Camping versus 5 stars

#contentology

#campingversusfivestars

I like camping, but I can’t say that I absolutely love it. I like it because my
husband and kids love it. I love the fresh air, the feeling of being in the bush,
sitting around a campfire and toasting marshmallows, being on the river, the
relaxed timetable of not really having an agenda and being with the family.
So camping can be great, but I’d probably like to ‘glamp’ more than my
family would…And… I don’t like dirt in my toes and on my clothes, I don’t like not being able to have a hot shower, I don’t really love eating bbq for every meal of the
day and of having hair that smells like a campfire.

So for me going 5 Star is definitely more of a treat, but not something that
the family would really appreciate.

But when I got to stay at the Crown a few years ago with my sister, I really
loved the experience. I hope to be able to do it again one day soon, with or
without them!

Short Hair or Long Hair

#contentology

#shorthair/longhair

In primary and all through high school I had long hair. Really, really long hair.
Which I loved, until it became too much of a burden and also associated with
being really young. And I already looked really, really young…..

So I chopped and layered it once I got to university and I found I had a fair
bit of curl in my hair, which only got curlier as I’ve gotten older. So now I
have it just long enough to leave out and not get too much in the way
(because for parenting babies, I really needed to be able to have my hair out
of my face!) and long enough to tie back and up.

I now frequently straighten it to reduce the volume of it and sometimes I just
scrunch it and let it dry naturally to let the curl out.

It’s really interesting to see my girls hair as they have all gotten my thick hair
and I’ve begun to see the love hate relationship that comes with having this
kind of hair. I’m hoping that they will soon come to love what they have.
How about you, do you like your hair long or short or do you not really even
think about it?

Pet Eskimo

#contentology

#pets

When I was searching for pictures of my most beloved dog in my Photos, I searched dog and got a few photos. Then I saw other searches my photos had prompted and ‘Eskimo dog’ had even more pictures of her!

I don’t think she is an ‘Eskimo dog’ by any stretch, being a mixture of English Staffy and Kelpie, but she has been with me for 16 years and is still very much an active and involved member of the family.

She asks for walks most days, can still bound, run and bark with delight when she sees us getting our runners on and we are so grateful for all of these years with her and the amazing quality of life she has into her ‘twilight’ years. Her name is Nova and we love her dearly!

Pets are important members of families, important for company, friendship and emotion regulation.

I really hope you have the joy of being able to have a pet in your life like I do.

Kate

When I Grow Up?

#contentology

#whenIgrowUp

It’s actually quite funny when I think about a book that I ‘published’ with a
friend in about Grade 5 as it talks about what I dreamt about doing then. I
was a multi-tanker in the story for sure (and an over-achiever!), I was a
sprinter in the for the Commonwealth Games-won a gold medal! And then
on the same day performed as well as a back up singer for John Faranham!
So being an athlete and performer was high on the dream list!
So whilst this book that I wrote makes me laugh as it all, a few things I find
interesting is that I still love writing and drawing. I fact I wanted to be an
illustrator up until about Year 10, when I felt that graphic design for other
people did not match my dream of creating art, so thought I’d best keep it as
a hobby.
Following that I found an interest in psychology and as I was a natural
‘helper’ my career in psychology had begun. Today my psychology job has
changed to include many more things, including embracing my creativity that I thought I had to leave behind. Being a psychologist in private practice
actually demands many more skills and activities that are not listed anywhere
when you consider being a psychologist.

Favourite Photo

#contentology

#favphoto

It’s not glamorous and not even a picture that marks a special occasion, but
it’s me hanging with my girls, enjoying the sunshine and feeling grateful for
so many things.
So for that reason I love taking snaps with my girls, because I know that
these memories as we make them are precious and will be looked back
upon fondly.
Kate x

Spirituality

#contentology

#spirituality

Do you believe in something outside yourself that helps you?

Do you call it faith or having a religion?

Do you talk to this force, does it speak to your, does it provide strength? How do you harness it?
I believe in the power of human beings and the spirit and essence that we each have. And I believe in this as a power and that we can harness our own power and create positive change by tapping into it. I believe that we are all connected in this way and that there are forces and energies that are outside of our current realm of knowledge.
I think that having faith in humans and what we are capable of when we
believe is a challenge, but also something that helps us in times when we
feel alone.

