Author: Admin01

Does this sound like you? I like my life right where I am. I know there is a lot going on in the world. I keep abreast of it but can’t do much about it all. Inflation has sky-rocketed prices. So I’ve adjusted my spending. Geopolitical and market headlines seem to dominate. I click less and reduce my “news” exposure.

I’m intentionally living in my own bubble for the sake of a healthier mindset and body. It’s not an ostrich approach with my head in the sand, just a healthy focus on the things I can change and enjoy in my own little world.

Real vs Laptop World

I’ve had that conversation with many women over the past several years. None of us in these discussions are psychology experts or pretending that there is concrete research about our bubble approach. We often conclude that there seems to be a laptop world and a real world these days. And choosing to live in the real world might mean focusing our energy and happiness on our own little bubble, despite what the laptop world says is going on around of us.

Morning Rituals

A friend of mine who is a Life Coach, recently spoke to my Health & Financial Wellness for Women group about the value of morning rituals. One researched and healthy aspect of a morning ritual she demonstrated was meditation. To me, meditation is an example of an even smaller bubble, inside of us.

Our Monkey Brain

She called her brain a monkey brain, can’t keep it quiet, always jumping around. I often think of our brains like a squirrel (darting here, there and everywhere) or a shiny penny (look over here, or over here, or over there). Our brains were wired for survival back in the caveman days (to hunt and find food or escape a predator, always on the lookout for the next meal or danger). Today, we don’t need those monkey brain tendencies anymore, but our brains still act the same.

Meditation to the Rescue

She shared that meditation helps us to connect our brain with our heart. We can’t control our brain, but connecting it with our heart (which requires breathing and a quiet body) can help us more intentionally choose our actions. Temporarily creating that internal bubble within us can bring clarity, help us focus, and set the tone for the day.

Self-fulfilling Prophecy

Literally every week, I hear women say things like “I am so bad with money!” or “I am not comfortable making financial decisions” or “I have never been good with finances, I just don’t like dealing with it.” Those sentiments usually stem from childhood and past or current relationships. But I cringe because I truly believe those thoughts and words (usually repeated over and over again) too often become self-fulfilling prophecies. Because they think they are bad with money, those women are bad with money.

The Value of Money

This is another internal bubble opportunity. If you can take just a few minutes to quietly connect your heart and brain with some deep breaths, clarify why you value money. It may be for security, freedom, independence, peace of mind, flexibility, lifestyle choices, or something else. What does money mean to you?

Money Is a Tool

For whatever reason(s) you value money, I encourage your focus to be on using money as a tool. That mindset helps take the emotion out of decision making, encourages automation for long term success, and should provide objectivity instead of guilt.

I Can Do This!

Taking it one day at a time, the idea that money provides freedom, for example, and is a tool to use in your life, could provide an “I can do this” tone to each day instead of the negative self-talk women often have chattering in their brain. We are emotional beings, with two sides to our brains, the emotional and the logical sides. So we need tools to help us not get stuck in the emotional side.

Checklists to the Rescue

That’s where I have seen checklists act like a tool that can be a brain distractor, in a good way, to help us keep moving forward instead of letting our emotions get in the way. Finances are one of the top stressors in life so leveraging money checklists should help us live in our bubble more peacefully. I encourage you to browse my checklists to get started.

Narrow to Three

I read an interesting article the other day about how to successfully use checklists. One suggestion was to limit your list to seven items. Since money can be one of the tougher topics to tackle, no matter how long the list is, I suggest narrowing your next steps to three items.

My Life Event checklists, for example, use a Top 10 approach (the top 10 most important steps to take at this phase in your life). But to avoid overwhelm and still be motivated to get started, it helps to select just three actions that speak to you right now. Accomplishing one of those three means you are already 1/3 of the way toward your goal making it even more likely to tackle the next action item.

Enjoy Being “Doers”

I love that this website offers women actionable education. Whether you choose to live in a bubble or not, right or wrong, I encourage us all to keep learning AND enjoy being “doers”!

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you feel like you live in a bubble, intentionally or not? How have you managed your own wellness in this chaotic world? Are you a checklist fan? Let’s have a discussion!

