Thoughts Of Gertrude

Activities To Help You Relax

In a world where many people are preoccupied with a lot to do most of the time. It can look like people have less time to take a break, from all that is happening.

Just picture for a moment an adult who is married and has children. They have responsibilities at home with their children, spouse, relatives, friends and at work. While all this is happening, they are expected to be at their best most of the time. Yet at some point that may be impossible because they are worn out.

So here are a few activities you can do to help you relax physically and menatally in this busy world;

Sleeping

This is one of the best ways to help our bodies rest mentally and physically. Usually after a good hour’s sleep, our bodies feel more relaxed, energised and ready to proceed with the day.

Meditation

This helps free our minds and focus on the now. Meditation helps us to stay calm and relax. The whole process also teaches us to just stop, and focus our minds on something, which is the very essence of relaxing.

Listening to music

Music that is of a good volume and controlled genre can go a long way in helping us relax. Some songs have interesting lyrics and calming beats that make all this possible.

Watching movies and series

From experience I can tell that nothing beats a well chosen movie or series when we need to refocus. Some of these televised shows have content that helps us see things in a different way.

Reading

Well written literature can go a long way in helping us feel better. If you have been around long enough, you can attest to the fact that the sqoop section on the Daily Monitor ( a Ugandan newspaper) served this purpose well.

Playing an instrument

People who play some instrument keep saying that all they need is to play it on a hectic day, to clear their minds. And since I have heard it from more than two people, I believe it does help someone relax, even the person listening.

Jogging or talking a walk

Taking slow paced runs or walking at any time of the day helps us sweat and release some toxins from our bodies. This leaves the body feeling refreshed.

Writing

Some people find it therapeutic to write down anything and everything. This is also a good way to free your mind from those incredible thoughts and ideas.

Watching nature

Our natural environment is filled with lots of plants, animals of different species and other natural features. Going out for bird watching or even just to watch the sky is a good way to refresh ourselves.

Watching Comedy Shows

This one is top on the list of things to do when you need to relax. Comedy shows like the Daily Show by Travor Noah or our very own Comedy Store in Uganda, is a go to place for many people after long hours of work. Even when you can’t access a show, there are people who are funny and will make us laugh for free. The point is to laugh, as nothing beats a good laugh after a hectic day.

Side notes

When it comes to relaxing, scrolling through social media is not a good way to do so. In many occassions, some sites make people stressed instead.

There is no activity everyone must do to relax. We all have to find what makes us relax.

Relaxing is intentional, that’s why someone can all do an activity and fail to relax because they were not intentional about the whole process.

To you reading this, what activities do you do to relax? Kindly share them with me. Don’t forget to leave a like so that I know that you were here.

See you next month.😊

Dealing With Sleep Disorders

More than once, I have heard people talk about how they couldn’t sleep the previous nights or how uncomfortable their whole sleeping experience felt. Sometimes it become so bad that these individuals would be less productive during daytime.

Over time, there has been an increasing number of people having sleep disorders hence the need to discuss it. Sleep disorders are simply having problems with our sleeping patterns, duration and experience. You will find that people who used to sleep only at night now have to take a nap or two during daytime. Some have their sleeping time increased or dropped and then there are those, who wake up feeling terrible after sleeping.

Sleep disorders can express it’s self in the following forms;

1. Sleep walking, is when an individual gets up and walks during sleep. Such individuals can easily harm themselves or other people.

2. Insomnia, is the inability of a person to fall and stay asleep when they are not active.

3. Snoring and sleep apnea, which is the sudden stop in breathing during sleep.

4. Narcolepsy, is a chronic sleep disorder that causes overwhelming drowsiness during daytime sometimes accompanied with hallucinations.

5. Night terror, is a condition in which individuals experience episodes of screaming, flailing and extreme fear. There are over ten sleep disorders but for the sake of this post, we shall focus on these few.

So for starters, what could actually bring these sleep problems?

• Being under prolonged stress can alter your body’s normal functioning which can in turn change your sleeping patterns.

• When you have been mentally or physically inactive, your body fails to find a reason to rest. A good example is during lockdown, many people were not working or active so they struggled with falling asleep.

• Spending long hours on social media or television can change your sleep patterns making it hard for you to sleep when you need to.

• Poor sleeping postures like over folding your body or neck can lead to snoring.

• Uncomfortable sleeping materials like the beds, mattresses, bed sheets can make you fail to sleep or have a bad experience.

• Sudden life tragedies like loss of a loved one, a near death experience can lead to nightmares.

• Over consumption of drugs and alcohol can lead to sleep walking.

• People working night shifts tend to struggle with sleep as their normal sleep pattern is changed.

