In these difficult times when you might be feeling like your world is falling apart, you still need to get some sunlight and make a proactive, conscious effort to look after both your mental and physical well-being. Even when you think you can’t, make the time for you. Your health matters. You matter.

Somehow we have to find a way to carry on and give ourselves some respite from it all. We need to look after ourselves even more in these difficult times and allow some time in the day to relax and nurture our mind. It’s impossible to live life with our minds in overdrive all the time, with such a lot of overwhelm and stress in our everyday lives. We must learn to stop sometimes or at least slow down a notch.

Sunlight doesn’t have to be anything big, and it’s not just about taking Vitamin D. It can be the little things you might be taking for granted in your everyday life. It can also be for 10 minutes at a time, or more if you can manage it. Shut the door behind you and take that quiet for yourself in whatever way that feels good for you, go for a walk, breathe in the fresh air, look at the beauty around you. Look at the kind people that ARE around you when you walk around.

I know it’s tough as there is so much fear and negativity in the world today. I know there is a tendency to be drawn to the news right now, but try your best to reduce the things you expose yourself to that make your energy sink and your fear kick in. Reduce your intake of negativity. Create that inner sense of peace and joy whatever that looks like for you.

We can’t just sit back and watch humanity crumble.

We must shine our lights so brightly even in moments you may not feel like it, even if it is “just” to prioritise your own well-being and look after yourself. You matter. Make time in between all the negativity and do things that light you up a little, that make you feel good. Don’t feel guilty for it, what’s important is that you do what brings you peace, calm and also those things that uplift you to give you a feeling of joy, because this is what will ultimately help you to get through it all over time.

Here are some tips of mine which I hope will guide you towards the sunlight:

• Go outdoors, put your face in the sunshine, wander around the garden if you have one, go to the park, walk in nature.
• Talk to someone you love everyday, whether it’s your family or your pets. Spend time with and cherish your loved ones.
• Find or do something that makes you smile, or that makes someone else smile. Kindness and compassion go a long way and can help you feel good too.
• Do something that nourishes your well-being. Pamper yourself, even in a small way. For example, switch off social media, put on a face pack and some headphones then listen to some calming music and read a magazine or a book. Zone out for 20-30 minutes or longer if you can manage.
• Exercise regularly – find some exercise you enjoy doing. Go to the gym, do pilates or dance,  go for a regular walk or run in your local area or wherever inspires you, but make this is a regular part of your routine. Do this for you. Exercise is a great release.
• Brainstorm all those things you love to do as hobbies, self-care activities, or the little things that fill you with joy and calm. Make a list and stick it on your wall to remind you for those moments when you aren’t feeling so good. Remind yourself what makes you feel good and uplift you, and fit them into your routine somehow, even just in small chunks, and regularly. Make time in your diary to do it and stick to it. Make that commitment to yourself.
• Do something you enjoy doing. It feels good to lose track of time doing what you love and what nourishes you. Set a timer if you are worried about time so you don’t have to keep checking your watch, and then relax into that good feeling for however long time allows.
• Drink plenty of water and soothing hot drinks – limit your caffeine or sugar intake as this can make anxiety worse. Try and stick to decaffeinated teas or coffees most of the time if you can. Of course, do treat yourself and enjoy those little comforts aswell.
• Meditate regularly, even if for a few minutes at a time. There are lots of lovely meditations on YouTube. The Mindful Movement is a really good place to start, amongst apps like Headspace or Balance which can also be really helpful if you are new to meditation. Or you can just listen to any relaxing music that resonates with you and helps you to relax and unwind. Qigong, which is a form of mindful movement, is also another amazing way of slowing and calming the body down, and helps to release that heavy duty energy from your body. Sound baths are also a wonderful way to relax and rejuvenate your mind and body.
• Plan some time in the diary regularly to do things that calm your busy mind which are escapist like reading a good book, or learn a new craft, paint, colour, play or listen to music.
• Spend time with people who share similar interests, hobbies and experiences. Face to face human connection is necessary now as well as connecting via instant messaging and online. Real connections are still so valuable – giving us that much needed sense of community and helping to lift our spirits, knowing we are not doing this alone.
• Practice gratitude – this is especially important right now. Remember, we are all miracles – life should ideally be celebrated everyday. There are lots of things in our lives we can still appreciate. I know they are hard to see in the darkness, but they are there.  Focus on the good in the world as much as you can, and life will feel better and a little brighter.

The greater question right now is how do we move forward from here. It really is that time now where everyone needs to step back and take that time to reflect about what our priorities are in life, and how we want to see the world in the future – OUR FUTURE.

Stand up for love and peace – there is NO place in the world for hate. Be brave, stand up for what is right for the whole of humanity. We all have a responsibility to speak up.

