How clean is your house?

What garbage is lurking around inside of you?

Just like we need to clean our house regularly, we also need to clean our interior. Start throwing away whatever is not useful. Things like resentment, grudges, hatred, criticism, being judgemental, etc., belong in the garbage!

Sweep away everything that's wrong and wipe off the resentment that is hovering inside of you like old dust. Shed grudges by forgiving those who once caused you anger and pain. Your interior should also be clean and bright.

A worthy process

Reflect on your behaviour and think of ways it can benefit other people and more importantly - yourself! This is not a one day duty. It's a process and we're here to help you with that. Follow these helpful steps to a bright and clean interior:

Life provides you cleaning resources,
so make use of them!

1. Do not be lazy or delay to start your  cleaning process. The longer you take to start, the messier it will get and cleaning up will be more daunting. Focus on how clean your house will be and not on what happened to make it dirty. 

2. Make use of good cleaning products. Like the ones you have for your house, life also offers you good cleaning products, so you may be able to clean your interior. Use them! Our women's meetings are a great resource to help you clean your interior. There you will find advice, a listening ear, a helping hand and someone who understands you. They will provide you help with planning your future with wisdom and determination.

Once your spring cleaning is over, you'll realise that you don't miss any of the things you threw away. Cleaning is good for us in every sense!

Let this process begin today!

A clean interior is reason to smile and laugh at days to come.

10 reasons why you should exercise regularly

Graziela Lima, Flavia Borges and Paula Piccin...

“If exercise were a pill, it would be one of the most cost-effective drugs ever invented,” says Dr Nick Cavill, a health promotion consultant. So, besides the obvious reason of maintaining a healthy body weight, why is it important to exercise? 

Exercise helps your body fight against diseases.

Benefits of exercise

1. It improves your memory.

2. It helps you combat health conditions and diseases.

3. It improves your posture.

4. It improves your mood.

5. It helps you sleep better.

Having great exercise buddies can also add some fun!

6. It boosts your energy levels. 

7. It keeps your bones strong.

8. It improves your breathing.

9. It helps build muscle mass.

10. It lowers anxiety.


So, what are you waiting for ladies?  Time to hit the gym!

How to be the perfect guest at a wedding.

Carla and Rennan are getting married today.

Today we're heading to the chapel and we're gonna attend a wedding. We're very excited for these two! But, have you ever wondered how to behave at a wedding? Well, wonder no more. Follow these ten simple steps, and you'll be a guest to impress!

Be a good sport and...

Carla at her sister Andreia's wedding.
Today is her turn!

1. RSVP immediately after you receive an invitation.

2. Buy a gift that best represents the value the couple holds for you - but be wise, no debt!

3. Dress for the occasion - be mindful of the time of the day and only the bride should dress in white.

4. Don't be late! Be sure to make the bride feel special by welcoming her with a smile when she arrives.

5. Don't post pictures without permission. We all love Instagram or Facebook, but let's respect the couple's privacy.

6. Don't bring uninvited guests. The number of guests at weddings are always carefully considered.

7. Don't change the place cards at the reception. You have all your life to hang around with your friends.

8. Don't abuse the open bar - one drink per hour is the standard rule, and avoid alcoholic drinks.

9. Have fun, but don't make a show when dancing. Attention should be on the bride only!

10. No sour face or bad disposition - participate in all the activities cheerfully. 

Well, we're off to put these tips in practice now! We'll post pictures for you later (if we have the couple's permission, of course!)

Cheers!

Suzy will also be there today to see mommy walk down the isle.

Is there a dead rat in your life?

Anyone who has ever had the misfortune of smelling a dead rat knows that the smell is unbearable. Imagine having your car filled with the smell of a dead rat. Well, Erika Lima does not need to imagine how this ride from hell would be like. 

Erika Lima from our Luton branch.

I was mortified

"My husband and I offered a ride to some friends. It was unusually hot that day and we did something we had never done in a long time - we put on the air conditioner! 

A nasty smell began filling the car immediately. Very confused, we looked at each other, not knowing where the smell was coming from. All I could think of was our friends in the back of the car and I was mortified! 

When we got home after dropping them off, my husband immediately opened the car hood to find out where the problem came from. He found a dead rat in the engine which, by the looks of it, was there for a while but had remained undetected. Fortunately the air conditioner brought the rat to our attention and we could dispose of it before more showed up."

What dead rat remains

undetected in your engine?

