Meet our Volunteer – Clare

As part of National Volunteers week we thought it would be a good idea to introduce some of the wonderful people who volunteer with us.

Our first feature for the week is Clare. She’s an interview training volunteer who has been with Smart Works Edinburgh since early 2014. She’s been associated with us even before we got our office space in Edinburgh.

So what do interview volunteers do? Quite simply put, they help the client prepare for her job interview. This could range from helping her to find answers for general interview questions, help explain CV gaps better, how to sit, stand, breathe(for nerves) and exude confidence in her interview. Some of the women who come to us do not realise that they have a lot of skills to offer a potential employer. Volunteers like Clare, help them think about their interests and other transferrable skills. Most importantly, interview training volunteers boost the client’s CONFIDENCE in herself and her skills.

Clare, who has been volunteering for little over 2years with us, felt that there was little practical help available to support women in particular in being successful at interviews. She wanted to help women achieve their aspirations by getting the job they wanted.(So glad that she decided to volunteer for us!)

She has over 35 years of experience in the IT sector, starting work as a software engineer and finally holding the position of Director of Business Development for an Edinburgh based IT company. She is now (early) retired and volunteers with various other charities.

She loves to see the difference an hour’s coaching (and dressing) can make to a woman’s self-esteem, confidence and can-do attitude ! (We love to see that as well!). She enjoys being part of the Smart Works team in Edinburgh and working closely with the dressing volunteers to help prepare women for interviews.

In her own words,

“It is a privilege to volunteer with Smart works and hopefully in some small way make a difference to the women who are on their pathway to employment.”

Your ‘5 a day’ to enhance your general wellbeing

By Lindsey Porter, Smart Works Edinburgh volunteer and owner of www.yoganuu.com

Continuing my belief that just as ‘5 a day’ of helpings of fruit and veg helps us to sustain a balanced healthy lifestyle, 5 a day of other activities can also support our greater wellbeing. Todays article contemplates a more holistic view on ways to enhance our overall wellbeing to bring us nearer to that mental, physical and spiritual balance.

Here are 5 things you can consider doing on a daily or frequent basis to boost your overall feel good-about-yourself factor. And if you find you do some or all of these things already then acknowledge the good work you’re doing and spread the word.

1. YOGA. Of course this is going to be Number One on my list as a long standing yoga practitioner and teacher! But here’s the thing, when I see new people come to my yoga class and start say things like, ‘I slept so well after last week’s class’, ‘my body feels so much better from the lengthening and stretching, ‘coming to your yoga class helped restore peace at home’ it validates how bringing our focus towards the connection between our body, mind and breath rejuvenates us. I suggest trying out as many different types of yoga as it takes to find a style you love and that will help you eagerly return to your yoga mat to explore and benefit from these connections. Also consider introducing a new daily routine in to your life starting with perhaps just one yoga practice. This will help awaken and prepare your body and mind for the day ahead. For example you could start with a 2 minute hip opener practice, best to do first thing in the morning and you can view my short YOUTube version of it at: http://www.yoganuu.com/be-inspired.html
2. WALKING. Not in any old way but in a focussed way. In NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) language we like to call it, mindful walking or walking in another person’s footsteps. The theory is when you would like to perhaps do something in a way you see someone else doing it well or to understand a person’s viewpoint/actions try this approach. Take yourself to a quiet place. Settle your breath, closing your eyes can help and then really start to bring to mind what that person looks like, sounds like and even smells like. Assume what you believe their identity to be and then start to take a few steps in a way that you know or imagine that person would carry themselves. As you continue to walk in this very conscious way you can start to think how that person would look at or approach your situation/challenge whatever it is that’s on your mind. You may find from this exercise you become aware of some fresh perspectives for your specific issue or challenge. When you do, have a go at doing something differently and see what happens. Changing things up and taking a fresh look at something can lead to a better sense of wellbeing in creating a life with a wider approach and more choices.
3. DRINK TEA. So not everyone is a tea drinker and that’s ok. However, whether you drink it regularly or sparingly there is growing support around the health benefits particular types of tea can bring. It’s the high levels of anti oxidants as well as compounds called catechins which are regarded as helping with our concentration and focus. Aj, a friend of mine who I used to work at the same London bank and went trekking in Nepal with back in 1997 (and we definitely savoured our chai tea back then too), co-founded Camellia’s Tea House and is the UK’s first ITEI (International Tea Education Institute) Master Tea Sommelier. There’s a growing range of health and wellness infusions available from health food stores and you can also check out Aj’s amazing range available at: camelliasteahouse.com. Plus, not to be missed is Smart Works Edinburgh’s own Luxury Afternoon Tea, socialising and fundraising event taking place on Friday 20th May, 2016 1.30-4.30pm where you can get your fill of wellbeing in good company. Contact edinburgh@smartworks.org.uk or call 0131 516 7787 for tickets or further information. I’ll be drinking a cup along with you but from our May Scottish Wellbeing Retreat in the remote and tranquil Kinloch Rannoch.                   “Tea is like a hug in a cup.”

