Author: Elif Kose

Intro Living on a budget may be challenging, and it may feel like an uphill battle to build up your savings, but it is possible! Making a few thoughtful changes to your lifestyle can help you gain control over your spending and help you to create a secure future. It’s Important to Know Where to Start with Your Finances Tracking Every Penny with Compassion If you’re on a low income, every pound you have is very significant for your day-to-day living. The first, and most important, step towards forming a buffer of savings is acknowledging where your money is going…

Intro Being candid, in my 20s I hardly thought about retirement, and even for those of us who had started, it just seemed like something that could wait. Looking at the numbers, I finally realised, when I was in my early 30s, how much catching up I would have to do. I’m going to tell you what helped me create a realistic retirement savings plan for myself, even though I took a few faltering steps at first. Why Your 30s Are an Important Turning Point I believe it is a great idea to first understand the importance of your 30s…

Key Takeaways Create a clear physical and electronic end-of-day plan to help distinguish work time and private time. Don’t wear professional attire; use tactile cues to decompress mentally. Relieve cortisol levels as soon as possible with box breathing, soaking in hydrotherapy, or taking a brisk walk outdoors. Discourage evening activities like watching screens or exercising when it is too intense to impact the circadian rhythm and quality of sleep. Do low-key hobbies or expressive journalling to dissipate any cognitive “Resistance”. Intro Working life today is a huge drain on our mental and physical capacities. The modern workday extends beyond the work desk, from back-to-back virtual…

Key Takeaways True Self-Care: Focus on activities that help maintain physical, mental, and social health rather than expensive consumerism or escapism. Start Small with Micro-Habits: Implement tiny actions lasting under 10 minutes to avoid the all-or-nothing mindset. Practise Habit Stacking: Link your new self-care micro-habits to existing, automatic daily behaviours to ensure long-term consistency. Schedule and Protect Boundaries: Treat your well-being time as a non-negotiable appointment and use firm boundaries to prevent energy drain. Be Flexible: Adapt your routine dynamically based on fluctuating personal energy levels, workloads, and changing seasons of life. Intro Work, relationships, and everyday responsibilities often leave us feeling drained in today’s…

Key Takeaways Know the Evolutionary Purpose: Understand that what is known as “daily” anxiety is an ancient physiological condition that is out of tune with current emotional stressors an outmoded “fight-or-flight” response. Think Calm First: Use some simple, controlled breathing techniques (such as box breathing) and some grounding exercises to calm your nervous system before attempting to reason your anxious thoughts. Observe Rather Than Suppress: Label and identify thoughts to create ‘cognitive distance’ and address common cognitive distortions systemically. Establish Proactive Lifestyle Habits: Burn off all stored-up adrenaline, audit all stimulants, and prioritise sleeping habits. Create a Routine with Bookends: Make sure you have…

What Is Self-Compassion? Self-compassion was made well-known by psychologist Dr. Kristin Neff, who found three key factors that constitute the practice of self-compassion: The Three Pillars of Self-Compassion Self-kindness vs self-judgement — Being kind and understanding with yourself instead of being critical of your own shortcomings, failures, and struggles. Common humanity versus isolation – Seeing that suffering, imperfection, and hardship are part of being human, not necessarily something unique occurring to you. Mindfulness versus over-identification — Being mindful of your painful thoughts and feelings, but not suppressing or being completely engulfed by them. Why Self-Compassion Matters During Hard Times It alleviates emotional distress. The…

Key Takeaways Engage in frequent exercise – Physical activity helps relieve stress by increasing endorphins and decreasing cortisol, and is one of the quickest stress relievers. Use mindfulness and deep breathing – In-the-moment relaxation strategies, such as meditation or box breathing, are ways to relax the nervous system. Focus on getting sleep and eating right – Point out that proper sleep and diet habits help control mood and energy level, which helps decrease the need for stress. Maintain social contact – Social contact with trusted friends or family is good emotional support and will increase resilience. Understand when to get professional help – Seek therapy…

Intro Trillions of bacteria, fungi, and microbes live in your gut, and these microorganisms form your gut microbiome. What took me by surprise most is that your gut is directly connected to your brain, and this connection is known as the gut-brain axis. It translates to: when your stomach doesn’t feel great, your focus, mood, and stress aren’t necessarily feeling great either. But digestion isn’t the only system your gut affects; it also involves your immune system (70% of which resides in your gut) and so on. The good news? Your gut health is more under your control than you…

Key Takeaways Recognise Workplace Burnout: Understand that burnout is an official syndrome for people at work, involving exhaustion, cynicism, and lack of effectiveness due to chronic, unmanaged stress. Know the difference between Stress and Burnout: While stress is about being over-involved and panicking, burnout is about being so disengaged, apathetic, and hopeless. Identify symptoms in three areas: Look for the signs of fatigue (physical); detachment (emotional); and withdrawal (behavioural). Audit your energy & workload: Learn where your energy and time are being invested at work and discover any aspects that are disordered or out of alignment with you, including overwork and lack of autonomy.…

Intro Personal boundaries can be said to be an invisible boundary between yourself and others. Boundaries define what is acceptable, safe, and manageable for you physically, emotionally, in terms of time, space, and communication. Consider boundaries as the boundaries of a house. They don’t want to stop anyone from coming in, nor create an impenetrable fortress—they are there to make it clear what is yours and what is the others’, who has access to you, and who is responsible for the maintenance. The Different Types of Boundaries Physical Boundaries: Your physical safety, personal space, your privacy, and being touched. It can…