Kristy Berridge's Blog, page 3

How to go from Overwhelmed to Motivated!

How to go from Overwhelmed to motivated? Well, this is a matter true to my heart right now and I implore you to stick with me on this as opposed to dialling child services.

My hubby and I recently had a little boy and although he is the light of our life, joy of the world, beacon of ... yeah, you get my point, right? We love him, but sometimes we debate about putting him in a cardboard box and posting him to Alaska.

I’m kidding of course, but when all he does is sleep through the day and stay up all night, it tends to grate on your sensibilities. So, as you can imagine (since I do the night shift), I can become incredibly overwhelmed at 2am. With little to no sleep in my pocket, looking down into the beady eyes of my wide awake infant forces me to find some sort of motivation not to glue his eyes shut. Yes, we expected this to happen. Babies can’t sleep all the time, right? I mean they have to poop at 4am and wee on your nightgown post shower or spew on you right as you put them down for that seemingly unattainable sleep, but come on ...

Being overwhelmed is part of the job description.

So how do you get motivated?

Well, you may think I might be motivated to push our son under the bed until morning in the hopes I can’t hear him under there, but on the contrary, I consider the ramifications. No, not child abuse allegations (although my headspace undoubtedly deserves it sometimes), but the ramifications of simply not being motivated enough to enjoy this moment of fleetingness. He won’t stay an infant forever. He will soon become a toddler and start sleeping through the night, then a young boy who picks his nose and sniffs his bum. Then of course he’ll be a teenager and I’ll probably want to kill him all over again.

The point is, motivation doesn’t have to be a gimmick or an affirmation to pull you through a task. It can simply be the idea that you’ll miss just one perfect moment amongst the clutter of imperfect ones – the reason I keep my eyes open at 2am ... just in case he smiles.

Kristy

A Love of Reading.

                                                                        

My love of reading started when I was a young child, I was read to often. Not only that, my brother and I were encouraged to read as much as possible, we might not have had all that we wanted, but books were plentiful.  

However, the very best stories were those told to us by our Nana. She would tell us the most captivating stories from her head, not a book…imagine pinching yourself to stay awake just to hear more, but eventually succumbing to sleep with visions of heroes and heroines. Our stays with our Nana were memorable and long lasting and her ability to weave magic into each of her stories is something that I have tried to pass onto my children.

I guess depending upon your personal preference, fiction or non-fiction can either whisk you away to exciting places with your imagination or tantalise and stimulate your synapses mentally. The point is, are we encouraging our young ones and others to read enough to keep the brain matter growing? There are some book lovers who are, but it is not enough. It seems that people read less now and prefer instead to watch TV or play on their phones.

There are so many benefits to reading, it can develop our minds, help our children with language skills and a good book can open up dimensions of thoughts as you try to connect events, emotions and experiences of the characters that you read.  The tragedy today, is that we have a huge number of Australians that lack the necessary literacy skills they need to function in life and work. Many young people that I have spoken to cannot speak properly, they don’t read, they cannot string a sentence together and worse still, some cannot read.

What is the matter with us? Our children are born ready to learn; a wonderful opportunity exists for parents today to better equip their kids before they enter their school years. Read, teach and encourage a love of books, you will be guaranteeing them success for their future, don’t make them struggle in an already difficult world.

Stephanie

Baby Shower

Baby Shower

Today was supposed to be our little one’s baby shower. I was supposed to have my son tucked away safely inside while devouring tasty treats and sipping non-alcoholic beverages with friends and family.

Instead, were cuddling our son close to our chests in the neonatal ICU, merely grateful he’s alive and doing better after being born nine weeks premature.
At first I was disappointed that this little milestone celebration had been cancelled, not only due to Covid19 but also because of Archibald’s early arrival. But then I realised, as I kissed his little face and breathed in the smell of his baby skin, how lucky we are to have this time with him instead.
I guess I don’t have a moral to the story or some poignant words of wisdom, but I can say that despite circumstances being what they are, I couldn’t be happier to be curled up on an armchair with my adoring husband and baby, spending quality time together as a family.
How are you spending your day? 

Introducing:

                    Archibald Thomas Frederick Muddock        Shaun and I would like to finally announce the birth of our son: Archibald Thomas Frederick Muddock, born May 16th at 5:30 am, weighing 1.8kg and born 9 weeks premature.
Little Archie has had quite the ordeal so far. He was whisked away from Shaun and I only seconds after he was born and transported straight to the Neonatal ICU. In the last 5 days, he's been intubated, placed on CPAP, moved to High Flow and now he can finally breathe on his own with a little help from some caffeine.
He has an umbilical line that gives him fluids and antibiotics and feeding tube inserted straight into his little tummy through his belly button. Shaun and I wanted you all to know that we appreciate every single ounce of love and support, but hope that you understand that at this moment in time, while Archie is still fighting to survive, that we can't focus on much more than him.
Naturally we want to see our family and friends, but if we have a spare second, we just want to be with our son.  We hope you all understand and appreciate how much we already love and need our little boy to be safe and sound before we worry about ourselves.

