72
New Blackmore Vale, October 15, 2021
DRUGS DRINK MENTAL HEALTH FITNESS DIET. Tenacity retreat specialise in wellbeing we have sponsorship available ( subject to t&c’s ) WE ALL KNOW SOMEONE THIS CAN HELP. Get in touch and change someone’s life. 07423009553
blackmorevale.net
Health & Wellbeing
SOMERSET EAR WAX CLINIC Ear wax removed by gentle irrigation by fully trained and experienced nurse . Based in Frome but home visits for the house bound can be arranged. Please call to discuss an appointment. 07962 106045
Age Concern North Dorset (Sturminster Newton) Your local charity for all age-related information and advice t Befriending t Welfare Advice t Telephone Support t Foot Clinic
01258 475582
Office open 10am - 2pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday info@acnorthdorset.org.uk | www.acnorthdorset.org.uk
TREAT YOUR FEET Julie Anne Smith DPodM MRCPod PODIATRIST
01258 821297 Burton Street, Marnhull, DT10 1PS stedmundspodiatry@gmail.com
Alice Johnsen is a life coach based near Sherborne. 07961 080513 alicejohnsen.co.uk
It’s perfectly acceptable to have imperfections I’ve been thinking about perfection recently. I’ve decided it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, in fact, I’d go as far as saying it doesn’t even exist. Perfection is just an opinion, a view, a snapshot in time. It’s not a fixed mark and it certainly shouldn’t form the framework for your life. So, if you feel like relaxing the rules and generally letting it all go in the name of quality of life, read on. The pressure to strive for perfection in nearly everything we do is very real. Take social media. Don’t get me wrong, I love social media when it’s used well but on all social platforms, there’s a continual drip-feed of perfection. Perfect houses, clothes, faces, views, holidays, businesses – the whole thing. And yes, if you are promoting what you sell of course you want it to look as good as possible. So it’s up to us as consumers to remember, it’s not the whole picture and it is absolutely not an accurate reflection of reality. On one level, it’s fun, inspiring escapism and if you are in a good place when you’re absorbing it all, that’s just fine. You can sit back and enjoy the
lavishness of it all. It’s when your chips are down a bit that it can become unhelpful. You start comparing, feeling less worthy. Not so much fun. What about being the perfect parent, spouse or colleague? Do you set yourself unrealistic targets to reach, constantly, for fear of being seen to be a little less than perfect? Without realising it, we can create a framework for our lives that is distracting, unproductive and exhausting. Why? Surely it is better to be honest – with ourselves and those with whom we interact on any level – about what can or cannot happen. About who we are and who we can or cannot be. Let me finish with this quote from an excellent source, The School of Life. “Striving to be ‘perfect’ is not only an unnecessary burden for a parent: it can be actively harmful to a child’s wellbeing. Setting oneself up as an idealised figure risks seeming remote and intimidating: someone to be alternately worshipped and feared rather than properly loved.” I’m putting in a bid for imperfection and honesty over a glossy papering of the cracks. I hope you will join me.
