Northland experts’ top tips to staying healthy during ongoing pandemic

By: Jenny Ling, the Northern Advocate’s feature writer and news reporter.

FULL ARTICLE HERE Life coach Maria Quayle-Guppy, from Reset Mindset in Kerikeri, said people going through difficult times often feel a significant loss of control.

People need to adjust their expectations of themselves and recognise things are constantly changing, she said.

“A lot of it comes down to when you’ve lost control of something. We don’t know what’s happening with the Covid levels changing, but the reality is in life we never know.

“Every day there are things that don’t go to plan. Things change but that’s okay, it’s normal.”

Telling yourself positive affirmations throughout the day can stop the brain from catastrophising, life coach Maria Quayle-Guppy says. Quayle-Guppy said it’s helpful to keep a routine and have “bite-sized goals”.

Belly breathing – by breathing slowly through your nose, filling your belly with air and releasing the air slowly from the mouth – is useful for staying grounded.Being mindful is another way to notice what’s happening around you, she said.

“We can still have lots of moments of joy. Slow things down so you have got time to be living more presently.
“That can be as simple as watching your kids get muddy on the trampoline or setting things up so that you’re still able to have enough balance in your day-to-day life.”

Quayle-Guppy said creating a weekly plan and prioritising what is important helps people stay focused. Make sure to include all aspects of life including exercise, hobbies, work, relationships, finance, education, healthy food and spirituality. Telling yourself positive affirmations throughout the day can “stop the brain from catastrophising”.

“Fill your mind with something positive which reassures you, otherwise what happens is your body just keeps making stress hormones so you’re constantly on edge.”

Northland experts offer sage advice on how to beat the back-to-work blues

16 January 2023 FULL ARTICLE HERE 

Face up to reality, plan another holiday and take lots of mini-breaks throughout the year.

That’s the advice from two Northland counsellors and a life coach on how to handle the year ahead as many of us head back to work following a long summer break. It can be hard to get back to the daily grind at the best of times, the experts say, and they all agree the bad weather of late has left people feeling short-changed of their holidays.

Day after day of rain, humidity and even a tropical cyclone completely thwarted plans of long days in the sun for those living in and visiting Northland. Kerikeri life coach Maria Quayle-Guppy, from Reset Mindset, said morale was “super low” among holidaymakers due to all the bad weather.

“People feel they haven’t had their summer holiday.”

Quayle-Guppy suggests making the most of any sunny days that crop up in the coming weekends while planning for rainy-day options. Break down the daunting 12-month calendar into ‘mini-blocks’ – there are still many long weekends to look forward to. Plan to do something different every couple of months, explore your region or local area and take mini-breaks, which don’t have to be expensive.

“Have a think now before the next long weekend… we may have settled weather by then. People still need to have a rainy-day option so they can make the most of it either way.”

“There are plenty of things that can still be done, even if the weather is a bit flat. Take advantage of those really good days. It’s amazing how one good day in the sun makes you feel so much better.”

The first day back at the office can fill workers with dread, which Quayle-Guppy suggests handling by managing expectations of how you “should” feel and perform.

“Do what you can do”, is her motto.

“Rather than expecting to roar into a busy work week and kick off feeling refreshed, if you’re feeling flat, still show up. Because if you’re feeling that, you can’t click your fingers and feel great.”

“You can still knock off one task, have that sense of accomplishment and build on that. Try to knock off a phone conversation or a networking conversation or something […] and just do it, because that kickstarts your motivation.”

Even though 2023 is predicted to be tough, with a gloomy economic outlook, don’t write it off, Quayle-Guppy said.

“It’s a great way of trying to figure out what we can do rather than what we can’t do. It doesn’t need to be big things, just little wins and a sense of achievement.”

“It’s all about lifting morale and giving hope.”

Activities to do during lockdown – beat the boredom

By Jenny Ling 28 Aug, 2021 FULL ARTICLE HERE 

Whether we’re at level 4 lockdown or alert level 3 (lockdown with takeaways) we need activities to keep boredom at bay. Reporter Jenny Ling asks fellow Northlanders for some top tips.
There’s no doubt living a level 4 lockdown lifestyle can be challenging. While some people enjoy the slower pace, others may find it difficult to fill in their days and we all have responsibilities and commitments which add to the uncertainty and stress.

So having a routine, some projects, and other time-consuming activities to lose yourself in can be really therapeutic. Life coach Maria Quayle-Guppy, from Reset Mindset in Kerikeri, suggests drawing up a daily plan or schedule when you’re in an optimistic mood. Ideally, each day will consist of four aspects:

• Moving your body: Any form of exercise, running, walking, cycling, tai chi, etc.
• Doing something that makes you laugh: Watch stand-up comedy or a funny movie.
• Mundane tasks: Do something you have to do, such as household chores or paperwork.
• Connect: With family and friends.

“We’ve now started watching Michael McIntyre on YouTube in the evenings because laughter is massively important,” Quayle-Guppy said. “Schedule it in so you’ve got something to look forward to rather than letting it drift. Everyone will also have responsibilities that have to be done at the moment.”

“Each day make sure you do at least one thing on your to-do list because the building pressure of expectations gets people into a flurry.”

Finding projects to do, playing Uno with the kids, and getting plenty of exercise is also key, she said. And go easy on yourselves; if you feel like having an afternoon nap with the kids, then do so.

“It’s natural to worry about things like commitments and business which has now had to stop. It’s worrying for anybody. Try to keep things as close to what a normal routine would look like. Getting up in the morning and getting out of your PJs, and have the most of a routine.”

The other thing Quayle-Guppy highly recommends is writing a food list so people have a meal plan for 12 evening meals, six lunches and three breakfasts. Keep meals realistic in order not to blow the grocery budget. Practise mindful shopping at the supermarket; ask yourself whether items are needed or wanted before putting them in the trolley.

“Now is not the time to be jumping on the bandwagon and buying lots of beer and wine and goodies. Breakfasts don’t have to entail bacon, pancakes and creme freche, it can be normal cereal, porridge or toast.”

“No one wants to look at their bank account and think I should have taken shares in New World. The recovery [from debt] is really hard, and will put financial pressure on you down the track. Keep it realistic and keep in on track.”

Play games

Whether you’ve got kids or are young at heart, games are great for all ages.

Treasure hunt is fun and active and can be played indoors or outdoors, or dust off the board games like Monopoly, Connect Four, Snakes and Ladders, chess or Scrabble.

Board games are great for keeping your mind active and bringing people together through competitive and cooperative game play. They promote laughter, which increases endorphins, the chemicals that bring up the feeling of happiness, which helps lower blood pressure and reduce stress.

They also help improve cognitive skills like problem-solving. It’s time to break out the knuckle bones, elastics and pick-up sticks!

Business course

FULL ARTICLE HERE A free course to help young Northland residents wanting to become self-employed is starting in February.

Applications are open for the Reset Mindset Entrepreneurship, a 12-session course for Northland youth aged 16-24 to help them find and develop business ideas and sustain the ups and downs of being in business.

Course facilitator Maria Quayle-Guppy has partnered with Bay of Islands Community Centre on the project and the course is also available in Whangaroa, Kaeo, Kerikeri and Kaikohe.

Local business mentors help youth with a variety of topics including marketing, brand identity and finance, along with tips on how to manage stress and have a work/life balance.