Hi everyone,It’s finally here … THE DELIVERED!The Deliver...

Hi everyone,
It’s finally here … THE DELIVERED!
The Delivered is the final novel in the series “The Hunted”.
If you are interested in the paperback version, please copy this link: amzn.to/2SPnc5p and paste it into the address bar in your Internet browser.
If you are interest in the eBook version, then copy this link as above: amzn.to/2UWnTwz
I promise this delivers an exciting conclusion to this marvellous series. A little taste of what to expect within the book…
Life is a swift lesson, one that Elena Manory has finally begun to understand and one that she willingly gave up in the name of love. She’s now in Purgatory, confronted by the demons of her past and the possibilities of her future, forced to choose between her soul mate and a twisted version of the life she has left behind. But the world of her past has been ravaged by war, the Vampires and werewolves forming an unlikely alliance in the face of so much adversity. Too much has changed and Elena is not only uncertain of herself, but the expectations of others and the role they expect her to play. Will Elena stand by her decision, follow her heart and spend eternity in the arms of the one she loves? Or will she fall back to earth, stand by her brother’s side and win the ultimate battle between a life worth living and a life worth changing?
Don’t miss the opportunity of obtaining this book, you won’t be disappointed.
Enjoy – Stephanie

Extend Yourself to Others

Watch the news, read about the latest terrorist attacks and political shit storm and you start to think do I really want to know these things? It is distressing.

Would I rather bury my head in the sand and hope it goes away? It would be simpler, or is it?
So many of us live these sheltered lives, ‘the proverbial bubble of safeness.’ We are able to see out, secure in our dome of reasoning and self-righteousness.
Living in our own little realm is not going to make all that is happening in the world simply disappear; in fact distancing ourselves can create more problems.
So instead of focussing upon the negatives of our society and keeping ourselves insular from everyone else, let us start small….help those around you.  It might be something as simple as opening a door for a stranger to actively listening when someone is in pain and needs a friend who will stop and pay attention.
Being kind and caring towards others can be contagious and may quickly inspire those around us to do the same. Sometimes it comes down to us! If we do not as individuals, step forward and set in motion the kindness towards others, then who will. Let us create a ripple and watch it swell into waves of benevolence.
“How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment.  We can start now, start slowly, changing the world. How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make a contribution toward introducing justice straightway. And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!” Anne Frank
Stephanie

Bullying is so declasse

Bullying is about repeated behaviour by someone who has power or control over someone else!

Power! Well, if you are going to allow someone to have a negative influence over the way you think, feel or behave, then you are giving them power over your life. The most important thing that I personally feel is that you need to set boundaries. To understand this, let us apply the old adage ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ yes, this normally applies to relationships; however, familiarity is just that---someone who has a deep knowledge about ourselves. We could therefore make sure that a) you don’t allow someone to get to physically close b) don’t discuss everything of a personal nature about yourself and c) make sure you protect yourself emotionally i.e. try not to express how you are feeling.

There are so many types of bullying and the types of bullying that happens is not just confined to a kids playground, it happens all the time with adults as well. Physical bullying – intentional bumping, hitting, spitting etc. Body language – gestures and dirty looks. Verbal bullying, probably one of the worst as it can damage our inner child badly – teasing, name calling, telling stores that are not correct. I could go on citing many more examples, sadly there are numerous.

The bullied have the power to stop the cycle!

It has been my experience that most bullies have been bullied themselves, they may have watched family members being bullied, a learned skill. In addition, I believe that most times that bullying occurs is usually when no one is around who may be able to help, or a ‘perceived popular individual’ may have picked on you and therefore accepted by their peers. It is tough, emotionally heartbreaking and painful and very embarrassing.

However, we cannot and do not know what a bully is experiencing. Are they struggling, are they having a hard time at home, at school or work. It is time to break the cycle, tap into empathy and compassion, and shatter this seed of torment of what is happening in our society.

If you are the victim, be as strong as you can, be brave, help others by breaking the cycle, have the strength to walk away with your head held high – you will become a prime example of not accepting the term bullying and in the process, you may just help the bullier.

I speak from experience as do a number of readers. I was bullied at school; however, the most difficult thing I did was to forgive. Nevertheless, it enabled me to take back the power I gave away in the first place.

Stephanie

When the Light Begins to Fade...

