Have You Got The Right Attitude?

In life, we can’t control what life throws at us, but we can control the way we respond and think about what has happened to us. I would say this is one of the hardest things to keep on top of in life, especially when you are going through a really tough time, but it is the one area that really is ‘make or break.’

Why? It is quite simple:

Your attitude to life will determine your happiness and your quality of life. 

What attitude are you approaching your life with? 

When you share your story with others, do you focus on all the negatives? What about the way you feel about your life within your own mind? Deep down do you feel you have been badly done by? Do you believe that bad things always happen to you?

The problem with these thought patterns is that they are self-fulfilling. What we believe to be true (even if it isn’t) is the truth we will live by. In the same way, we can shape our thoughts and actions and create a life of influence, happiness and empowerment by;

• Focusing on what has gone well
• Making the most of the resources we have available to us
• Celebrating our successes (even if it doesn’t match the standard of ‘success’ set by our society)
• Doing more of what makes us happy
• Seeing abundance rather than scarcity and helping others fulfil their dreams, live their best life, and experience more happiness

If we want to start living well and getting the most out of our life we need to start noticing our thought patterns and how they are shaping our attitude to life. If our thought patterns aren’t empowering then it is time to start challenging them and replacing them.

I will leave you with my all time favourite quote. Viktor E. Frankl survived the Nazi concentration camps, and his insight is moving, profound and life changing:

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” 

What attitude will you go into today with?

Jess xxx

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Never Stop Believing: One Woman’s Journey With Cancer

It seems nearly everyone you speak to has either battled cancer themselves, known someone who has, or knows someone whose life was cut short by the disease. It is shocking to consider the stats, but according to the Cancer Council “…it is expected 1 in 2 Australian men and 1 in 3 Australian women will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85 and that an estimated 128,000 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in Australia this year.”

While I have heard a lot about cancer I have never realised the real journey cancer takes a person on…not until I picked up a book called Never Stop Believing, by channel 7 TV presenter, Sally Obermeder.

41 weeks into her pregnancy, and due to give birth to her first baby, a baby her and her husband had fought hard for and successfully conceived through IVF, Sally received the news that she had stage 3 breast cancer. To say the news was shocking and heartbreaking would be an understatement.

In her book, Sally courageously invites us into her life, her thoughts and her fears during her time with cancer; from diagnosis, treatment, surgery, to recovery. With such raw honesty and clarity she shares the depth of devastation that cancer brings to the body, the inner resilience needed to endure, and the powerful impact support, love and humour plays when facing one of life's greatest challenges.

She writes;

They say that your life changes forever when you’re diagnosed with cancer. There’s your life before, and your life after.

Cancer shows you things you cannot imagine you’d ever have to experience:

The grief, the fear.

Seeing your husband and parents crying at the thought of losing you.

Confronting the possibility that your baby might grow up without you.

The fear of losing everything you’ve worked for, hoped for, dreamed for.

And you’re sicker than you’ve ever been in your life: a sickness that affects your entire body —even your elbows, even your feet—and goes on for weeks and months and doesn’t end.

But you discover other things too: your strength. Your endurance. The pleasure of finding things to laugh about even in the darkest of times. The true force of friendship. The power of love.

It is this strength, courage, resilience and hope that shines through in Sally’s story. It is hard not to be inspired and humbled by her story and the attitude she has approached life with. 

It got me wondering, “Would I be as grounded, focused and positive as she was if I was in the same situation?” It is hard to predict these things, and maybe we can never know until we are in them ourselves, but it is worth considering and asking ourselves, “Am I building resilience and positivity into my life on a regular basis?”

“Am I building an inner foundation that will be strong enough to hold me when the truly bad times hit?”  

Sally’s story has inspired me to re-engage with my life with more vigour and more focus, because life is truly precious and it is also entirely unpredictable. 

She writes: 

A near-death experience forces you to re-evaluate your life. Forces you to be honest. You think, if I live what kind of life do I want? You realise it’s precious; you don’t want to take it for granted and you definitely don’t want to squander it.

While having a chronic illness taught me this lesson over five years ago, it is easy to become complacent, it is easy to focus on what is still missing from your life and not all the blessings surrounding you.

Even in the worst situation you are still blessed…you still have your life, and that is something Sally’s story reminded me not to take lightly. Life is the greatest gift of all, the question is “What will you do with yours?”  

