and performer see rabfultonstories
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