A Calm Approach
Hello and welcome to Senses and Feels Relaxed – my website dedicated to all things ‘calm and beautiful’!
I have created this website out of a passion for relaxation, rest and calm, and a desire to get more information, tools and resources out to those who are seeking a calmer approach to life. Now more than ever we need to balance our busy, demanding and often anxious lives with harmony, peacefulness and relaxation, and this website aims to provide you with tools, resources, hints, tips and services that could help you and yours to find that balance.
My purpose…
Throughout my life I have encountered circumstances and situations that have really challenged my sense of calm and wellbeing. At times the impact of these events posed real risk to my mental health, but, gradually, through curiosity and regular practice, I have discovered the benefits of self-care and specifically the value of relaxation and mindfulness.
Building these calming habits into our lives, so that they become an absolute priority without causing additional stress in our already busy lives, is imperative and is perfectly possible. Knowing where to start and how to maintain the practice of rejuvenating and calming habits, even in the most challenging of times, is absolutely key.
Nurturing our mental health from the very earliest opportunity is hugely beneficial which is why I have recently qualified as a Relax Kids Coach offering Relax Kids classes for children.
As a Mum of two (now quite grown up children) and more recently a Nana of one, I have developed a real commitment to supporting people of all ages and stages to build the best self-care habits possible. Basic but impactful wellbeing and self-care skills bear strong similarities whatever stage of life you are at and it is never too late to get good at nurturing your own wellbeing.
So, a bit about me…
I have lived a busy life. Throughout it I have often been combining full time work with career building and further education all with the usual backdrop of the demands of bringing up a family and maintaining a home. Whether an adolescent, an adult, a wife, a daughter, a mum, a friend or a colleague, I have worked hard at learning to do the best I can through whatever challenges and heightened emotions those roles have brought.
In the past, I now realise, I underestimated the importance of intentional rest and relaxation on my overall wellbeing. I failed to acknowledge the need to look after myself so that I could look after others well, and usually focussed on surviving rather than ‘thriving’. Over time, my experiences, both personally and professionally, have led to me starting up my own business dedicated to relaxation, calm and wellbeing, and the opportunity to share my knowledge and the benefits of developing a self-care lifestyle.
My professional career has seen me in a variety of corporate domains including Human Resources, Learning and Development, Accounts and Banking, but I have also worked as a children’s nanny while my own children were young.
I have studied Psychology and Social Sciences with the Open University; have completed professional qualifications in people management and am a qualified and experienced workplace mediator. I have been a parent governor, am currently a community volunteer for a children’s bereavement charity, and recently, through another charity, spent an academic year helping a wonderful little girl to improve her reading skills.
I have completed paediatric first aid and NSPCC child safeguarding courses and, right now, I am learning sign language with the BSL. I recently signed up as a mental health champion with ‘Mind’, a charity that offers advice and guidance to those in crisis as well as petitioning government on mental health policies.
In summary…
As an advocate for proactively looking after our mental health, I spend a good deal of my time building knowledge and understanding of the science behind good mental health and wellbeing, and particularly the part that rest and relaxation play in this. I am especially interested in how we can understand our senses and sensory experience in support of our mental health.
I really hope that you find the resources that I share on this website inspiring and that they enable you to live a calmer, more relaxed life.
Hazel