
05, 18
How do you start your day? I start mine by playing…
by PS Team 0 comments
Focus Meditation mental health Mindfulness Mindset Play Positive Thinking PS Insights Wellbeing Wellness
Children and play
Have you ever observed how children wake up and just play? How they start their day quietly exploring, happy and content in their own company?
It’s something we adults can learn from. For most of our lives we’ve been domesticated away from playing when really, the practice of quietly playing can set you up for the day, and regular breaks to play or just watch the clouds in the sky can make SUCH a difference in your day.
Whether you like to play Angry Birds (like former British Prime Minister David Cameron), Candy Crush (like PSU CEO Neroli Jones) or build Lego like Soccer Icon David Beckham, play doesn’t just reduce stress and contribute to overall wellbeing, it’s an incredibly rich mindfulness tool.
Let’s keep this quiet play separate from physical play – we’re talking about starting your day mindfully, but in a way that is light and playful. Physical play is a separate topic, here we’re talking about mind play rather than body play…

Play as a mindfulness tool
There’s a huge amount of psychology research material around the importance of play for both children and adults, but much of it focuses on the benefits and positive outcomes relating to stress, relationships and wellbeing etc. What hasn’t been well documented is how play relates as a mindfulness tool. When I play candy crush in the mornings I just love it. It’s a quiet part of my day where I’m just me, not a wife / mother / grandmother / CEO and business owner – just me and the game. Each level of the game has a purpose, and for each game I set an intention and I celebrate the outcome. As I play I observe myself – why am I choosing to make that move? What is motivating me? Am I playing for more of the positives or fighting the negatives? What elements in this game can I see reflected in my day – ie is this game about precision and alignment or is it more about expansion and conversion? And as I play I am stimulated by these questions as well as by the colours, the spatial reasoning and the wisdom that comes with my observations. Every next step I take in that game clearly adds up to a result and each one is completed with utter joy. I learn from the losses and I know when I’m stuck on a level for a spell that it will be reflected somewhere else in my life – somewhere I feel ‘stuck’ but with that awareness can now ‘unstick’. Play reveals thought and can be incredibly illuminating in a way that thinking something through often can’t reach or quite connect to. At the end of my play I’m ready to be a part of the world and later when I meditate, I already have insight into the intention I will set for the day that is mine to create. So you see, I don’t switch off when I play, I switch on… What do you play? Please write in and share what starts your day and why it’s so great?

09, 17
Have you Met Yourself?
by PSU Editor 0 comments
Focus Happy inner awareness mental health Mindset Positive Psychology vulnerability Wellbeing
“I was dissatisfied with most areas of my life, I had a job I hated, my health had suffered, the family were in disarray and my self critic made me feel I was failing at everything.”

Sub-Personalities have the Power

By releasing your fears you become stronger
Neroli Jones, PS founder has a more amusing analogy: think Nancy Ganz shapewear – “you can push and squeeze the unwanted pounds around but they won’t just vanish – they have to go somewhere!” A very big thank you to Steve Grant Paradigm Switch Osteopath, Acupuncturist and Voice Dialogues Coach.“Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.” advises Professor Brené Brown, who shows us through her work, how we can turn fear into power.

08, 17
All is Well in My World
by PSU Editor 0 comments
Affirmations emotional wellbeing Energy Happy Health mental health Mindset Positive Psychology Positive Thinking Purpose Re-energise Wellbeing Wellness
The passing of Louise Hay was indeed a sad day for us all at PS. Even though she died of natural causes and had reached a ripe age of 90, she represents a great loss and will be missed by millions, all over world.


RIP Louise Hay.
We thank you for shining your light.


03, 17
The Essential Ingredient Happy People Share
by PSU Editor 0 comments
Focus Happy Health mental health Mindfulness Mindset Purpose Wellbeing
If you look around at the people you admire, the ones that inspire you, that make you feel good, and the ones who have that contagious energy you just wish you could catch…. What is it they have in common? Chances are, you’ll find that they have a reason to get up in the morning. In other words they are motivated by an innate purpose or sense of moving forward to achieving something they feel passionate about.“Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” Helen Keller

Get a new car
Go on holiday
Find a partner
Go shopping
Eat our favourite food
Go to the gym
Go partying with friends
These are all enjoyable but temporary happiness moments. More often than not, once the holiday is over, we are faced again with having to find another happiness distraction. And so the cycle spins around and around. Continuous research findings have shown that a lasting sense of happiness or contentment comes with being useful. If we are being useful to ourselves, friends, family, the planet or even our pets, our sense of identity or pride is lifted, thus inducing a feeling of achievement and satisfaction. You just need to look at a new mother to witness a purpose surge of happiness. According to Volunteering Australia, 96% of volunteers said it made them happier people. It’s also worth noting that volunteers are healthier and sleep better. They experience a ‘helpers’ high’ akin to an emotional and physical sense of wellbeing. Financial security, a sense of purpose in life, and good personal relationships are said to make up the "golden triangle" or 3 pillars of happiness according to one of Australia's largest wellbeing surveys. Unfortunately, the toughest one to harness is to find your purpose, which essentially underpins the other two happiness pillars. Finding your purpose can be both challenging and elusive, often taking many years to discover.The Answer is always Inside Yourself



10, 16
Negative Thinking is an Addiction
by PSU Editor 0 comments
According to the National Science Foundation we think between 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts a day. Of these it is estimated that 95% are the same thoughts that run through our minds everyday. When you consider that our reality creates our mindset, it’s hardly surprising to learn that when we begin to think negatively, our world will eventually deteriorate, reflecting those thoughts.
This is how we become addicted to negative thinking.
Think about it. It might seem as though we are just reacting to life events, but what is actually happening is that the negative thoughts in the first place are in fact facilitating most of those events. Be aware - it is not the other way round.
So, if you want to change your life, you need to change your thinking. Can Albert Einstein be wrong?
Every conscious thought is recorded by our subconscious mind. It never questions or disputes the validity of a thought. It literally takes our word for it.
For example if we think “I’m never going to have any money” that fact is accurately and literally recorded. Your subconscious mind then communicates directly with the quantum energy field which then manifests your reality.
The more negatively we think, the more this will be reflected in our everyday lives and experiences. It might be in an unexpected way, but the negativity will be there. This is the law of attraction, and it works regardless of if we understand how it works or not.
Try these effective tools to dispel negative thinking:
- Flip the mindset. Negative thinking is simply thinking about what you do not want, while positive thinking is thinking about what you do. If you focus on a positive outcome, that is what the subconscious will record and pass it on to a reality.
- Take responsibility Take responsibility for all your thoughts, and notice that you are not your thoughts. Try to separate your reactions from a life event and be aware of how you choose to react rather than repeating past, learnt behaviours. It will empower you from your negative thinking.
- EFT Tapping can dispel moods and feelings, making way for positive thoughts.
- Make some endorphins The ‘happy’ hormones produced with the increased oxygen flow from exercise, will naturally alter your mindset.
- Watch your words Avoid saying ‘but’ – “I love my work, but…..” or making false excuses – “I can’t stay because…”
- Ask positive open-ended questions How can this get better? Where could this lead to? Don’t restrict yourself with answers, just put the thought out there.