• Aging, as most older adults tend to have some sleep disorders either due to the medication they usually take or as a result of the things they have gone through up untill that age.

• Lastly, some disorders like narcolepsy are genetic.

Since the causes of sleep disorders are diverse, here are a few ways of dealing with them;

• Become active as this makes your body and mind get tired easily. This will in turn make it easy for you to fall asleep. This works so well in children, so adults too can give it a try.

• Limit your use of social media or television especially near your sleeping hours. As this will allow your mind to relax.

• Unless your job is one that deals with highly sensitive information, like covering news on a war tone area. You should limit the consumption of highly sensitive information towards sleep hours, as this information can keep your mind awake or lead to nightmares.

• Use sleeping postures that are comfortable to you like sleeping on your side or belly and keep your neck in a good position.

• Use comfortable sleeping materials, the beddings should be dry, soft enough and clean as this will make better your sleep experience.

• When you are stressed, look for ways of managing it before it becomes extreme and starts affecting your daily activities.

• In cases where one has failed to sleep for a long time, sleeping pills can be used under medical supervision for a short time.

• Finally, if you are having prolonged problems with your sleep, it is wise to seek medical help.

Side note

When it comes to sleep disorders, the one thing that stands out for me is the fact that anyone can get it anytime without even intending to.

I know of someone whose child got a sleep disorder because of watching horrific movies ( I know many people can handle watching them and it is okay). The most hurting part was how long it took for them to discover the source of the problem. You and I don’t have to wait and experience that before we can act. The least we can do is be mindful of what we consume visually.

That said, have you ever had any problems with your sleep? How did you deal with it. Share your thoughts with me and leave a like so I can know that you were here.😊

Dealing With Stress

Stress that is not delt with is one of the leading causes of illnesses, in the world today. One can only wonder how that is even possible in the first place. Well if you are an adult, it’s possible to experience stress because of things happening within and around us. Therefore the ability to manage stress is what will make an individual mentally well.

According to WHO, stress can be defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a diffcult situation. Stress can manifest it’s self in individuals when they get high blood pressure, have diffculty in breathing, experience sleep problems, fatigue, panic attacks and more.

So what exactly causes stress to individuals?

•Body changes like pregancy, periods, ovulation can lead to stress in women as a result of their side effects.

•Parenting can sometimes become stressful. This happens as parents try to balance work with friends and family.

•Financial issues ranging from being relieved from work, having more month than money or making bad investiment decisions can lead to stress.

•Low self esteem is one of the leading causes of stress amoung teenagers. Since this is the age where they experience numerous body changes, this also come with it’s own insecurities.

•People having health complications are likely to be stressed because of the heavy medication, and their side effects.

•Some people become stressed when it’s time to socialise with other people. They dread the whole experience and would rather be around people the know or alone.

•Finally if you have gone through school, you can attest to the fact that at some point you were stressed. You experienced stress because of the numerous school work, tests, examinations and the pressure to excel.

Since stress is sometimes inevitable, here are a few ways to deal with it.

• Plan your days, weeks and months to be sure you don’t miss out on important events and activities. Planning will also help you work through the activities with less pressure.

• When you are involved in alot of strenuous activities, ensure you take breaks to allow your body relax.

• Make sure you get enough sleep to help your mind and body refresh.

• If you are having any health complication, it’s better you adhere to your doctor’s instructions.

• Consume content that will make you laugh, it can be a movie or a comedy show. Being around interesting people also helps.

• Eat a balanced diet as often as possible, as this will help your body get the nutrients it needs to function well.

• Practise gratitude. Be thankful for the things that are going well in your life. Also be thankful for the things you have and those you usually take for granted.

• Reduce intake of drugs and alcohol and where possible eliminate them. As these interfere with the body’s functioning.

• Do things that make you happy or feel fulfilled. It can be participating in a competition, cooking a meal, gardening you name it.

•Depending of which level of stress you experience, how often it comes and at what time of the year. It is advisable to seek medical help as soon as possible.

• Finally, be kind to yourself when things don’t go your way and always look for ways to move forward.

Since most people are experiencing some level of stress, it is important that we become our brother’s keepers.

Kindly share with me how you are dealing with stress in the comment section.

Leave a like so I can know that you were here. See you next week. 😊

Positive Mental Health

In this side of the world, people pay much attention to physical health but barely recognise mental health as being important. It is almost a taboo to talk about it here, due to the many misconceptions people have towards it. But you should know that to be declared healthy, your mental health has to be considered as well.

Positive/good mental health according to WHO is defined as a state of well-being where individuals are able to work productively, cope with normal stresses of life and make a positive contribution to the community. Good mental health is vital for our productivity.

