Good morning, Prep School family,
I hope that this Bulletin finds you well and rested after the weekend. I hope you have a wonderful time with your family and that you enjoyed being at home and relaxing if you got the chance.
I had a super weekend. I had Amelie and Arthur to stay. It was mad from the moment they arrived with ballet, tap and modern dance, football and swimming lessons until the moment they left! We went for breakfast, watched Elf, baked cookies and managed to do the food shopping. We walked, met friends and went to the garden centre to see the stuffed penguins that sing Christmas songs! We went to bed late and got up early – yay! But most of all, we thoroughly enjoyed just being with each other. We didn’t, much to their disappointment, put up our Christmas tree. It’s too early just yet, even for me. However, if you have gone early with a tree and your decorations, there is absolutely no judgement from me. . . slight envy maybe but no judgement, you do what makes you happy!
My weekends are usually really busy but this weekend has seemed more so than usual. I didn’t seem to get 5 minutes to myself to relax and rest. I am not complaining, I loved each and every minute, but it did get me thinking about how valuable down time is. Time to yourself, even if it is only a brief section of your day. When people ask me what I have done, I like to chat and talk about the things I have been up to. I find it hard to say, “I haven’t done a lot.” I don’t know why this is. . . maybe I think people will pass judgement on me and think that I am lazy or have no friends or I am lonely! None of which is true. . . sometimes, I choose to do nothing. I saw an article recently that helped me validate my actions and helped me get rid of the guilt. It said. . .Instead of saying “I did nothing”, you were:
- Choosing to rest
- Taking a mental well-being day
- Looking after yourself
- Nourishing yourself
- Catching up on your life
- Doing things that mattered to you, no matter how small
- Taking some time out
- Switching off from the everyday noise
- Listening to your body
- Not being busy
- Having a much needed lie-in
- Prioritising you
- Emotionally recharging
- Not partaking in society’s constant guilt trip around rest. . .
Something for us all to think about and use going forward. Doing nothing is good and it should be embraced. So get rid of that guilt and enjoy! We will all need some time to ourselves in the coming weeks!
Quote of the week: ““It’s not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself, and to make your happiness a priority. It’s necessary.”
Well-being tasks for this week: This month is New November and all of these tasks are based on new beginnings and fresh starts – each day is a new day. These tasks are good for all ages.
Tuesday 22 November – Find a new way to tell someone you appreciate them
Wednesday 23 November – Set aside a time to do something you really love
Thursday 24 November – Share something that you learned recently with a friend
Friday 25 November – Use your talents in a new and exciting way
Saturday 26 November – Try a different TV or radio station
Sunday 27 November – Join a friend in one of their hobbies
Monday 28 November– Embrace your artistic side and create a friendly greeting card
Jokes of the week:
What do the trees say when they start getting their leaves back in spring? What a re-leaf!
What do you call a very large pile of leaves? The Great Barrier Leaf!
What do you get if you drop a pumpkin? Squash!
Who can jump higher, a pumpkin or a scarecrow? Neither of them can jump!
What is red, orange and yellow and doesn’t get hurt when it falls? Autumn leaves!
Sleeps til Santa: 32 days to go. . .
5 things that I am grateful for or looking forward to this week:
Can you try this simple exercise in gratitude and positivity?
- I am looking forward to Senior School Prize Giving on Friday
- I am looking forward to seeing my friends on Saturday
- I am looking forward to the rain stopping
- I am grateful for the beautiful frost last night
- I am grateful for the BBC website for new recipes as cooking each night can get a little boring
Have a lovely week and enjoy the relative ‘normalness’ before the Christmas madness starts!
With love,
Mrs Bennett