Shine your light brightly, show other people what matters to you and how seriously you take the values you have grown up with. What did your parents teach you about being a good human being, what did they teach you to take out into the world? Now is the time to show the world what you are made of!

Make a stand, take positive action. Think about it, how do you want the world to look in the future? How would you like it to make you feel? And yes, feelings matter – this is exactly what human connection is all about!

Be proactive, show kindness and compassion to others in need. Make a routine of it, declutter those feelings of fear and anxiety that surround us. We all have a collective responsibility to show kindness to one another.

The more we shine our lights over the evil that is shadowing us, the more good we can do in the world today. The more kindness we can instil in others, the more the light can shine and the brighter it will get.

Though the sad reality is war, terrorism or antisemitism must never be an acceptable way of life.

As a collective, we ALL matter. We must value love and compassion more than hate! LIFE MUST BE VALUED for the sake of humanity.

Now is the time we must ALL unite together now for the greatest good of all. This is what will help us make the positive change so many of us desire right now to bring more peace in the world.

PRAYING FOR PEACE FOR ALL

What an unimaginably tough week it’s been. As a Jewish person myself, I amongst many other Jewish people across the world, feel Israel’s pain too.

How can people be so evil? I just don’t understand it. Israel is a democracy just like us in the UK and most of the world. They just want to get on with their lives in peace and enjoy their lives.

The horror, the grief, the innocent young lives that were destroyed. On the 7^th October 2023. On the last leg of all the Jewish High Holiday festivals when everyone was celebrating, in joy and love, on one of the holiest days of the Jewish New Year… Babies, so many teens and young children, families wiped out – they killed so many young people at the music festival, they went into people’s homes door by door in Be’eri Kibbutz… It was just beyond inhumane what Hamas did to Israel. Unjustifiable. It sends a chill through my whole body thinking about it. Terrorism should never be celebrated or justified.

We will never forget the Holocaust, and all those millions of Jewish people that were killed and tortured purely because of who they were, their Jewish roots.  We’ve always said #neveragain must this happen, but #neveragainisnow, how has it come to be? How has humanity not learned from its mistakes, how? I know we are in the global sense a small percentage of the population, but Jewish lives matter too!!!!

This is why it hits us so hard, Jewish people and communities across the world are so affected by these atrocities. We are like one big family, it’s very hard to watch other Jewish people suffer and of course, Israel. It feels like an attack on our own identity. We’ve already experienced the Holocaust, isn’t that enough? We all know people in Israel, family, friends, or we know someone who does. It’s just the way it is in our family. All over the world, Jewish people all know someone who was affected in some way by the Holocaust.

This is precisely why Jewish people all over the world have a strong connection to the State of Israel. This is the homeland we built when we had nowhere else to go after the Holocaust. This is why Jewish people all over the world and Israelis have an innately great spirit, a great sense of community, and a strong sense of unity. This is who we are and have come to be, and who we will continue to be.

Let’s be clear, Hamas’ goal is to wipe Israel off the map and kill all of us – this is what they would absolutely love to achieve from their terrorist “mission” but everyone else has to understand that we as Jewish people, as human beings, are not willing to stand for that. Israel must defend itself for the sake of humanity.

Would you let this happen to you and your family?  We mustn’t let evil win. Love must prevail and this takes an army too – love is worth fighting for!!!!!

From the ashes, we will rise.

Israelis have had to become very resilient people over the years, but really how much does a human being have to bear? We don’t always know everything about everyone and their story, but all the images I’ve seen this week has been very distressing – it’s so heart-breaking all these innocent lives that have been lost, babies and young children included. Not forgetting old and disabled people too, including a Holocaust survivor. I can’t imagine what went through the lady’s mind when she was taken away as hostage having already been through the horror with the Nazis. It must be very surreal for those old people who lived through World War 2 and who are now either going through it all over again or watching this new war unfold before their very eyes. Kidnapping babies and toddlers, it’s so unbearable to think about what those children are going through right now.

We are a peaceful bunch of people. Really, this is all Israelis want, to be able to go about their lives in peace and joy. Israel doesn’t want to be fighting in this war – they have no choice other than to protect its citizens. Israelis care for the living; they care that their people live in safety and not in fear of their lives. They care that their people thrive as amazing, happy, strong, caring, compassionate human beings.

Also, we have really appreciated the support and solidarity of those who have lit blue and white Israeli flags all around the world and sung beautifully in support of Israel over the past week, in support of peace – more than you’ll ever know; and those friends who have taken the time to check if we are ok, spoken kind words of compassion, Jewish and non-Jewish, and shown their support for Israel’s plight for safety and peace. The world has come together in times of need which has been incredible and reassuring to see. Of course there is lots more work to be done but the solidarity so far has been so heart-warming and we are so grateful for the support of the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the British Government in this war against terror and evil.

