I never fail to be tickled by some Japanese expressions. To date, Irusu which means pretending to be out when someone knocks at your door or Shinrin-Yoku which means visiting a forest for relaxation and to improve your health or yup, quite literally, forest-bathing.
A return to elegance was big news during couture week in Paris last summer. Nowhere was this more apparent than on the Dior catwalk where designer, Maria Grazia Chiuri appeared to give a two finger salute to the nauseating theatrics and bad taste selfies of Instagram.
I don’t remember the precise point when I stopped putting limits on myself – or if I was even aware that I was doing so – but much like the smug mantra, ‘remember when you wanted what you currently have’, which pops up on my Instagram feed from time to time, it occurred to me the other day that the most revelatory mid-life lesson to date is realising that anything is possible.
I know, I know. You don’t need me telling me you about the utterly transformative effect that music (as little as 15 minutes a day) can have on our lives, releasing dopamine and decreasing our cortisol levels. It made me wonder over Christmas how much we over complicate our lives with mindfulness apps and other long-winded ways of de-stressing (getting in a car, forking out for childcare) when really, there’s nothing a long walk, a pair of headphones and a bit of sunshine wouldn’t sort out.