This blog is inspired by the culmination of almost every conversation I’ve had in the last seven days that I strongly suspect many of my readers will relate to. It goes like this –Me: “Hi, how are you?”Friend: “I’m sooooo [insert word associated with being crazy-busy-stressed-hectic-overloaded etc]”It’s hard to escape that we’re in the thick of that time of year. The time when everything we’ve been working on for the last 11 months is due, when we "must" catch up with everyone (even those we don’t like), and when presents expressing the depth of our love for those we do... Read full article »

In my never-ending quest for greater health and happiness, I'm a ravenous consumer of health-related non-fiction books. As I've explained before, bad past experiences have made me quite guarded against pseudoscience and quick-fixes, so I go for books written by scientists, journalists and credible industry-insiders who are well-researched, transparent in their sources, and who are willing to explore the nuances and complexity of topics, ideally without being dull – all of which is a tall order, I know. So without further ado, here are my reviews of the top five books that have changed my life this year. Feel free... Read full article »

My name is Shannon and I’m addicted to my phone… again.A few months ago I woke up to my smartphone enslavement. After a deep dive into the scientific research and with the help of experts, I began honestly and painfully admitting that although I thought the device was a hallmark of the modern age and designed solely in the interest of progress, efficiency, connectivity and productivity, the cunning contraption was actually preventing me from savoring the very essence of what makes life good. After one especially regretful incident where my phone took precedent over a rare morning cuddle with my... Read full article »

371 days ago things weren’t pretty. I was an anxious insomniac and I never felt as though there was enough time in the day. There were also some troubling signs that my illness, which causes arthritic chronic pain and fatigue when I let my stress get out of control, was going to flare.It’s ironic that the final chapter in my book was called Lasting Change because the single most important change that I had made in order to live well despite my illness was the one that I had allowed to slip. My daily meditation and yoga practice had made... Read full article »

I sat across from my tanned, lean, sparkly-eyed friend and thought, whatever she’s on, I want some.This friend leads hundreds of people in the highly competitive, always-on, ever-innovating travel industry and in the last few years we’ve bonded over our shared struggles in dancing the work-life two-step. But when we caught up for breakfast this week, our conversation wasn’t about how to cook healthy family meals in a hurry, or swapping time-management book recommendations. None of that was relevant to my relaxed, smiling, untroubled friend as she sat eating her organic muesli without a care in the world. So what... Read full article »

It was a trip to the supermarket where junk food was masquerading as health food with a “gluten-free” label, it was the conversation with a woman who’s on a gluten-free diet to lose weight, it was the e-newsletter telling me that quitting gluten would help me to cure my autoimmune disease. This week I’ve reached peak “gluten-free” and although I’m wary, I’ve decided to wade in to the treacherous waters of this micro-nutrient diet-debate.As someone living with an autoimmune disease known as Sjogren's syndrome, I can tell you that I am very motivated to look after myself and explore any... Read full article »