The family lifestyle blog with a side of psychology
As we all tend to do when our children get another year older, I’ve been thinking about how the last two years have just flown by, so this quote seems quite fitting!
So we wrapped up warm and headed down to Swansea bay in the morning for a run around and a blast of fresh air.
Both Rhys and Nerys love it down at the beach, regardless of the time of year. They really enjoy just running about, playing in the sand and jumping in the sea.
Pretty much the perfect morning for a 2 year old and her big brother!
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So today Nerys and I had a little photo shoot.
I opened up the hallway door to let the natural light flood in and, oh, the results make me so much happier!
At times she seems so grown up to me, it’s hard to believe that she’s only just turning two. But at the same time, I can’t believe she’s turning two! Where did that time go? Where did my teeny baby go?!
See, I’ve lived in Swansea for about 15 and a half years now.
This is where I’ve built my family, and my life.
This is home.
But, at the same time, my parent’s house in Kent is home also.
I grew up there.
I lived there for 18 years before leaving for University.
It’s home. I mean, my parent’s landline number is listed on my phone under ‘home’!
So I’ve been feeling a bit confused, wondering what this word ‘home’ really means.
Is it a certain place? A particular building? Is it the place where special memories are made, or simply the place you return to every evening?
For me, I think it’s a mixture of all of those things.
Home is where there is history, where those special memories are made, where there is comfort and security.
Above all though, I think that home is where the people you love are. And in that case, there really is no place like it.
They bought that house from the plans. No one else has ever lived there. All it’s memories are OUR memories.
And, while I’m not sure about this house I’m currently living in, Swansea in general is most definitely home too. As soon as I moved here it felt right, then the moment I fell in love with my husband it felt like home.
I’m pretty lucky I think, to have two places to call home!
I’d love to know what you think about this. Do you still call your childhood home ‘home’? Or have you moved on to a new place that feels more ‘home’ to you now?!
If you’ve read my previous post about making your mornings happier by making time for a good hug with someone, then you’ll have an idea of how amazing this happy hormone is!
Oxytocin has some real super powers, like boosting your immune system, reducing anxiety and lowering your blood pressure. So, how can we all get more of the good stuff?
Here are 6 ways to get you started on getting more oxytocin in your day:
Basically, any kind of physical contact is great for getting the oxytocin flowing, but the more you do it the better, so a nice long hug from a loved one, a 5 minute snuggle on the sofa with your cat or a pampering hour spent having a massage should do the trick!
2) Give some money away.
Studies have found that showing compassion in a visceral way (so, doing it because your gut feeling about it is good, rather than there being a logical explanation for doing it), like giving money away, is linked to higher levels of oxytocin.
So you might have a charity that you just feel an affinity with – go donate a bit of money to them. Or, for a real feel-good hit, hide some money about town for strangers to find, random-acts-of-kindness-style!
3) ‘Like’ some of your friends’ post and photos on Facebook.
In the same way that hugging releases oxytocin, so do all sorts of other kinds of social interaction, including getting stuck in to a good Facebook session.
Researchers have found that we get a dose of oxytocin after spending time on Facebook and Twitter, most likely down to the fact that ‘liking’ and commenting on our friends’ photos and status updates makes us feel more connected to them,
4) Go for a walk outside.
This one shouldn’t be a surprise, we’ve been told time and time again how great gentle exercise is for boosting our moods. And studies have shown that going for a walk outside in nature is associated with increased levels of oxytocin. If you’re feeling more adventurous, then grab a friend and go exploring – it’s been found that going on adventures with people helps to make us feel more bonded to them!
5) Listen to some soothing music.
Ok, so this one is also quite logical, I mean, taking some time out and listening to soothing music is bound to make you feel relaxed! And the reason it makes you relaxed, is because it prompts the body to produce more oxytocin!
There was a study carried out on patients who were recovering from open heart surgery, that found that when they listened to soothing music there was an increase in the levels of oxytocin in their blood. Meaning they were less stressed and healed more quickly – pretty amazing.
6) Eat some eggs and a banana.
Eggs and bananas have both been linked with increased levels of oxytocin. So, scrambled eggs followed by a banana for breakfast will set you up for a great day! Or you could give these banana pancakes a try for the same effect, and you get bonus happy points if you add some chocolate chips for a dopamine hit!
If you like this post, then you might also like these:
6 reasons to squeeze more hugs into each day
Try this one little trick to start your day feeling happy
Lets be social – come and find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest!
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Joy is my word of the year. It is my focus and my motivator. This life is too short, I want to get as much joy out of it as I can, for me and for my family.
So today I give you another quote that I read recently and that’s been running through my mind:
“Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognise how good things really are”
I blame Dawsons Creek, I really do! Mitch and his “my family is so wonderful, my life is so great, I’m going to drive and sing and eat ice cream”, and then boom! Car crash. It all comes tumbling down.
But in all seriousness, I am aware that I don’t truly let go and enjoy how good things really are as much as I should. But I know I’m holding myself back from really experiencing joy by doing this. So it’s time to start recognising how good things really are and being grateful and joyful for that!
Pretty much every night we follow the same routine in our house.
A good splash around in the bath, and then pile into the main bedroom for stories in Mummy and Daddy’s bed. Most of the time these days we read the book that Rhys has been given from school, and one that we think Nerys will enjoy. And it makes me really happy to see both my children in front of the bookcase discussing which book they want to choose.
I think Nerys may be a bit of a bookworm when she’s older, she loves sitting and carefully turning the pages of books, saying out loud the words she can remember from when we read it together. So I love this photo of her, crouched on the floor, concentrating so hard on one of her books.
“You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth”