It shouldn’t take a massacre or genocide for people to come together in this way, but for the sake of humanity, we must all join together now in love and compassion, whatever your ethnicity, religion or background. It really doesn’t matter anymore. We all have a common goal – peace, joy and the love of mankind. It’s simple really when you get to grips with what really matters in life. We are humans, just like everyone else, and we have a need and right to feel safe and at peace which is why Israel has a right to exist and must always defend itself.

Now, in the face of what is, moving forward we can only work with what we can control. So what choice do we have other than to fight for what is for the greatest good of all, love and peace – that’s what truly matters.

Amen

Do you ever feel like you are climbing a mountain so high where something feels so out of reach to you despite your hard work and efforts? You then start to think you might have finally reached it, but you find out there’s still more to climb. The same thing happens again, and you now have to climb the mountain even further… You climb more, and more again, and think you’re finally there, but no, you need to climb even further. You now realise that this is one hell of a mystery ride you are on and don’t have a clue about when you are going to reach the final destination. The fear of the unknown is really kicking in now, and all you can do is stop, rest, make those steps to strengthen up, buckle up and keep going until you reach the top of that mountain whenever that may be. You can only do what is within your control, make those extra steps to get closer to the final destination, create new routines, work even harder, and increase self-care. You simply have no other choice.

This is exactly how I view “the interview process”.

The biggest challenge for me is not having an end date, a deadline, knowing how long this is going to take, how much more groundwork and mindset work is involved – not knowing when I will be someone else’s “number one” and be finally paid for the pleasure of it all.

The hardest thing for me is when I’ve found a role and organisation that seems absolutely perfect “on paper”, that aligns perfectly with who I am, with the mission I’m setting out to achieve, and then suddenly boom, rejection after rejection.

Online interviews don’t always work well for me as I find the connection with the people interviewing me isn’t as strong – I’m referring to that missing sense of “human connection” that gets lost with online meetings. I know the convenience factor is great with online interviews, but there is an extra adrenaline rush, a better vibe that I feel within, that I get when I go to the company’s office and see the interviewers live “in person” as opposed to live on Zoom or Teams. I’m essentially “a people person” looking for better work-life-balance and I connect well with real people…

Interviews are really tough – battling those nerves is one thing, but in that moment of feeling those nerves and that adrenaline pumping (especially when having a face to face interview, which I do prefer), I have to come up with answers that not only reflect my best and calm self that aligns with the role and organisation I’m being interviewed for, but also I need to in that moment, say what the interviewer wants to hear from me to be able to tick more of the boxes that the employer has set in their mind before the start of the interview to essentially meet their expectations of who they want for this role. This is the tough part, because my intuitive self wants to tell people about my own experience behind the question they are asking, answering the question as best as possible, and it requires an extra layer of thought in that moment to think about what the interviewer wants to hear from me. It is a learning curve.

I always found it tough at school being tested under exam conditions, as I usually spent a lot of time revising and putting in all the hard work beforehand to then find nerves kicking in on the day of the exam and doing my best to work my way through them to achieve the best possible result – so this is not the ideal environment for me to present my best self and it presents a real challenge to me. Saying that, I do find looking over my notes regularly, especially close to the time of the exam or interview, reflecting on what I want to say beforehand, practicing out loud, all helps to increase my self-confidence on the day and helps me to give it my best shot.

I know my skills are really important to the employer – but also, I believe that my whole self matters too. What I mean by this, is the vision that I represent to the employer, how I connect with their organisation, the things that I have achieved in my life that align with that organisation, my highly motivated creative self, my committed self that is determined to push through these barriers to succeed and to do what it takes to find that job which will see me thrive, as well as making use of all my hard work and achievements to date.

I may be against a lot of competition but in the process, I have learnt a lot of things about myself and improved my confidence and resilience too, which is of course can only be a positive thing. But whatever I am doing essentially is still not enough, or maybe I just haven’t found the right role for me yet. In the meantime, I am forced to go within and self-reflect at every stage of the process for ways in which I can improve myself, my job applications, but also, how I can improve my interview performance.

Maybe the Universe has me work this hard so that when I finally nail that job, I will appreciate it so much, more than I know. I look forward to that immense feeling of excitement that awaits me at the final stage of the interview process, “the job offer”, filling me with that extra sense of purpose, happiness and fulfilment. I really look forward to finding that employer who appreciates me for who I am, my authentic self, my perfect imperfections and the experience and skills I can bring to them. I’m not giving up just yet!

“Winners are not people who never fail, they are people who never quit” Edwin Louis Cole