Jess xxx

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Happiness Today: Tips to Start Enjoying Your Life Even in the Tough Times

If you type “more happiness” into Google, you will find over 500 million hits. To say we are interested in finding happiness in our lives is an understatement. But what does it mean to be happy and more importantly, how can we begin enjoying more happiness in our lives?

Photo Credit: Jessica Stead

This post is the first in a series I will be sharing with you called Happiness Today. In this series I will share with you tips that will help you move from feeling stuck, anxious, stressed and unhappy, to feeling more in control, optimistic and motivated. Tips that have proven to have worked in my life..tips that I come back to time and time again.

What I have learnt about happiness I have learnt the hard way, through my experiences of illness, anxiety, depression and grief. The most important thing I have learnt about happiness I will share with you today;

Happiness is not a result of having a ‘perfect and problem free’ life. Happiness comes from knowing how to find inner peace, no matter what is happening in your life.

If you are striving to remove all problems in your life, I think you are fighting a losing battle. Experiencing challenges in life is the price we pay for living. We also learn the most from the challenges we face, so we shouldn’t aim to live a ‘problem free’ life.

But at times the challenges we face in life do rob us of our happiness. We seek happiness when we are unhappy, and we are unhappy when we feel we can’t find a way through our problems. We feel unhappy when we are overwhelmed, or simply too tired to put into practice the things we know we should be doing.

So how do we get through these tough times and find happiness again?

Instead of trying to ‘problem proof’ our lives, we need to develop an inner resource that is solid and stable. An inner resource which allows us to navigate our challenges without going under, getting stuck or losing our hope and happiness.

By developing a firm foundation of inner peace, we can move away from the ups and downs associated with inner turmoil, the feeling of being consumed day in day out by worry, fear and anxiety.

If you are struggling to find happiness and hope, then you aren’t alone. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In the Happiness Today series I will outline how you can develop inner peace in a step-by-step sequence, starting with acceptance which I will share in my next post.

Finding happiness is about learning how to successfully manage the tough times in life and building up your confidence to know that you have all the resources you need to get through, to ‘hang in there’ and to rise above.

The first step in this series is to take some time out to get your ‘life bearings.’ To discover how you are feeling about your life and what you think might need to change. The following questions will allow you to get started today on your path to greater happiness and provide the foundation for the weeks to come.

Start Today

1. How happy are you with your life currently?

2. What would you rate your happiness from 1-10, if 10 is ‘extremely happy’ and 1 is ‘not at all’?

3. Can you identify the top 3 things which might be holding you back from feeling happier?

4. Next month, what score would you like to achieve?

5. What is one thing you would like to change about your life?

Even when life changes in ways that are challenging and difficult, we always have the ability to think and act our way towards greater peace and happiness.

Positive change begins with knowing better then doing better…it all starts with one step.

I look forward to you joining me for this series. If you don’t want to miss out on the Happiness Today series, make sure you sign up to receive email notification when new content appears on my blog.

P.S. Don’t forget to leave a comment in the section below, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Love and Gratitude,

xxx Jess xxx

What You Need to Know About Grief

Photo Credit: Jimmy Brown via Flickr CC

Like a bird swooping, soaring, or coming to rest on your shoulder, grief comes and goes and changes its form. Grief can feel like a big black crow; its dark weight moving with you through the day. It can feel like it knows no bounds, like an eagle soaring and dipping. Yet at other times it can feel almost playful and light, like a sparrow or a Willie Wagtail, allowing you to reminisce with happiness and laughter.

You can never be sure which bird will visit, when, or for how long. One thing is for sure though…when you lose someone or something you love, that window to grief is always open. I don’t mean to sound morbid, or even to communicate that grief ‘traps’ you in some way, but grief is always there, it becomes a new partner in your life’s journey.

If you have experienced loss, you will know how horrible it is to hear that “time heals,” or that you can find a way to “move on.” It is true that we never want grief to ‘paralyse’ us and to leave us unable to continue living our lives, however, we also don’t want to forget. We don’t want to live as if nothing significant has happened to us.

The truth is that grief changes us. Grief cracks open the soul and the mind in a way we never knew possible.

We come to see how painful life can be. We touch that place where experiences are raw, unrefined, unconfined, and unknown. We can literally lose our breath when confronted by the depth of grief and the magnitude of our loss.

We also come to see with greater clarity what it means to ‘live.’ Grief cuts through and strips away all that is superfluous; we begin to see what matter, what truly matters. Interestingly, it is not always what we expect, nor is it always a reflection of how we are living our lives.

