Livecreatefeelhappy

Last weekend I was on a training course. It's been a few hectic weeks and working all weekend felt a little overwhelming. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and love learning but whenever I go on training courses I end up exhausted in a whole different way to my normal working day! You get me?! It can be hard to remember to look after ourselves when we're busy. I don't know if it's a trait of being a therapist, a trait of being a Mum or just my personality that everyone seems to come before me! Sometimes I have to feel burnt out before I recognise that I've taken on too much and this is not a great trait! So when I was training last weekend and was reminded of the the importance of self care it jump started me back into caring for me.  It was a general discussion when the facilitator reminded us of the rules around oxygen masks on an aeroplane. As anyone who has ever flown will know, we are told to place our own mask on before helping anyone else. Why is

Selfies and filters are everywhere these days. We can take photos easily on our phones and edit and change our view of the world depending on our mood. However, we must not forget the creative element of taking photographs and also the power of using images to express ourselves. Using photography for well being is a tried and tested method and can be used in different ways. Whether it is making a record of positive days in a photographic gratitude journal, taking images to symbolise something of the way we experience the world or simply collecting images to escape to, photography can be a powerful way to help live a happier life. For me, I love to take photos in nature. I suppose I am actually nature obsessed and love nothing better than being wind blown on the top of a cliff top or wandering beneath a woodland canopy. I feel like I can breathe when I am in nature and taking photos allows me to see and remember, sometimes turning my experiences into other artwork that I