What does spirituality mean to you?

What’s in your bag?

#contentology

#whatsinyourbag

The essential items that are in my bag include paw paw cream, bandaids
(because, kids always need one of these at some point!), spare hair ties,
lipstick, licence, bank cards and Border Permits for NSW travel. I also head
to work with my laptop, iPad’s and a book that I’m using as well and my
phone and a spare mask or two!

Challenged

#contentology

#challenged

It can feel like this year has been the year of new challenges, and certainly
very early on it has felt like this for me. Earlier in the year, there was an
avalanche of changes that required me to pivot and innovate in a very short
space of time. And this is when we really have to have a brain in a calm
space to be able to think clearly to make rational decisions. It also relies on a mindset that you are going to get through it. It might be difficult, annoying,
exhausting and overwhelming, but having the mindset that you are
determined to come through regardless is often required when we are
challenged.
Experiencing challenges does not have to be responding to the impact of a
pandemic on you or your family, it can be something bigger or smaller, but a
challenge is something that asks you to grow. It asks something of you, that
you that might initially feel that you don’t have the resources to respond to.
For children it could be asking them to try something new, it could be asking
them to face uncertainty. Particularly when we are learning how to increase
our skills to manage anxiety, it is asking children to try something and sit in
feelings of discomfort and trusting that we will be able to cope with these
emotions and experiences.
So developing a mindset of ‘I’ll be ok’, ‘I can cope with this’ is crucial in any
challenge. How do you develop this mindset in your life to cope with
challenges: ones that we are in the middle of and ones we don’t yet know
about? And how do you celebrate coming through a challenge and the
growth that it brings you?

Gym or Home Workout

#contentology

#gymorhomeworkout

I’ve never thought of myself as a gym girl, not really.

I don’t go for machines or weights and have hardly sent foot into the ‘gym’ area even though I’ve
had a gym membership for some time. I had some group fitness classes
experience prior to having my children, but then really got hooked onto Body
Balance as a way of getting back into some gentle exercise after the birth of
my third daughter, some eight years ago. This has led me to get into Barre
classes, some HIT workouts, but much more into yoga workouts. This year
I’ve had to rely less on the motivation (and routine) from others (with gyms
closed much of the year 😦 and more on myself. I’ve done workouts from
apps and livestreams in the lounge-room, but it is just not as fun!
And it has shown how much more challenging it is to do when there is no
one around encouraging you or doing the workout with you. It reminds me
of the importance of having support crew around you so they can cheer you
on when motivation is low!
More recently I’ve gotten into bike riding with my family, which I’m really
enjoying. This morning on our ride, as it happens, my daughter wanted to
show her expertise by doing some chin ups on the bars along the riverfront!
And although I try to do these on our monkey bars at home occasionally, as
as this photo shows you, I could probably begin to do some arm strength
work as I’ve got a long way to go before I can successfully do these! (and
you’re welcome for the laugh!)
I love the outdoors and exercising outdoors, but I can’t wait until I can
resume my group fitness classes again. But for now, I’m going to try and
mix it up with all kinds of exercise a much as I can.

Happy Friday,
Kate

Playlist

#contentology

#playlist

Music for many people inspires a mood, a memory and can capture a
moment. I have playlists for sleep, for exercise, for studying, for background
music, for relaxation and for singing to. In helping people to intentionally
shift their mood one task I sometimes ask them to make is a playlist for the
mood they are trying to create. When our mood is low, we tend to listen to
music that reflect this. Which is not a bad, thing, it helps us to connect with
these feelings, to ponder and listening to lyrics that reflect our own emotions
helps to feel less alone.

When we feel ready to try and shift into a new mood it can be helpful to
deliberately create this new mood through songs and music. So deliberately
creating a playlist by selecting music or songs that are inspiring, uplifting and
optimistic, that have a good beat, that get us singing out loud, can be a
good simple step towards bringing more of that feeling into your life.
The science tells us that just thinking about positive memories that favourite
or much loved music can bring to us, can bring more of those happy
chemicals into the brain (neurotransmitters such as serotonin and
dopamine), and we know music, especially if it attached to happier
memories is likely to lead to more good feelings.

So if you have felt you mood being lower or more anxious than you’d like,
check you playlists and get making a new one that reflects the feelings you’d
like to have more of!

Kate x