There is an opportunity within grief. That opportunity is to realign our lives; to realign our thoughts and actions until they reflect our new-found, and definitely hard-won, understanding and knowledge.

I wrote this post today because grief is real for most of us. It certainly is for me at the moment. Grief has surfaced again in my life…the black crow is circling...

In a few days it will be 5 years since I received a call, just after 9pm, to say my Dad had suddenly passed away… Not easy. It has also almost been 5 months since my Nan passed away, and her passing has left me somewhat traumatised. Not only have I lost someone I loved and admired immensely, but her suffering in the end stages of her life was highly distressing.

Losing my Nan, who was my Dad’s mum, has also compounded my grief for my Dad. I feel a sad intensity to losing two important people in my life. I hadn’t realised how much my Nan kept the memory of my Dad alive, until she is now no longer here to reminisce with. 

Just like me, I know so many of you are facing your own grief. The thing is, sometimes we need a little guidance and reassurance along the way. Mostly we just need to be reassured that we will be okay and that we will get through. But we also want to be reassured that we are ‘allowed’ to grieve, and allowed to grieve in the way we do. We also want to know that there is no ‘acceptable’ limit to when our grief should be finalised.

If you are experiencing grief at the moment, my message is simple: respect this deep process. Your soul, mind and body are going through a profound process. You are consolidating your new experiences, feelings, thoughts and insights.

Don’t ‘judge’ your experience as ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’ Don’t judge your experience and determine if it is ‘taking too long’ or maybe ‘not long enough.’ Take care of yourself. Do what is right for you.

Also be honest…if grief is paralysing you, begin finding people and techniques that will allow you to find your way back to what it means to live, but to live alongside your grief.

As you move through your week, know that you are not alone in your grief. Know that grief is unpredictable, and whatever you are experiencing is where you are meant to be for now. Know that there will be days when the black crow and the eagle show you the depths of the darkness, but also days when the sparrow and the Willie Wagtail will also come to play. Enjoy those moments of respite, of hope. Relax…enjoy the moment and cherish the joy of your memories and experiences.

 

“There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contribution, and of unspeakable love.”~ Washington Irving ~

Xxx Jess xxx

Need to Connect?

· LifeLine- Call 13 11 14

· Beyond Blue- Call 1300 22 4636

· Make an appointment with your local GP or psychologist

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Why You Shouldn’t Give Up

There are times in life when it’s hard to believe that things are going to get better. When your life starts to go a bit ‘pear-shaped’ it’s easy to get bogged down in negative feelings and to feel completely overwhelmed. Don’t give up.

 

Photo Source: Sylphwood via Flick CC

At times like this, we so desperately want to know it is going to be okay; that we are going to make it through. Sometimes it is hard to find that hope, that belief in our ability to be strong and resilient. I know this because I have been on the other side of happiness, health and hope myself.

Six years ago my life was unrecognisable.

Six years ago I lost my health, and with it my job, my independence and my sense of self. While I was optimistic about life, I wasn’t sure I would recover. Without recovery I feared I might not achieve the things in my life I so desperately wanted to.

After finding there was no cure for my illness, or any treatments that helped me, I had to accept that I might never work fulltime, travel overseas, dance or exercise again, get married or have children. This was certainly not the life I had envisaged for myself, yet this was the path I was on.

Despite what was happening to me, I was determined not to let illness rob me of my happiness and my chance to live a life I was proud of. So I made the hard decision to accept my reality…to let go of my monkey grip on my ‘pre-planned’ dreams.

Instead, I looked at my life from a new perspective. Based on the ‘new me,’ I looked at what capacity I still had, what I could still do to live a good life. I also understood the preciousness of life, and began doing more things that brought me joy and happiness.

What I didn’t know at the time was how this decision to shift my mindset would transform my life in so many wonderful ways. What I didn’t know was that life was going to get much better and that I didn’t need to wait for a cure to start living well.

Six years since my diagnosis, my life is again unrecognisable…but this time in a good way.

While I haven’t recovered fully, in the last few years I have been able to re-enter the workforce (although still not full time), I started salsa dancing where I met a lovely man who has been my boyfriend for the past two years. With this supportive and loving man I have been able to travel to some fantastic countries around the world.

I really couldn’t have pictured any of this happening six years ago. I never imagined that I would be standing under the Eiffel Tower, but in 2012 that was exactly what I did. Last week I celebrated my 29^th birthday, and like all birthdays, it became an opportunity for reflection.