Photo Credit : Salvatorrents283

There are few key indicators of good mental health and these can be abbreviated as ROSE;

Resilience; being able to recover quickly from life’s stresses is key. When you go through stress, misfourtune or depression, it is okay for you to go through the emotions and grieve. However, this should be done for a given time after which you should return to and deal with the issues of life.

Optimism; with so many uncertainities surrounding us, being pessimistic doesn’t do us any good. Expecting good on the other hand helps our bodies be at ease. People who are postive about life also tend to make well balanced decisions most of the times.

Self-esteem; the decisions we make for our lives, usually stem from this. Individuals with good self-esteem treat their bodies and other people well.

Emotional stability; being able to manage our emotions under different conditions is a good indicator of mental wellness. People also like being around individuals who can control their emotions. No one enjoys being around a person who wants to fight over small issues.

Now assuming we have a scale indicating our mental health (MH) status.

-ve MH_________0_________+ve MH

Using the indicators, we can be able to tell which side of the scale we are on in a given day, week or month, and work on it accordingly.

With that in mind, here are a few things you can do to have or maintain a positive mental health status;

• Live in the moment, as you can only be incharge of now and what you know.

• Have enough rest to allow your body recharge from long hours of activity.

• Keep yourself mentally or physically active by doing what you like.

• Talk about your feelings with the people who are around you, or those who are willing to listen.

• Engage in activities that allow you to relax your body and mind.

• Connect with friends and family as they offer good emotional support.

• Offer a helping hand to other people as in doing so, you will feel good about yourself.

• Reduce alcohol and drug intake as these act as triggers to mental illnesses.

• Practise gratitude as a way of acknowledging how lucky and loved you are.

• Take good care of your body by eating well, dressing well and exercising.

So these and more can help you have or maintain good mental health. I would like to know how you have been maintaining a good mental health status? Share with me in the comment section and leave a like too.

Your Why

When I was young, my elder sister and I decided to save money from our school eating allowance. It was so exciting because these savings would later on be used by us, to pay for better snacks at the end of the week or just little items from the gift shop.

During that time there was a trend of sandals made from tyres locally known as lugabire, and most people outside home wore them. They were quite costy so my sister and I decided to save for almost a month, so that we could afford them. To be honest that was the most expensive and important thing we bought with our savings as kids.

Fast forward to being adults, although we still save, it is for different reasons all together. This experience made me realise that, as much as we may carry on some habits over the years. The reasons for doing them may change.

Right there is were we start to second guess ourselves. The one thing that I have learnt over the years is that change is inevitable. So changing the reason why we do what we do, is part of the growth journey. I know sometimes we can feel guilty or disappointed for changing our reasons, but it is okay.

Maybe your reason for going out with friends a few years ago was to fit in and now, it is to have more meaningful conversations. That just shows that you have evolved as a person, so you need to give yourself more credit for that.

Also if you are intentional about personal growth, you’ll notice that certain agendas don’t suit your current level. In such incidences change is necessary.

That said, I hope you can relate to what I have written. If not, it is still okay. Kindly share your thoughts in the comment section and leave a like to let me know that you were here.

My Tiny Steps

Every good thing takes time and a good amount of effort to see it become something, we are proud of. There is never a day under the sun when good things have also been achievable instantly.

A good example is going through high school, which takes between 4 to 6 years. It doesn’t matter how much advantage you have going on on your side, you will still need to go through the specified time to be a graduate of that level.

Like school, my second blogging journey started on 20 April last year. And it has been one ride I will surely remember. The one thing I clearly remember is how inconsistent I was. About that time, I was having more blogging holidays than writing days. Am glad that culture quickly come to an end, I just hope the consistency gets better with time.

This is the time when I also applaud myself for putting in the work to reach this far. Some days it’s all smiles behind the scenes, other days one needs a shoulder to cry on.

I think I wrote better in my second year and tried to explore a lot with my writing. That said, I just hope for the best moving forward.

What has been your favourite blog(s) of mine ? 😄 Kindly share with me. I will share a link to my first blog and my favourite of the previous year.

https://gertrudemedia.wordpress.com/2021/04/20/no-one/

This is the link to my first ever blog 😃

https://gertrudemedia.wordpress.com/2022/09/16/why-we-struggle/

This is my favourite blog from last year. A round this time I was struggling so much in almost every area of my life, and didn’t know what to do. So I decided to write about it, so that someone out there can know that they are not alone.

My Q & A

In the light of allowing my readers know me better, as it is my blogging anniversary month. I gathered a few questions that they usually ask me. I hope my responses answer some of your curiosities. Here are the questions.