Why is it we have to go through pain in order to learn anything? Why is it that when we learn something from anguish, we have to learn something else to justify what we have just learned?
Losing a loved one or having a horrible fight can give you pain, terrible pain. Some say that this pain or heartache if you like is real, crippling, and intense; it can make you lose your breath. Such physical pain that you feel you cannot move or emotional pain which we store away in our subconscious only to be confronted by it when we least want or expect it. Personally, I think emotional pain can be more crippling. Think about it, every emotional feeling or thought or painful sensation we experience as an individual is as a direct result of messages from our brains. Are we more in control than we think?
How many times have we heard “You don’t ever know what you have had until you have lost it?” Be mindful, this particular lesson is not always accurate; after all, we often learn what we choose to interpret.
Confusion is an important component of our emotional well-being – I was having an argument with my boss and his responses to me were quite nasty. I was hurt, I was angry and I felt betrayed, why was it necessary for him to be so rude? Alternatively, was I mixing up my confusion and anger with an emotional response? When I thought about it more, I took a deep breath and stated the best possible solution to his issue. Once I had done this, I felt better. I had taken the emotional element, which was my anger and confusion away from the issue and made a decisive response. I walked away with confidence. My boss came after me with thanks and appreciation.
Drama makes a relationship exciting and intriguing and therefore subject to confusion, add empathy, compassion or just downright pity and you have all the components of love.  Being aware that love is just a tumult of emotions is wise and any turmoil or conflict in any relationship that makes couples appear vulnerable or victimised may become a shared and stimulating experience that further binds you together.
So when you feel that the light begins to fade take the time to question your emotional state. After all our self-awareness requires that, we look at ourselves objectively.
Stephanie

Old is The New Young

Have you read all the proverbial crap that supposedly supports older individuals back into the workplace? Well platitudes and examples of pros and cons are not enough without genuine meaning if you write them. It simply is not true! Companies do not want older workers because society has been dumbed down to think that the oldies are addled, befuddled and bygones.


Older people can offer wisdom, skills, and an ability to listen and assimilate information well. Everyone undergoes training in a job, why have companies been brainwashed into assuming that oldies are too old to learn technology, and no, not everyone is ready to retire because the Government states they have to, or they can no longer get work because they are too old.  In addition, another unfathomable thing, they are usually not deaf or dumb. Why is it then that most of Gen X & Y automatically raise their supercilious voices and act as if they are speaking to a moron?
Older people are more likely to stick around longer, they are more likely to be happy with the position they have been offered – they are no longer in the business of cutting another’s throat or stabbing someone in the back to get to the top.
Even in old age, it turns out, our brains have more plasticity to adapt and learn. In short, it turns out that old dogs can learn new tricks. Older people respect and appreciate education more than perhaps the Gen X & Y – certainly, it is too soon to see how Gen Z will go.
Now if the above does not prompt you to re-think your stance on the golden oldies, and if money is your bag, then think of it this way if you brought back in older workers to your companies, then it could return $78 billion a year to the economy. Just saying!
It just takes one intelligent, proactive individual in a position of strength or power to make changes that will improve the life of a golden oldie, increased appreciation between the generations and in the process improve our economy.
Stephanie

Essential Oils

Alternative medicine?

Essential oils are compounds extracted from plants. The oils capture the plant’s scent and flavour which is also called it’s “essence.”

Recently my daughter has become curious about essential oils but had been unsure about the quality or which was the right oil, how to start, how or why to use them; so she decided that now was the time to ask questions as she wanted to reduce toxic chemicals in her home and office. I can honestly say that she is an advocate for doing everything that she can to improve her health and to beat her cancer.

My beautiful daughter and her extensive research has me questioning the things that I use in the home. I want to eliminate the funk and bring in the fresh. Smell is one of our most powerful senses and it tells us a lot about where we are, what we should eat and how we want our homes to smell. If a smell is bad, we can feel uneasy and often smell is associated with our memory….step in essential oils and let me see what you got.

1. When has it ever been a bad thing to reduce chemical use in the garden, home with the kids or even in our daily skincare regime?

2. Imagine the benefits of metabolic boosts; better cellular health, relaxation and lowered stress levels, sleep assistance and joint support?

3. Imagine saving on domestic cleaning products and expensive deodorisers and air scents laden with chemicals?

Many good questions. These are the areas I am going to focus upon and yes I want all of the above and yes I have recently tried some of these things. Admittedly, I am having more fun in using the essential oils in my diffuser. There are loads of amazing oils and blends that are making my home smell wonderful and in the process, eliminating chemicals and becoming safer for my beautiful daughter.

Note: The way oils are made is extremely important; essential oils obtained through chemical processes are not considered true essential oils. Essential oils are concentrated plant extracts!

Having fun

Stephanie