I am humbled by the life I am now living; I feel so much happiness and gratitude. I still have significant limitations, only this weekend I was back in bed feeling quite sick because I did too much during the week. But that’s okay because I have accepted that this is part of my life.

You see when you lose so much, anything you gain you feel so profoundly. The first time I put sneakers on to go for a walk I almost cried. It felt so great to be able to do something I hadn’t for years; something I wasn’t sure I would ever get to do again.

No one is immune to hardship, be it from illness or a whole gamut of other life issues. If we want to live well amidst our hardships, though, we must choose how we will respond to our life. German writer, Walter Anderson says it well;

“Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have – life itself.”

Is it easy? No. At times it feels nothing short of horrendous. It can seem unfathomable that you will feel good again, but you will. It can feel impossible that one day you might wake up and not experience dread, fear, anxiety or sadness the second your eyes are open, but you will.

It’s not time to give up your hopes and dreams. Now is the time to commit to living as well as you can in the moment that you are in. Now is the time to “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can,” as Arthur Ashe an American tennis player so wisely said.

Hang on tight, it gets easier. Great things can come from some of the worst situations in our lives…happiness can break through.

Xxx Jess xxx

Have You Found Your Niche Yet?

What has your experience of 2013 been? Have you been able to discover more about yourself? Have you been able to do more things in your life that support your health and happiness? Are you happy or do you still feel like something is missing?

If you feel like something is missing, then “The Law of Dharma” might help you kick start 2014 in a more focused and inspired way. The word ‘dharma’ simply means ‘purpose in life’ in Sanskrit. It’s a fitting time of the year to be discussing purpose in life, as the end of a year nears and the new year looms. What purpose and passion do you want to take into 2014? 

Chopra writes “According to this law, you have a unique talent and a unique way of expressing it. There is something that you can do better than anyone else in the whole world...” Do you know what unique talent you have to offer the world?

Don’t know what your deepest passions are? Think about what activities allow you to lose track of time and feel happiness and contentment? Don’t know what your purpose in life is? Ask yourself what you would do with your life if you had no limitations.

Your answers to these questions will show clearly who you are, what inspires and motivates you, and what things in life will bring you the greatest joy and success. It is these activities that not only come easily to you but also energise you. When you engage with your dharma you feel more alive, more joyful and more content.

Living your dharma is not just about doing the things you love. Using your unique talent to serve others is vital to “The Law of Dharma” says Chopra. “Everyone has a purpose in life...a unique gift or special talent to give to others. And when we blend this unique talent with service to others, we experience the ecstasy and exultation of our spirit, which is the ultimate goal of all goals.”

How could you move into 2014 living more in line with your purpose in life and expressing your unique talents and helping others along the way? As I discussed in my article Loving Your Life, it is ideal to be in a career that that you know is your calling and which you find fulfilling, but sometimes this is not always feasible.

Sometimes you have to step outside of your ideal life and job to get by and to pay the bills. However, even if you are not working in your dream job, in order to be truly happy you have to be engaging with your deepest loves and talents in some way. For some they can do this through their hobbies, on weekends, or after work. 

If you neglect the activities that bring you happiness you do suffer for it. Often you don’t realise you are living a ‘half-life’ until you start to engage again in activities you love. You will then find yourself thinking “so this is living!” Living a ‘half-life,’ ignoring your unique talent and purpose in life impacts on your mental and physical health.

Psychological research has found people with a lack of meaning in their life suffer more from depression and suicidal thoughts. By understanding what your purpose in life is, you will be able to stay focused and positive even when life gets difficult. As Friedrich Nietzsche said “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.”

It can take some time and life experience to realise what your unique talents are and what your purpose in life is, but once you understand the core of who you are and begin to live accordingly you will begin to feel happier, more energised and more confident.

What Can You Do This Month To Uncover Your Purpose In Life?

• Notice anything you do where you lose track of time and feel happy. Do more of those things.
• Write a list of all the things you would love to do if you had no limitations. Does this list show you something about yourself?
• If you could achieve anything in 2014 what would it be? What are three steps you can take in the new year to bring yourself closer to living your dream life?
• Try making a dream board

Creating a Dream Board

One thing I love doing is creating a ‘dream board.’ The way I create a dream board is to start with a bank piece of cardboard and a variety of magazines. I then flip through the magazines and tear out images or words that resonate with me in some way. I don’t think about what I am tearing out, and I leave it till the end to look at what I have picked. I then stick the images and words to the cardboard.