1. Why did you start blogging?

As an over thinker, writing helps me put down my thoughts and encourages me to think better or clearly. Blogging on the other hand helps me share my thoughts and writings to a much bigger audience.

2. Has writing always come easy to you?

Well, there is nothing easy under the sun, you see even eating an ice cream requires some sort of effort. I think the easiest thing about writing is the fulfillment you get, when people like or relate to what you write.

3. Do you plan to grow in your writing?

Definately yes, however am not chasing the growth but am rather interested in the process of writing each piece. I know the growth will come overtime. I also plan on writing a book( s) in the future, am actually already working on it.

4. What is the one thing that other bloggers have that you wish you had?

So in case you have noticed, most bloggers are more precise about their writing. They either write about food, travel, mental health, the gospel, celebrity gossip, sports, Cyber security and a lot but that’s not my case. Am a lifestyle blogger but not the lifestyle of taking cute photos of places and all. Am more of a how to get things done/advise lifestyle blogger. Which is quite confusing to many people. I could say that is my one blogging insecurity. On the bright side though, I get to write about a wide range of topics.

5. Do you have any regrets in regards to writing?

I think my one regret is not giving my writing the time that it deserves. While writing the blogs for this month, I was seated in the saloon doing my nails with my note book coping the writings to my phone.🤦🏼‍♀️ That alone screams unseriousness.

On my weekly schedule though, there is time allocated for all things writing , however I’ve not been as diligent with it as I should have been.

6. Finally, what have you learnt through and from writing?

Like I wrote last year on my anniversary blog, I thought that when I started writing, it was my opportunity to get back at people who had treated me badly at some point in life ( blame this on the gossip blogs). I quickly realised that, it won’t be possible because writing isn’t about getting back at people, but rather giving your best.

The other thing I learnt is to be real as possible in my writing. This was so because people tend to speak a certain way on social media and all, yet they would barely do that or speak like that in real life. So for me it has been a journey of matching the online and offline. In fact if we have had more than one conversation, you will notice that some things I talk about, are the things I write about.

So those are the questions you my dear readers asked me. If you have anything you would like to ask me, drop the question on the comment section. Don’t forget to hit the like button.😊

The Call

Tuesday morning was the day James Johns sat on his blue chair anxiously waiting for a call. It was a bright day and the birds could be heard singing on the outside. It had been two hours since he started waiting for the call. So he decided to take a nap but woke up four hours later relaxed and feeling fresh. Little did he know what was waiting for him on his home phone.

Johns headed straight to the kitchen to fix himself a cup of tea and fried eggs. He then sat down on the floor to have his meal but before he could sip the tea, there was a beep on his phone which had been left lying on the table.

On reaching for his phone, his eyes almost popped out when he saw the number of calls he had missed. This was accompanied by a message that made him leave his food behind and head outside like the world was coming to an end.

Johns who always dressed like his clothes were from a peg at the men’s store, was now seen running out in shorts and a vest. When he reached the store which was at the corner of the street, he knocked the door impatiently.

The lady in-charge of the establishment opened for him even though his clothes were fully soaked in rain water. Johns asked about the package he had been waiting to pick all day. He was disappointed when they told him that someone else had picked it earlier in the day.

Out of curiosity he asked for the contacts of the person who had taken his order, it was an unusual number. He rushed home to call this number and give that person a piece of his mind. Road side users could only wonder what happened to Johns as he walked fast and had a frowny face.

On making the call, he was shocked to hear a familiar voice. The lady on the other side of the phone spoke calmy with much confidence, it was his girlfriend.

Johns’ voice lowered like someone who had just lost the lottery ticket. Nonetheless, he asked why she had picked his package earlier and after much convincing and a 30 minutes conversation. It was established that the problem with the package wasn’t for either of them. It was for the lady who took their individual orders, and assumed it was for the same since they had similar details.

James Johns had ordered an assortment of chocolate for his girlfriend who happened to place the same order with the store. This was supposed to be her surprise birthday gift. So the call which was supposed to be confrontational turned out to be one of the best birthday calls ever.

This month is my blogging anniversary month, so most of my blogs will be related to that. I hope you stick around. If you have come this far in reading this post, kindly leave a like or share your thoughts in the comment section.

The Do’s & Don’ts Of Menstruation

When I was in my early teens, it occured to me that most of my female classmates, had already started experiencing their periods. Most of them talked about it with so much excitement and from that I could tell that, it was a thing they always looked forward to.

I also saw girls who dreaded the whole experience because of the discomfort they felt, the heavy cramps they experienced and how other people treated them throughout this time of the month. So in general, there was a mixture of both reactions in an almost equal measure. My story was not different from that of the other girls, when I finally started experiencing my periods.

