Sleep, Music and Home-schooling
I realise there are a lot of people struggling with this lockdown, so I wanted to find a few resources that might be able to help you, and share some ideas that are helping me; everything from home schooling to sleeping better.
TRIBEathlon Podcast
Episode 30: In addition to being 'The Sleep Science Coach' and working at Geneva University Hospital studying the impact of altitude on sleep and the effect it has on cognition and performance, Dr. Charlotte Edelsten is also a keen ultrarunner living in Chamonix Mont-Blanc; with this wealth of experience, she is an amazing person to try to help us understand how we can improve our sleep and how we can use sleep to improve our performance.
TED Talk I’ve Found Interesting
Continuing the sleep theme because it is so important for our wellbeing, I’ve regularly recommend the book ‘Why We Sleep’ by Matt Walker that Charlotte Edelsten and I discuss in the TRIBEathlon podcast. Matt Walker also has a great TED talk on the subject too entitled ‘Sleep is your Superpower’.
Sleep is your life-support system and Mother Nature's best effort yet at immortality, says sleep scientist, Walker. In this deep dive into the science of slumber, Walker shares the wonderfully good things that happen when you get sleep -- and the alarmingly bad things that happen when you don't, for both your brain and body. Learn more about sleep's impact on your learning, memory, immune system and even your genetic code -- as well as some helpful tips for getting some shut-eye.
Home Schooling
We are lucky that our girls are both self-motivated and at a school that is doing a great job of teaching them remotely. I appreciate that many aren’t in the same fortunate position and if you, or someone you know, are having to revisit algebra whilst holding down your own job, I realise it can be a total nightmare.
I was chatting to a friend earlier about this and it reminded me of an amazing and free online platform that is available for home schooling called The Khan Academy. Sal Khan’s TED talk ‘Let’s use video to reinvest education’ is brilliant too. Worth checking out even if it allows your child (or you) to get a different explanation of a tricky concept.
Looking Forward
Half of the joy in taking a holiday is looking forward to it; that is why I always make sure that before I leave for a holiday, the next one is already booked - that way, rather than coming back with post-holiday blues, I can look forward to the next one.
The guidance is to wait and see, but I think this misses an important point. We need things to look forward to and feel a happier future is on the horizon. So, make plans that are flexible and that you can cancel/move.
I’ve booked a holiday for October that was 35% cheaper than the last time I looked. I can move it if I need to, and a relatively small deposit was required, so why not? If it doesn’t happen until October 2022, so be it but, in the meantime, I can look forward to travelling abroad again.
It doesn’t have to be a holiday, it could be a weekend with your friends, or even going to the pub! The excitement of just booking something can often be enough. Lets plan to make 2021 brilliant, even if the plans have to be amended later on!