What forms on your cardboard is a wonderful and true reflection of your life at present. Your fears, dreams, hopes, issues. Seeing your life clearly in this way can be very helpful in thinking about how to move forward in the future. You can hang your dream board up where you can see it or put it away to bring out later as a reflection tool.

Bring your dream board out 12 months later and reflect on where your life is at. Often you will find that many of your issues have been resolved and your dreams realised. Being aware of what you want in life and what is holding you back, and setting those intentions on paper is powerful. It’s a wonderful reminder to follow your dreams and to also trust the process of life.

This was the last in the series I have been doing on Deepak Chopra’s book “The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success.” I hope, like me, that you have found them challenging and inspiring.

I hope that 2013 has been kind to you and has provided you with opportunities to expand your knowledge of yourself and what makes you happy. Life doesn’t run smoothly all the time for anyone and you can find yourself in places you never expected.

With greater self awareness you will be able to weather those storms a little better, taking the lessons learned into your future. I hope that in 2014 you will be able to live just that little bit better, with more happiness, peace and contentment.

Xxx Jessica Stead xxx

Yoga For Life: Discovering Hope and Healing

Out this week, Australian Yoga Life's latest edition, featuring my article "Yoga For Life: Discovering Hope and Healing." In this article I speak with three amazing women who have found life-changing improvements to their physical and mental wellbeing through yoga. Grab a copy at your local newsagents from December 5th or from Australian Yoga Life. Happy reading.

xxx Jessica Stead xxx 

 

Responding With Compassion

Yesterday, The Guardian, posted an article written (under a pseudonym) by a nurse who worked with asylum seekers on Christmas Island. Her article, “My experience as a nurse on Christmas Island changed the core of my being” was well written and shared the stories of asylum seekers she met while working there.

I saw this article posted on Facebook last night and felt it was a wonderful follow up from my blog post on Wednesday about my experiences with refugees. Everything she wrote resonated with my own experiences with refugees and the stories I too have heard. Stories of unthinkable suffering and violence…stories nightmares are made of.

However, like me, she was also struck by the presence of hope and the courageous display of resilience in those seeking safety on our shores. In her article she wrote;

“Surprisingly, my days spent in the induction shed were always the most desirable, because although you'd hear extremely sad stories, you would also be reminded of the strength of the human spirit to overcome tragedy and fight to survive. I often found myself in awe of the sheer tenacity on display. My "clients" were always so grateful to have made the boat journey, grateful to have a hot meal, shelter or water, and grateful to finally be safe from harm.”

It seems people are talking about refugees and asylum seekers at the moment, and it is great to see articles like this one. Sharing the stories of those seeking asylum will allow us to understand the human element of this global issue. Hopefully then we can begin to respond with more compassion and no longer out of ignorance or an uneducated fear.

Jessica Stead xxxx

Photo sourced from The Guardian (ABC/AP)

Are You A Worry Wart?

I am posting this quote today because I needed reminding myself. I find that my modus operandi is often to assume the worst. I often completely forget to consider the best case scenario.

It’s not because I am a negative person, I just feel that in order to be responsible and accountable I need to try to make good decisions. I feel that part of that process is seeing what decisions may lead to negative consequences. So, by default I focus on the negatives. 

This is fine to do…up to a point. It’s necessary to think through your decisions, but it’s important for your health and happiness to make sure your analysis of a decision is balanced.

Spend time thinking about the worst case scenario and how you might manage if something negative happened, but then switch your brain over to thinking about the best case scenario.

When you fail to consider the best case scenario you miss out on imagining future happiness and fulfilment. Your negative fixation can stop you from making certain decisions which could be of great benefit to you.

Think carefully about decisions yes, but don't allow your brain to only focus on the negatives. In any situation there is always so much to be gained…don’t let fear hold you back.

Jessica Stead xxx

Hope and Resilience: The True Stories of Refugees

For those who read my work and know me, you would know that the topic of hope both fascinates and inspires me. Hope was not a word or idea I had ever thought much about until 2003 when I began visiting refugees in Villawood Immigration Detention Centre.

I was just out of high school, 18 at the time. My desire to visit the detention centre was sparked by what was known as the ‘children overboard’ situation and the riots at Woomera Immigration Detention Centre. Coming home from school I would watch the nightly news and hear that people were sewing their mouths shut in protest of the treatment they were receiving in Australia, namely the uncertainty of their lives and safety.

The media and politicians at the time were framing this issue as just something ‘these people’ did. Even at 18 I felt that this was absurd. I became determined to understand the real story behind the refugees being detained in Australia.