Many bad, harmful things can remain undetected in our lives. For example, as a defence mechanism against some abuse you've suffered, you could be a difficult person who mistreats people in your life, or you could be heavily addicted to substances in order to cope with stressful situations, or you could now be leading a poor quality of life, because you once heard someone say you wouldn't amount to anything, or holding a grudge against someone who said something harsh to you.

These are a few examples of the bad things that we can carry inside of us. And, like the rat in the engine, for a long time, they can remain undetected until a certain situation ignites them!

How can you

free yourself?

Erika and her husband, Francisco Lima.
Feedback from loved ones can help you understand yourself.

Always observe your reactions to things vigilantly. If you spot any bad reaction, don't take it for granted, saying, "This is who I am." Analyse your behaviour, so you can understand why you behave in certain ways. 

Don't wait for something to happen before you deal with things inside of you. Don't live with excuses such as, "I'm like this, because my mom treated me badly." To fix any unresolved issues inside of you, go to the root of the problem, deal with it and eliminate the issue! Forgive, ask for forgiveness, speak about it, do whatever it takes to move on and put it behind you once and for all.

Listen to clues from people around you. If different people are constantly complaining of the same thing about you, it's a sign that there is something wrong hidden inside of you. Don't ignore these clues. Others are probably seeing something you can't see yet. Take in their feedback and change for the better.

Your life is in your hands. Make good choices and set yourself free!

Have you hugged your cat today?

Sylvia's Phoebe - This girl is ready for a party!

Well ladies, today is hug your cat day, so why not show your little bundle of joy some attention? Here are a few things we like doing for our cats.  

Allow them some play time in the sun

Cuddle them

Helena's Kiko

Clip their nails

'Paint' their nails

These silicone nail caps are great for protecting your furniture!

5 Quick Steps to protect yourself in the heat during summer.

June is here, which means it’s officially summer here in the UK. Wohooo!!!

While we all can't wait to enjoy the sun, we need to protect ourselves from the heat. Here are five quick steps to protect yourself:

Stay hydrated. Drink lots of water and fluids.

Five stars for you, Claudia!

Avoid hot food. Eat lots of salad and cold meats.

They're quick to prepare and very tasty! Yummy!

Regularly cool your pulses with ice.

No need for anything fancy, even a bag of peas will do.

Use hats and light materials such as cotton.

Smile girls, the health police are watching!

Use lots of sunscreen.

Well done, Helena!

Can depression be beaten? We say yes!

According to the findings from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), nearly one-fifth of adults in the UK experience anxiety or depression, with the conditions affecting a higher proportion of women than men. 

While we all may get sad or down occasionally, someone with depression constantly experiences extreme sadness or desperation, which can last for weeks, months or even years.

No laughing matter

Depression is an extremely personal condition, which is caused by various reasons. If you have a history of depression in your family, you could also be at risk of developing the disorder. 

One can develop depression because of a certain situation, such as the death of a friend or family member, financial difficulties, losing one's job or lack of success in one's career. These are all legitimate triggers for developing depression, but there are some who develop the disorder for no apparent reason.

Known symptoms of depression

While there is no medical examination to diagnose depression, some characteristics of this disease are: sadness, loss of interest in things you used to love, lack of energy and difficulty to concentrate, insomnia or excess sleep, digestion problems, feelings of desperation, sexual problems - such as loss of libido - pain, a change in appetite - leading to weight loss or gain - suicidal thoughts or desire to self-mutilate, suicide attempts and feeling empty or incomplete, even after great achievements.

Life after depression  

from depressed to successful TV Presenter

We often hear that depression cannot be beaten, but Christoulla Boodram, Presenter of the Chrissy B show, begs to differ. Although she used to suffer for depression and severe panic attacks, today she is a new person, proving that there is indeed life after depression. She shared in her her blog:

“I learned to value myself and my confidence and self-esteem grew. I got into TV, which is something that I had never seen myself doing before. I used to hate speaking in front of people and presentations at college and Uni were a real issue for me, so you can see the turnaround. I was soon offered my own show which is called The Chrissy B Show. My show is all about reaching out to people with mental health issues and inspiring viewers to be happy and go for their dreams.”

The first step of fighting against depression is recognising that you need help and that you don’t need to go through this problem alone. We believe that, as it happened with Chrissy B, there is life after depression. Contrary to popular belief, we believe and have seen that it CAN be beat!

There is hope

Are you suffering from depression and are looking for a way out? Opening up and talking to people who have overcome it is the first step towards beating depression.

Our friendly mentors believe that your life can change for the better and they are available to listen to you and help you take steps towards beating depression.

Join us every Sunday at  5pm, at the Rainbow Theatre, at 232 Seven Sisters Road, London, N4 3NX!