And now for a little me time
THE POWER OF ... SERIES
The power of doing nothing
by Lorna Gordon
AT THE FLICKS
MOVIE TICKET GIVEAWAY
This time of year is full , extra socialising , parties , events at school and churches , work events and family time can leave you happy , but exhausted . If you are feeling that way , then it ’ s time to down tools and give yourself a break . This is your permission to do nothing .
It can be hard for people to switch off , we are so used to being busy or entertained all the time , but it is actually good for you and something that used to be almost ‘ forced ’ on us . Everything used to close on a Sunday to allow us to rest , go to church , catch up with family or potter about your home .
These days most things are open seven days a week and a day of rest is a thing of the past , but you can choose to make a little oasis of calm for yourself and reap the rewards .
Shutting off , for even a short period of time , allows you to process what has been happening in your life and lets your brain have a rest and reset itself from the overwhelm of all the information we are bombarded with each day .
Letting your mind wander and relax can help with creativity and reduces stress , you often hear people say their best ideas come while they are in the shower , and this could be because you don ’ t have any outside influences and you are at ease .
Take the time to do nothing . ( Unsplash Jeremy Bishop )
PODCASTS
Tinsel Tunes
by Lorna Gordon
On the first day of Christmas … did you just start singing along ? If you did and love a good Christmas song this podcast will blow your socks off ! Tinsel Tunes looks at one Christmas song per episode and does a deep dive into it . They cover new Christmas songs and Christmas carols ( yes , there is a difference !) and find out all the background information on them .
I found out that Christmas carols are songs which are about a religious topic , where as Christmas songs are about the festive season , something I had no idea about . They look at Christmas carols which are centuries old , and new songs like ( love it or hate it !) Mariah Carey ’ s ‘ All I want for Christmas is You .’
As well as the old favourites you
Put on your Santa hat , grab an eggnog and find out more about your favourite Christmas Tunes .
The same relaxation can be found by going for a walk , reading a book , doing some gardening or other task that doesn ’ t require a great deal of thought to complete . Your hands are occupied , but your mind can relax , allowing you to enjoy a sense of peace in your busy life . Taking a break lets you be more productive than ploughing through the work that is piled up on your desk or at home . You can find that getting a cup of tea and being away from your task allows space for solutions or ideas to pop up , instead of trying to force them to appear .
You can build moments of doing nothing into your day by leaving your desk to have lunch , taking a short walk before you start work at home or walking a short distance to your place of work . Listen to music while you cook dinner , put on a face mask and lie down for 10 minutes , or work on a jigsaw puzzle to let you wind down .
Whatever doing nothing looks like to you , try it out for a few weeks and see if you notice the benefits for yourself .
would expect in there , like Once in Royal David ’ s City and Oh Come All Ye Faithfull , they also look at Country Christmas songs and , Ska Christmas songs which was something completely new to me .
So , whether you are a die-hard
Christmas song tragic or just like to know a little bit more about songs you generally only hear at a certain time of year , this podcast is really interesting and will give you a different perspective on your festive favourites .
You can find Tinsel Tunes on your usual streaming services , and they also have a Facebook page and group , in case you want to get into the spirit and talk to other people who enjoy Christmas tunes as much as you do .
ONE TRUE LOVES Release Date : In Cinemas December 7 Duration : 100min Classification : TBC | Censorship Advice : TBC
Emma ( Phillipa Soo ) and Jesse ( Luke Bracey ) are the perfect couple . High school sweethearts who fell in love , got married and left their small town in Massachusetts , away from family expectations .
Together , they live life to the fullest and seize every opportunity to travel the world until their marital bliss is ruthlessly cut short on their first anniversary , when Jesse disappears in a helicopter crash over the Pacific Ocean . Emma is destroyed and moves back to Massachusetts in an effort to mend her life back together .
Four years later , Emma runs her family ’ s bookshop and has grown to like her new life . She runs into her old best friend , Sam ( Simu Liu ), who has always been secretly in love with her , and they become inseparable . Newly engaged , it feels like Emma ’ s second chance at happiness is finally here . Until an unexpected phone call changes her world forever again : Jesse is alive !
Completely torn , Emma must now choose between a husband and a fiancé .
She knows that she has to listen to her heart ; she ’ s just not sure what it ’ s saying . Who is her one true love ? What does it mean to love truly ? One True Loves is an adaptation of the 2016 novel of the same name by
Taylor Jenkins Reid .
We are giving away 15 double passes to each movie ! Just tell us why you read our monthly mag to go in the draw . Email info @ hdinews . com . au Put “ Movie Giveaway ” in the subject line . Leave your name , address and phone number plus preferred movie . All winners will be notified via email / phone .
14 ISSUE 33 // DECEMBER 2023 MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS ! theindependentmagazine . com . au BLACKTOWN CITY INDEPENDENT