Since menstruation happens in most of the adult life of girls, there are things we can do and those we should desisit from to have a bearable experience.

So here are the Do’s of menstruation.

• It is important to keep records of your menstrual experience. Knowing the dates when your periods starts, ends and how long it lasts will go a long way in helping you plan that time of the month.

*This photo shows some of the details that are found on a menstrual app tracker. Photo Credit : Google*

• Once you have experienced your first period, it is wise to always stock and carry sanitary towels of your choice wherever you go. You may never know when you or someone else may need them.

• It is not enough to stock these sanitary towels, you must learn how to use them correctly otherwise you will have an uncomfortable experience.

• For those with a painful experience. It is okay to take pain killers that work for you. If you don’t believe in using medicine during this time of the month, there are plenty of ways to reduce pain, so kindly use them.

• Since you will be loosing alot of blood during this time, make sure you hydrate as much as possible. This will reduce on dizziness, headache and other complications.

• Make peace with the fact that you will not be normally productive, during this time of the month even though you have the best intentions. This is so because your body will be going through many hormonal and emotional changes.

• Eat a balanced diet to keep the body strong during this time of the month. While at it, foods rich in iron like beans, liver, meat, soybeans, dark chocolate, fish, turkey should be more frequent in your diet.

• Exercise or be physically active as this will increase blood circulation in your body, make your moods better and reduce on the effects of other complications that come with periods.

• Take as much rest as you need, because your body is working more during this time. Rest also reduces the anxiety and moodiness one gets during that time of the month.

• Lastly ensure that you are very hygienic during this time of the month. Bath as much as possible with a good soap and wear clean clothes to avoid any infectons.

On the other hand there are things we should desist from doing during that time of the month.

Here are the menstrual Don’ts

• Stay away from sex of any kind during this time simply because you can still get pregnant and the chances of you contracting an STI is high.

• Stay away from snacks as they will affect your moods by making you have mood swings.

• Keep your distance from alcohol as it affects ones hormone levels, which may in turn lead to irritability and mood swings.

• And one of the biggest don’ts is do not walk around or sleep without padding yourself most especially during the first days of your periods.

With that said I hope you enjoyed the blogs of this month. In case you would like to read more about menstruation, click on this link to read about it in one of my old blogs. https://gertrudemedia.wordpress.com/2022/09/02/understanding-menstruation/

If you have read this blog, like the blog of you learnt something and kindly share your period do’s and don’ts in the comment section.

The Career Life Of Women

As we become adults, our journey of continuous education comes to an end and at some point, we the ladies are predominantly left to juggle between our careers and motherhood.

The education we receive once we become adults becomes optional, and can be done in phases. Today however am here to explore how the career of a woman may look like.

For women to have a glowing career life, there are sacrifices they have to make for themselves. First they have to decide if they want to or can get married. Truth be told, some careers are so demanding that the individuals barely have time for themselves. Such women would find it unfair to get married as they will be doing their partners a disservice.

Some working women have to endure years of working in the same position as a promotion will mean, less time at home and more time at work. A promotion only becomes something they look at after their children have grown. This is not to suggest that one can’t get the promotion. Depending on the kind of job one has, it is possible to climb your career ladder as you grow the size of your family.

For young mothers, working any kind of job will depend on how young your children are. In this case, women whose jobs require them to interact with other people for long hours like teachers,lawyers, bankers, security officers, shop keepers may find it diffcult attending to their young children. For these group, hiring help is the way to go if one wants to keep working.

Some women have had to give up their careers all together, because their productivity at home and work was being affected. For instance my mother was formally employed by the time she got married, after having her fourth child, she decided to quit to take care of her children, even though she already had someone taking care of them while she was away.

Part timing in more than one place is a common practise this side of the world. However this can be done effectively, by mothers whose children are big enough to take care of themselves. Older mothers and single women have a higher chance of working in more demanding jobs like those where you work for long hours or travel long distances for many days of the month.

All in all, being a mother will determine where you can work, what you will do and for how long depending on your motherhood journey.

On the other hand, you can most certainly do any job when you are unmarried. This is so because being unmarried offers you all the time and less respinsibilities, so you can do whatever you want to do. This is the time when people do the high-risk jobs, travel a lot, part time and explore many career opportunities. It’s important for you to remember that not all women start their career journey when they are married, majority start out single. So that is the time for the women to maximize their time because when they transition to marriage, they may have to make a few adjustments

The good news though is that, no matter your marital situation, you can still be able to work.

How have the women in your life or area been doing in their careers? Kindly share with us in the comment section.