Anyone else been a bit more grumpy and ungrateful than normal recently?
I found myself having a bit of a whinge at a very long suffering friend in the park this week. That is a hard thing to admit and I feel bad about being grumpy. Grumpy is not something anyone wants to be described as (except maybe by the kids sometimes).
We are healthy and happy, with wonderful friends and family and we live in a beautiful part of the world.
Not much to be grumpy about really.
Covid-19 and the restrictions that it is placing on our lives and our sense of freedom can be overwhelming at times.
It looks different for everyone and we will all feel it at different times.
the uncertainty
financial worries
elderly and isolated relatives
those with chronic illness and those worried about potentially shielding again
small businesses struggling with limitations on how they can operate
self employed freelancers whose work has dried up completely
furlough or job losses
careers in sectors that are unable to operate at all
lack of being able to plan anything at all
inability to travel and see who we want, when we want
stop starting of school with quarantine and concerns for our kids
teens heading to university that looks very different to 'normal'
lack of contact to support, social groups which are life lines for many
front line hospital medics dreading a second wave of admissions
juggling of working and kids at home
troubled social situations at home
ongoing worry about the future that ebbs and flows
This is not a comprehensive list by all means and we all know people whose social, health or economic situation maybe in a very difficult place as a result of this last 6 months of living with Covid-19.
Despite all this, we need to try and remain grateful for what we have and the opportunities around us and help support each other.
This is super important.
Gratitude is a term used a lot at the moment but maybe it is as simple as stopping to think, to appreciate and to process all the little things: the important things and the less important things.
Here at HOW HQ we are trying to do our bit to remain grateful and to help maintain a sense of adventure during these times.
During these tricky and uncertain times we want teen girls to be inspired by others so we are delivering some great content within and outside of our membership platform over the coming months.
We are really concentrating on developing our digital offerings over the next 6 months.
There is so much we can be doing and learning online. The power of Zoom and a collective coaching or HOW Inspire call is amazing. Our signature HOW membership programme for girls 11-16 yrs old is flourishing now after opening again in September. We will be opening again early in 2021 but sign up to the waiting list on our website for more information or contact us if you want to know more about it.
On 12th Oct there is a digital workshop/webinar open to all called WORRY WELL which will be delivered by our wellbeing psychotherapist Jo Williams.
It is a great session aimed for girls aged 10-16 years old. Jo will talk us through WORRY. Why we have it. Why it is actually helpful and how we can learn to be better at dealing with it.
12th October 7pm. £10 per ticket (household) LINK HERE
This will be the first of a series of Buy One Give One ‘BOGO’ Workshops that we will be offering. For every ticket sold someone who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford it will be able to attend via our partner charities Llamau and Valleys Kids.
Locally, we hope our HOW Adventure activities will all be able to go ahead.
HOW Surf sessions are back over the whole of October (Open/Beginners and Progression/Intermediate). HOW to Climb with Outdoor Matters is back in half term on 30th October for a full day of Gower climbing adventures and we are chatting with Jess Strange about offering HOW Biking sessions up in Afan Argoed over the next few weeks but our new local restrictions might delay that for the time being.
Watch this space.
For all our HOW Adventure activities book via Eventbrite. LINK HERE
So, this is just a reminder really, that if you are feeling grumpy sometimes, that is totally ok.
You are a human being.
We are all feeling it whatever walk of life we come from and wherever we live.
We just need to look out for each other… and try and be grateful for all the little things. That will help.
Top tip: Have a gratitude reminder: Place an object or simply a post-it note somewhere in your home which will remind you to feel grateful each time you look at it.
“It is not happy people who are thankful, it is thankful people who are happy.”
Unknown author