I have just been going through a period of stress with publishing deadlines to meet and too much to do! I'm sure you know what it’s like. All the good intentions begin to slip during these times if we are not vigilant. One of the things I have learnt is that this is the time when I so easily lose my connection with my inner self. Life becomes so focussed on work, responsibilities and problems that I 'unplug' my connection between my mind and body.

Once this connection is fully broken, and my focus placed elsewhere, it is all too easy to reach out for food as a comforter or to overeat. I begin to stop using the skills of ‘Conscious Eating’. These are the skills required to keep a healthy and alert connection between our mind and body. Using them we are able to easily assess the types and amounts of food our body requires for energy and happiness.

Way before my conscious eating skills begin to wane I start to think that I do not have time to do my yoga and meditation in the mornings. Gradually I allow my priorities to change and my time to be taken up by work and problems. What I forget is how important it is to begin each day by connecting to my inner self and feeling the joy and energy in every cell of my body.

It is this early morning ‘fix’ that sets me up for the day. I have turned on the switch between my head and my body as my first priority of the day. In this way I am beginning each new day with a loving act that prepares my mind and body for the day to come. This one act of loving-kindness sets a positive pattern for the day, which allows an easy flow of…

·           Positive thoughts and feelings;

·           Energy that dispels the stresses of the day;

·           Decisions and actions about eating the foods that fuel my body the best;

·           Energy that makes me want to be more active and take exercise;

·           Work that does not stress me in the usual way;

·           Connections with everything around me that brings me joy and happiness.

All this from just one act of loving-kindness first thing in the day. What way do you start your day to give yourself a lasting happiness and motivation fix?

Phew! I have just completed an hours exercise without going to the gym. Actually my gym doesn't open on a Saturday at present, so this morning I decided to Active8 myself and get my daily exercise in a different way - picking up plums!

Yes, I am serious. My decking was covered in plums from the trees next door that overhang my garden. Every year I curse the deluge of fruit that carpets the area. This year was different, as it became part of my daily activity practice. So out I went and surveyed the mess. As my heart sank at the thought of all that work, I began to think about something the author Byron Katie talks about - being joyful and grateful for the work we need to do.

Katie (as she prefers to be known) who wrote 'Loving What Is' explains that everyone and everything comes into our lives to help us to learn. So, as I began to pick up the messy, splattered fruit I began to feel the enjoyment of the stretching and bending exercise I was getting. Then, I remembered something else that she had taught me at her recent seminar. To be grateful to the tree for doing its job and carpeting the floor so that I would get more exercise!

If you were thinking 'why on earth would you think like that?' Well, consider for a moment how stressful it is to be angry at something you cannot change. It is how it is, and so it is futile getting angry, upset or frustrated about it! How much better, to let the situation offer you something in return like exercise or a learning experience.

This sort of situation brings with it a double-edged advantage that motivates and keeps me on track. The tree doing its job and dropping its plums gave me...

1.  The opportunity of getting a good hour bending and stretching exercise.

2. The opportunity to be grateful to the tree; let go of my usual negativity and stress about having to do the job and therefore, reduce my need to comfort eat.

Give it a go next time you are getting angry and frustrated at something. Try considering that they are doing a job to help you learn how to be more accepting of 'What is' and so keep your stress at bay.