4. FIND SOME QUIET TIME. We all know how busy and inundated we are with our to do lists, post it notes or gadgets with reminders going off. At the same time can we honestly justify a good reason for not being able to give ourselves just 5 or 10 minutes in a day. A moment to pause, find some quiet, to zone out and reflect? Some ‘me time’ is a habit worth cultivating and if you need convincing read, listen or watch Andy Puddicombe’s take on how 10 minutes can make all the difference (he has a book ‘Get some HEADspace, phone apps you can get a daily quote from and some TED talks on YOUTube). Over my years working towards some type of ‘meditation’ practice his take on things is getting me the closest. Call it what you want; meditation, me time, mindfulness, or something else, just find a way that gives you a reason to press the pause button long enough to catch your breath, reflect, renew and be able to move on again from a better place.
5. BRING SOME WELLBEING TO SOMEONE ELSE FIRST. Whether you feel connected to your own sense of wellbeing or otherwise, look for ways to bring some wellness into the lives of others and consciously note how you feel in response. It can be the tiniest thing that can make the biggest difference to someone’s day or even their life! For example, you’re stuck at a T junction in a queue due to some temporary traffic lights caused by road works (this seems to happen a lot around my way), suddenly the traffic with the right of way and green light allows you to pull out to merge in turn (letting you avoid a long wait), how does this random act of kindness make you feel? I’m guessing however big or small that feeling, it’s likely to be a positive one. Some refer to it as the law of the universe, karma, where what you give out you receive back or ‘reap what you sow’. Those of you who are already active volunteers may already appreciate the benefits of boosting your own ‘well’ of internal wellness through supporting, encouraging and helping others. I know the Smart Works Edinburgh team certainly appreciates all the hard work and enthusiasm from the volunteer team to make a difference to the clients and their families beyond.

Now you have 5 simple and useful tools, whether as new suggestions or reaffirmations of what you already do. Next try this: attach one or all of these ways of enhancing your wellbeing to a simple ‘trigger’. This will act as a reminder to focus on and acknowledge one to five of your ‘5 a day’. For example, using a traffic analogy, every time you’re in a vehicle and are stopped or see a red traffic light let this be a reminder to focus on what you’re doing about nourishing your wellbeing today. Let me know how you get on… and watch this space for the next 5 a day topic encouraging us towards a better life.

“Create a life that feels good on the inside not one that just looks good on the outside.”

(This blog is part II of a many part series by author Lindsey Porter. Click here to read Part I)

Lindsey Porter is an accomplished Project Manager in Financial Services who is now running her own business providing Well Being Retreats, Yoga classes and other therapies. She is an experienced NLP Practitioner, Reiki Master and Holistic Therapist.