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Sicily has been a popular holiday spot for holidaymakers from the US and Canada for many years and recent TV series such as the White Lotus and Netflix’s The Leopard have further boosted the island’s popularity. But if you’re wondering whether it’s a good destination for seniors or want to know how to get the very best out of a holiday here, read on for inspiration.

Spring and Autumn Are the Best Seasons to Visit Sicily

If you can, try to avoid the months of July and August when temperatures soar and Sicily is at its busiest. From April to June, temperatures hover between 20-29°C (68-84°F), with plenty of sunshine each day, so you can enjoy meals outside and sightsee in comfort.

The hills and countryside are awash with spring flowers and mini mountains of fresh asparagus and glistening cherries appear on market stalls. Temperatures return to this level in September and October when the big draw is the sea, still warmed by the heat of the summer sun.

Top tip: Visit in spring or autumn for quieter beaches and attractions as well as cheaper prices.

Planning Your Sicily Holiday

Think hard about whether to spend your whole holiday in one place and travel around or to split your stay between two, or even more, locations. Of course, it will depend partly on what you want to see and how long you’re staying for.

If possible, try to go for two weeks so that you can fit in plenty of relaxation time – after all, it is a holiday! If you can manage two weeks, then splitting your holiday between two different locations – for example, the island’s northwest and southeast – is a good idea. You certainly won’t want to spend too long in the car and getting around can take longer than you think.

Top tip: For one week holidays, a base in south east Sicily gives you easy access to the towns of the Val di Noto, gorgeous Syracuse and some of the island’s best beaches.

Dive into Sicily’s History, Culture, Art, Architecture and Gastronomy

Yes, Sicily really does appeal to everyone! The difficulty, however, particularly for first time visitors, is prioritising what to see and do. My advice is that unless you have a particular interest or hobby, try to create an itinerary that incorporates a mix of things.

For example, include one ancient site or Greek temple, such as the temple at Segesta, instead of trying to visit all of them; take in one big city – Palermo, Catania or Syracuse – rather than all three; and visit just one or two of the eight baroque towns of the Val di Noto.

Top tip: Throw in a couple of fun hands-on activities that will also enhance your cultural understanding of the island, such as wine tasting or a cooking class.

Explore Sicily on a Guided Tour

As an older and possibly seasoned traveller, it’s tempting to skip the guided tour and explore independently. But for a quick initial overview, it’s definitely worth organising one or two tours by local experts. Firstly, if you’ve just arrived in the city, a tour is the quickest way to get to know its rough layout and key points of interest. You may not get to spend as long as you want in some places but you can return to those at leisure.

A tour is also a brilliant way of getting to grips with the local culture. As well as communicating information about the various sights, a good guide will provide insight into their historical context and their relevance to the city today. A street food tour in Palermo is the best way we know to dive deep into the city’s culture!

Top tip: If you’re visiting several towns in one day, it’s far less stressful if someone else takes care of the driving and parking.

Swap Driving for Train Travel

You may be slightly daunted by the prospect of driving overseas but actually, driving in Sicily is fine – although you may want to avoid Palermo city centre! However, if you prefer not to drive, staying within easy reach of a train station will give you much more flexibility. The main towns and cities of Palermo, Syracuse, Catania and Taormina are all well connected by train, and the baroque towns of Noto, Ispica, Scicli, Modica and Ragusa are all accessible from Syracuse.

Top tip: For a more laidback beach holiday, the little town of Finale Pollina is linked by rail to many of the seaside towns along the north coast, including Cefalù.

Ways to Keep Active in Sicily

Seeing new things will definitely keep your brain active while you’re away. But if you’re used to a regular fitness routine, you won’t want to abandon that. Provided you’re not visiting during the hottest months, you’ll find plenty of ways to keep physically active.

The northern stretches of Sicily are characterised by two national parks, the Madonie and Nebrodi Mountains. Just walking up and down the steep paths through the pretty villages may be as energetic as you want them to be, but hiking, cycling and horse riding are other options.

Top tip: if you’re staying in eastern Sicily, don’t miss the trail through the Pantalica Nature Reserve, a vast canyon that houses around 5000 cave tombs.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Have you ever been to Sicily? What was your favourite place? Can you share some of your memories of the island with our readers?