Why do we dislike Mondays so much?

Sometimes it is not even Monday itself. It is the thought of it. It creeps into Sunday and starts to take over what should be our time to rest and recharge.

Grief is a fact of life, yet when it arrives, it often catches us completely off guard. No matter how prepared we believe we are for life’s challenges, nothing truly prepares us for the deep loss of someone we love.

I just wanted to share a couple of paragraphs from my book, Grief. Everything I thought I believed in, I began to question.

1% of your day is about 15 minutes.

Not to fix everything.
Not to be productive.
Not to improve yourself.

Just to choose you.

And just like that, the week is gone.
Then the month.
Then you blink and realise the year is already in motion.

It slips out automatically after a holiday, a break, or a year that asked more of you than you expected.

We build up to the Christmas break.
We count it down.
We talk about it.
We anticipate it.

And then it happens.

And just like that, it’s over.

Last year taught you more than you realise. But have you actually stopped long enough to notice?

So often we rush to move on — into a new year, new goals, new expectations — without taking a moment to understand what the previous year was quietly shaping inside us.

Take a moment to reflect on the year that’s been.
Where did you grow?
Where did you hold back?
And where did your mental fitness shift you into defensiveness — or into expansion?

As one year rolls into the next, it’s easy to keep moving without stopping to check in.

But pause for a moment and ask yourself: How full is your emotional cup right now — 30%, 60%, 90%?

That quiet space between Christmas and New Year can feel calm. But it can also feel flat, heavy, or unexpectedly exhausting.

This time of year has a way of speeding up. Our calendars fill, the to-do lists get longer, and before we realise it, we’re moving through our days on autopilot—quick, scattered, and slightly overwhelmed.

As we head into the final weeks of the year, I’ve been feeling that mix of excitement and overwhelm that always seems to come with Christmas.

This year doesn’t need you burnt out — it needs you balanced. You can finish strong and stay steady. Pause. Refocus. Reset. December can either shine bright or burn you out, and the truth is, you don’t have to do it all.

Before the December chaos takes over, pause and celebrate how far you’ve come this year. Small wins, mindful moments, and simple choices can help you reclaim calm and make the season meaningful.

The season of giving begins with giving to yourself. Energy, patience, and joy all come from a full cup. Refill before you pour, otherwise you’ll be overflowing.

As a valuable part of this community I want to make sure you have everything you need to continue building a mentally fit workplace, for yourself and the people around you.

For many of us, it’s something that feels just out of reach. Like it belongs to people with less on their plate, more time, more money, fewer responsibilities. You know, the ones going to yoga retreats and drinking green smoothies on a beach somewhere.

But here’s the real truth: wellbeing doesn’t have to be a grand gesture.

It can be built in the small, ordinary moments that make up your day.

Many new mothers find themselves grappling with more than just physical recovery. There’s the emotional labour of constantly being “on,” responsible for a tiny human’s needs around the clock. There’s guilt (so much guilt), self-doubt, hormonal chaos, and a pressure to feel nothing but joy.

But real motherhood? It’s joy and frustration. Love and loneliness. Gratitude and grief.

And all of those feelings can exist at once.

Friendship isn’t just a “nice to have,” it’s a wellbeing superpower. The people we let into our inner circle shape our self-talk, our energy, even our sense of identity.

But what happens when our circle feels... a little off?

Friendships evolve. Some drift apart naturally. Others get harder to maintain as life grows busier. And sometimes, we outgrow people, and that’s okay too.