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Julie Leonard Life Coach

Helping you live to your full potential.

How Experiencing Awe Can Make Us Happier

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Awe Makes Us Happier by Julie Leonard

Awe. We know it when we experience it. I can recall my sense of awe when I stood in the Grand Canyon feeling so tiny and insignificant, when I entered the Rose City of Petra and looked up at the astounding treasury, the first time I saw the iconic Colosseum or when my son took his first steps into my arms. But how do we describe the feeling? And how does it relate to us feeling happier? And is it possible to find awe in the everyday?

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How The Four Quarters Method Can Improve Your Mindset

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Four Quarter method by Julie Leonard

Have you ever started the day and things just seem to go completely wrong? You get ready in the morning and you get stuck in a traffic jam ending up being late for your appointment. The day starts in a bad way and it gets worse. Or maybe you have your to-do list you want to get through but by lunchtime, you haven’t completed anything off it. This kind of day can leave you feeling bad and often writing off the day before it’s even dinner time. On such days where things don’t go to plan, your critical inner voice can take over leaving you feeling negative about your day and of yourself. Which then spirals into feeling unproductive and unhappy.

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Dopamine Dressing to Improve Your Mood

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Dopamine Dressing – How Colour Improves Your Mood

As a Decluttering Consultant as well as a Life Coach I know the importance of regularly going through my wardrobe and keeping it organised and with the pieces of clothing that I love and make me feel great when I wear them. This autumn as I changed over my summer to winter clothing, it struck me how much more colourful my summer wardrobe is. Lot’s of shades of blue, reds, greens and pink. My winter wardrobe on the other hand is very monochrome – black and white and grey. Wearing colour during the winter has popped into my mind occasionally over the years. I wear a faux fur light brown coat in the winter and a bright yellow rain jacket in autumn. And I know I consciously wear both to brighten my mood during the colder, wetter months.

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5 Ways To Manage The January Blues

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The January Blues

Have you been feeling low in mood this month? Feeling in a slump, with little energy or motivation? Let me tell you, you are not alone. You are most likely experiencing the January Blues. And this can be more than just a bit flat after the fun of Christmas. I believe it is a much more serious issue. The Samaritans report that around 20% of people experience depression in January compared to 4.5% during the rest of the year. And with Monday 17th January heralded as the most depressing day of the year, it is time to take a more serious look at the beginning of the year and what you can do to beat the blues.

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Goal setting in Autumn

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September is the new January

Goal Setting in Autumn

The leaves are changing colour, summer has ended and I have that back to school feeling. It feels like a season of transition and of new beginnings.

And I’m discovering that I’m not alone. As a Life Coach, I have often focused on the beginning of the calendar year for new starts and goal setting but in fact good times for goal setting are during periods of natural change. And those for me are Spring and Autumn.

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Keystone Habits to improve your Health

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Keystone Habits

Keystone Habits by Julie Leonard: Make your Bed, Healthy Eating, Exercise, Planning your Day, Self Discipline.

I remember working with a woman who struggled with her mental health and motivation. And after living with depression for many years the thing that changed all of that? It was making her bed. So simple yet it was a game-changer. Making her bed meant that she didn’t go back into bed. Then she added on a daily shower and getting dressed instead of staying in her pj’s. She started preparing breakfast and eating better. She later took on a volunteer role which gave her a sense of purpose and meaning to her day.

Making your bed is in fact a great example of a Keystone Habit.

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30 Years Ago I Started my Journey

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This month, 30 years ago, I walked into the campus of my University in Glasgow, Scotland and there I began a journey that has taken me on a 30-year career.

30 Years Ago I Started my Journey

It wasn’t a surprise that I studied Psychology at University. Growing up with a depressed father (and where it was never discussed) had a big impact on me. I grew up anxious, lacking in self-confidence and alone in my own head. My parents were loving but emotionally distant and personal things were never openly discussed. We joke now in my family that I have all the emotions of the 4 of us (I have a younger brother). I’m highly sensitive and emotional. A double-edged sword that means I am sensitive but also serves me well in my job giving me compassion and empathy.

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