 

Your ‘5 a day’ to boost your confidence

Many people subscribe to the notion that ‘5 a day’ helpings of fruit and vegetables helps sustain a balanced healthy lifestyle. Well I believe this idea can easily be extended to other areas of life, of our well being. Here is the first of a series of short articles exploring what other things we can be mindful of achieving during our day to bring us even nearer to that healthy mental, physical and spiritual balance.

This article ‘food for thought’ is on the area of Confidence.

Here are 5 things you can consider doing on a daily or frequent basis to boost your ability to be and feel confident and apply to whatever situation you are facing. Go on give them a try and let me know your experiences unfold.

1. Create a positive anchor that you can tap into when needed.
   This is a great technique that you easily help yourself with. Ask yourself who am I when I’m at my best, my most confident? From there identify a time in your life where you were, felt, looked, sounded at your most confident. Bring that experience back to life, making the picture you see, any sounds you recollect, feelings you remember bigger and brighter than ever and then choose a place in your body to touch/squeeze when you that memory feels strong. For example squeeze the piece of skin between your thumb and forefinger. This is called anchoring that feeling, that ‘state’ to something. It need only take a few moments or minutes to complete. Next time you want to feel ‘that feeling’ just touch the same part of your body and benefit from that strong feeling of supreme confidence, you at your best, coming flooding back. Note, you will need to ‘top back up’ your anchor as you use it. This is a known NLP (neuro linguistic programming) technique which you can read more about from many sources such as books or via online sites or get in touch to explore with me.
2. Hold a power pose for 1-2 minutes before going into a situation where you need to look and feel confident. A significant amount of academic research supports the notion of holding a body power stance, such as the ‘wonder woman’ pose, which is standing with legs hip width apart and with you hands placed on hips. Do this before venturing into something where you need to feel confident such as an interview or giving a presentation and you will likely come across as more confident than you perhaps feel. Curious about how this is so? Find out more by googling Amy Cuddy, a Harvard Professor and the pioneer in this area of social psychology.
3. Catch any negative self talk and deliberately and consciously turn into a positive. Become more consciously aware of your mind chatter and when you hear your inner voice going into negative mode, catch the thought and change it round before it becomes a downward spiral. For example, ‘Oh no I just caught site of my reflection in that shop window as I walked past in my lunch hour and noticed how my tummy looks huge in this dress and I thought it looked ok, I feel fat and rubbish now at everything… turn this spiral of inner chatter into… Oh gosh my belly does show a little more in this dress than I thought but you know what I’m a real woman, I’m wearing this fabulous colour and no-one else is going to notice anyway so keep smiling.’ The good news is the more frequently you start to do this, the easier it becomes and the naturally more positive you may find your thought patterns becoming.
4. Choose your Physiological response. It is regarded as a natural reaction to being nervous or for example if we are put on the spot, to step back and avert your eyes. Instead aim to react by moving/stepping forward and keeping your gaze in triangle area of face between a persons eyes and mouth. This sends an unconscious message to them that you are confident in whatever you are about to say.. another useful one to apply in interview situations!
5. Confidence is humble not arrogance or dominance. Stay aware of that line between confidence and arrogance and keep on the right side of it. You will often notice that truly confident people can share their mistakes and weaknesses in a positive way by focusing on their learning’s from them and moving forward on what to do next. This helps you have a better probability of attaining the outcomes you are looking for in life.

If you liked this and have a particular area of your wellbeing you’d like me to cover, perhaps something you personally struggle with, please drop me a line with your suggestions. Other ‘5 a day’ topics I’m looking to delve into include anxiety, flexibility and mindfulness.

“The future depends on what you do today… true confidence enables you to show up as your best self more often and comfortably.”

 

 

Lindsey Porter
Smart Works Volunteer
www.yoganuu.com

Lindsey Porter is an accomplished Project Manager in Financial Services who is now running her own business providing Well Being Retreats, Yoga classes and other therapies. She is an experienced NLP Practitioner, Reiki Master and Holistic Therapist.