Dear Mari,

It's February already!

"Don't be afraid of showing affection. Be warm and tender, thoughtful and affectionate. Men are more helped by sympathy than by service. Love is more than money, and a kind word will give more pleasure than a present." - Sir John Lubbock

Hot topic - Self-esteem
How do you see yourself?

What is self-esteem? The word 'esteem' comes from a Latin word which means 'to estimate'. Self- esteem is therefore how you estimate yourself.
Having high self-esteem means that we appreciate ourselves and our personal worth and so:

• We have a positive attitude
• We value ourselves highly
• We're convinced of our own abilities
• We see ourselves as competent, in control of our own lives and able to do what we want.
  
  Self-esteem is primarily an emotional response: it is a generalized feeling about the self that is more or less positive.
  
  Self-esteem can and does help successful people make decisions in their life that others might not make themselves, for example, choosing a career that is different from the normal. Having high self- esteem gives you more power over those who don't take that chance to change or be different.

Low self-esteem can mean helplessness and powerlessness and even depression. Rejections, disappointments and failure are a part of daily life. Life isn't always fair; and even our best efforts aren't always successful.
Accentuate the positive so when you have a bad day, or something goes wrong in your relationship or at work, write an account of what went right with that episode, not what went wrong. The results will surprise you - and improve how you see yourself.

Did you know.....?
 

On 11th February 1990 Nelson Mandela was freed from prison after 27 years. His release followed the relaxation of apartheid laws - including lifting the ban on leading black rights party the African National Congress (ANC) - by South African President FW de Klerk.


On 14th February 1984 Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean were crowned the Olympic ice skating champions after scooping gold in Sarajevo , Yugoslavia . It was their fourth world title in their amateur career. In 1984 they were also crowned BBC Sports Personality Of The Year.

How do you relax?
 

In this day and age everyone is rushing everywhere, work is stressful, and there's no place for rest and relaxation or some quality "me-time".

Everyone has their own way of relaxing; it could be a rejuvenating mountain bike ride or pampering yourself in your local beauty salon. The best way to relax is to start doing things you enjoy; cooking a meal, taking the dog for a walk or even writing poetry.

Whatever you do to relax will be personal and work for you, so you need to find what works best. If you are a stressed out person your productivity will decline and you will not gain as much from not relaxing.

So it is important to relax - it could be a few minutes each day or at the weekend, or with family and friends.

Relaxation is vital for a healthy mind and is required to maintain motivation and interest in our lives and careers. Some benefits of relaxing are :

• It helps you sleep better
• It increases energy
• It gives you a sense of getting control back
• It improves your concentration
• It increases your motivation and focus
• It speeds up the healing process

Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter, I welcome feedback and any views you may have on the newsletter, so please feel free to send me an email, for example, would you like an "Ask Your Coach" section?

"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power." - Alan Cohen