This determination led to a three year journey as I visited a group of Iranian refugees in Villawood Immigration Detention Centre each week. It was during the conversations I had there that I began to understand the complexities of why people are forced to flee their homelands. I also came to see first-hand the distress people experience when their futures are uncertain and they are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder.

This week Four Corners aired their story Trading Misery which documented the great suffering of families living in Lebanon, and those who lost their families when the boat they were travelling to Australia in sank.

To witness the situation they are fleeing from, and to see the raw grief those left behind are living with, it reminded me of how great the adversity and anguish is for so many people living around the world. It reminded me again of how very lucky I am to have been born in a safe country.

In honour of those who live in intolerable circumstances and situations, who with great courage and sacrifice, seek hope, safety and freedom, today I wanted to share a part of my personal journey with refugees. I would like to re-print a section of my honours thesis, a thesis which explored the role hope plays in the lives of refugees. This was the prologue of my thesis;

 

PROLOGUE

 

When you sit side by side with someone who is unsure of their fate, you are changed. When there is a very real possibility that their fate could include death, imprisonment or torture, you are left with a deep imprint which fills with despair, sadness and shock.  

 

Your view of the world changes as your eyes are opened to the way that others live. You come to see that the role of governments in people’s lives, both abroad and within this place you call ‘home,’ can determine life from death. You can’t help but ask questions of God, you can’t help but ask questions of yourself.

 

In 2003 I began visiting a group of Iranian refugees in Villawood Immigration Detention Centre and did so for three years until they had all been deemed genuine refugees and released. This period of my life I remember vividly with mixed emotions.

 

This time in my life was punctuated by deep sorrow and pain, as I witnessed the effects of a policy that was designed to ‘send a message’ not support some of the most vulnerable people in the world. It was also a time when I was confronted and challenged by the power of hope and the resilience of the human spirit.

 

Once I had met refugees in person and heard their stories of courage and survival I could not bear to hear them being described as ‘queue jumpers’, ‘illegal immigrants’ or ‘possible terrorists.’ To me they were hope seekers.     

 

The refugees I visited had an infectious hope, a strong belief that tomorrow would bring some good news. They held onto the idea that their pain and suffering would not be forever. For some this pain and suffering lasted much longer than it should have. A few refugees were detained for up to six and a half years, but amazingly their hope remained.

 

While in detention I saw refugees work extremely hard to learn English and Australian colloquialisms, understand the Australian legal system and make Australian friends. These were people who were as actively involved in their lives as they possibly could be.

 

Their passion for life and their motivation did not cease once released. Once they were granted refugee status, they didn’t delay finding employment and getting off initial Centrelink support, starting businesses, getting their driver’s license, buying cars, securing accommodation, getting married and starting families.

 

Before circumstances forced these people to flee their homelands, and take on the label of ‘refugee’ or ‘asylum seeker,’ they were people with histories, stories and achievements of their own. The reality is that anyone can become a refugee if circumstances in their country change. This reality should shape our response to refugees, allowing humility and compassion to dictate rather than fear and racism.  

 

Very little has been written which celebrates the courageous and hopeful spirits of refugees and all they have achieved and survived. My objective for this thesis, therefore, is to create something beautiful that not only acknowledges the hope that refugees hold onto as their life line, but to celebrate and encourage this in all of us.
 

 Photo sourced from Four Corners

Jessica Stead xxx



Remembering Loved Ones

This time last week my family said goodbye to a wonderful woman. My Nan passed away on the 4/11/13 at the age of 93. I have been thinking a lot about the sadness and grief we experience when we lose a loved one. It is a difficult process, often a strange mix of sadness that they are gone, yet relief that they are no longer suffering. 

I was saddened today when I visited a blog by Jessica Ainscough, a fellow writer for Make The World Move, and read that she lost her Mum to breast cancer last month. She wrote a lovely post about it, Saying Goodbye to Mum, and I wanted to share it today in honour of all those who have lost loved ones.

Thinking of you Jessica and everyone today who are missing loved ones.

Note: Picture sourced from Jessica Ainscough’s blog.

Feel Like The Only One Struggling?

We don't always know what is going on for other people, but behind everyone is a story. At some time or another everyone faces difficult times. Read more in my latest article "Behind Everyone Is A Story"

Living Hopefully

Knowing how to stay hopeful in times of difficulty is the most important thing you can learn. Read more in my latest article "The 8 Key Elements of Hope" in WellBeing magazine, out now in newsagencies.