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Relationships and Connection

Latest posts from Shannon's blog

Social (Media) Distancing and Good (News) Hygiene: Five Ways to Stop “Stress Contagion”

I’d like to do an experiment. I’m about to write a couple of sentences and I want you to read them. But after you’ve read them, I don’t want you to think about what I’ve written. Ready? The pink elephant is coming, but don’t worry. Actually, there are a lot of pink elephants coming and … Read full article »

The Surprising Impact of Saying “Thank You”

I recently found myself filled with anthropological curiosity amidst the sharp suits and fabulous heels embellishing a crowd of pre-parenthood, 20-something-year-old, working professionals. As pioneers of The Selfie, millennials have a reputation for being tech-addicted entitled brats who are in need of a constant feed of positive affirmation. But this event well and truly set … Read full article »

The Loneliness Epidemic: More Connected And More Lonely Than Ever

I had a very surreal experience last year while travelling in the USA. From the moment a taxi driver dropped me off at an airport terminal to the moment I landed at my next destination, I did not speak to another human. In that time I checked in my luggage, proceeded through security, ordered and … Read full article »

Sorry For Driving You Nuts – A Health Journalist’s Apology to Family and Friends

If you’re a friend or relative of mine, the chances are that I drive you nuts. I know this because I see your furtive glances when you give my kids lollies, I see you sneaking away at family events to eat your ice-cream out of my eye-sight, and I know that when you invite me … Read full article »

How I Learned About Stress Contagion From A New York Cab Driver

I was in a yellow taxi in the heart of Manhattan, stuck in a clogged artery on my way to a major interview for my new film. As we inched forward and squeezed ever tighter into the one-way street, my driver had the steering wheel in a death grip. A cacophony of horn blasts soon … Read full article »

The Biology Of Kindness: Why Caring Makes You Happier and Healthier

I stuffed up this week. I was in my supermarket doing a last minute shop before my son’s first birthday. An endless list of urgent work matters and birthday party arrangements were stretching beyond a foggy and indistinct horizon in my mind. I had a persistent, gnawing, anxious feeling that I was forgetting something. Something … Read full article »

The Story That Reminds Me About The Power Of Love

I’ve spent the last 15 minutes trying to find the right word to describe a feeling that came over me this morning. It happened when I was cuddling my eight-month-old son. He nestled his head into my neck, snuggled his arms into my chest, and let out a soft, contented sigh. What happened next was … Read full article »

Can You Change The Unwilling? Motivating the Unmotivated

There is something monumentally heartbreaking about having to sit by and watch someone you love suffer with health problems that they can do nothing about. It’s a palpable kind of helpless hurt that squeezes your heart when you watch them in pain, or when medicine has no solution, or when the pronouncement is that “it’s … Read full article »

How To Be Healthy When Everyone Around You Is Not

I recently read a piece on the Guardian website by journalist Decca Aitkenhead who wrote about her endeavours to eat a plant-based diet. She wrote that her problem with being a vegan wasn’t the diet. It was the identity. “I worry about becoming that person who thinks what they put in their mouth is important … Read full article »

Why Having A Supportive Partner Matters

This is the story of well-intentioned wife who set out to make her husband a birthday cake. This wife realised the importance of celebrating birthdays and having rituals to mark special occasions. But in recent years she had become increasingly aware of the need to eat food that doesn’t have hidden nasties. So rather than … Read full article »

Taking the Stress Out of Holiday Gift Giving

This time last year I had an endless loop of names buzzing around in my head. Everyone from my husband and kids, to my parents and in-laws, to my siblings and their kids, to our extended family and friends, my son’s childcare teachers, neighbours, colleagues, employees, and even the cleaners. For each name on the … Read full article »

Loving Kindness Meditation

Loving Kindness Meditation, or LKM, is used to increase feelings of warmth and caring for yourself and others. Like mindfulness, this practice is derived from Buddhist principles, but rather than passively observing thoughts, you concentrate on actively directing a feeling of compassion towards yourself and then extend your focus to an ever-widening circle of others, … Read full article »
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My Year Of Living Mindfully – Book

SHIPS IN AUSTRALIA IN 1-2 DAYS. SHIPS INTERNATIONALLY IN 5-7 DAYS. From the director of the internationally acclaimed documentary of the same name, MY YEAR OF LIVING MINDFULLY is a book filled with compelling stories, groundbreaking science, and unexpected insights that go to the heart of what it me Read full article »
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The Connection (DOWNLOAD-TO-OWN)

Download 'The Connection' to keep forever. WHAT YOU GET DRM free MP4 download of ‘The Connection’ (73 Mins) Free access to stream of 'The Connection' for 14 days via your downloads page. Please use this option for watching the film on any iOS devices. Subtitles: French, German, Italian, Portuguese & Read full article »
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My Year of Living Mindfully (DOWNLOAD-TO-OWN)

Download My Year of Living Mindfully to keep forever. WHAT YOU GET: • A DRM free MP4 download of My Year of Living Mindfully (98 Mins). • Free access to stream My Year of Living Mindfully for 14 days via your downloads page. Please use this option for watching the film on any iOS devices • Subtitles Read full article »
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My Year Of Living Mindfully (RENT STREAM)

Get a 14 day pass to stream My Year of Living Mindfully to your computer or smart device. Available in HD. WHAT YOU GET A 14 day pass to stream My Year of Living Mindfully (98 Mins) English Closed Captions are available with streaming Subtitles available in Italian / Portuguese / Spanish / Malay / H Read full article »
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