(C) Workplace Coercive Control occurs when someone intentionally targets an employee(s) to injure, damage or destroy their presence in the workplace. This usually consists of a campaign of terror until the perpetrator(s) underhandedly forces and ends the targets working life.

So,we've all been there for sure, that one person who just HAS to have the final say no matter how stupid or unreasonable it is,but why? what is all the fuss about and just why are they intent on "power trippin" ? 

Coercive Control is a growing phenomenon,some people describe it as "gaslighting" but in fact it is a subtle but very dangerous form of mind control that is designed to weaken your resolve and demean you to level of subordination.You will find that this behavior often stems from their homelife and they will often have a history of intimidation within their family,often abusing their spouses and children.

Nasicism in its extreme,where the perpetrator not only doesn't care,but doesnt even realise the damage and hurt they are doing,and that damage can be very damaging indeed and very long lasting also.

They often put constant pressure upon you to agree with them or think and act as they would want you to,but it often them having that "final word" which is the telling point.You will also find that these people may well have been involved in other conflicts such as a divorce or a custody battle.

This person often tends to pretend they're "in charge" or act in an overbearing and aggressively powerful manner, pulling your strings as no one else does.

They may do it as a way of getting even or a way of getting you into trouble,denying they ever said anything after giving you an instruction or advice that has gone wrong or backfired.

However the question is..is it illegal?

They answer is yes,it is illegal,but it is a very difficult thing to prove and only the most diligent person can hope to succeed in any accusation of coercive bullying.Meticulous Diary's need to be kept and your Union informed at the very earliest as well as any taped conversations with the perpetrator.

For sure though,standing up to them is no easy thing.The very fact that you dare to question their authority sends a signal to their brain warning them of a possible threat to their power,it frightens them and confuses them as they are used to getting their way through bullying.

However for those that can and do,it can be a life changing revelation,and a soul searching venture that changes you for their better,making you stronger and wiser in a way you never thought possible.

Hospitality Action was established in 1837 and has since offered vital assistance to all who work, or have worked within hospitality in the UK and are the largest UK Hospitality Charity.

They are there for the chefs, waiters, housekeepers and managers. They are there for the concierges, receptionists and kitchen porters. And they are there for every sommelier, bartender, catering assistant and cook across the UK.

Whether you work in hotels, restaurants, pubs, bars or cafes, schools, hospitals or event venues, They are there to give you the help, advice and support you need whenever times get tough.

Click Here To Visit Website

Time to Change is a growing social movement working to change the way we all think and act about mental health problems. We've already reached millions of people and begun to improve attitudes and behaviour.

In 2018 Unichef took the Pledge to support TTC and became the first Union in the UK to actively support Mental Health in the work place.

Read all about the way TTC is changing the way we all thing about MHI

Click Here To Visit Website

Shout is a 24/7 UK crisis text service available for times when people feel they need immediate support.

By texting ‘SHOUT’ to ‘85258’ a Texter will be put in touch with a trained Crisis Volunteer (CV) who will chat to them using trained techniques via text. The service is designed to help individuals to think more clearly and to take their next steps to feeling better.

Shout was publicly launched in May 2019, after a year long pilot phase. It is based on the successful US model Crisis Text Line. Shout is part of Mental Health innovations (MHI), which was founded in November 2017. MHI was set up following the success of The Royal Foundation’s ‘Heads Together’ campaign, which identified how utilising digital platforms and tools has huge potential to offer support services to individuals struggling with their mental health.

Click Here To Visit Website

MIND are the foremost Mental Health Charity in Britain.They provide free support and care for thousands of people experiencing all forms of Mental Health.

They campaign to improve services,raise awareness and promote understanding.For more than 70 years MIND have been committed to making sure that everyone experiencing MHI has the support and care they need.

Now Mind has teamed up with National Chefs Union in supporting chefs across the UK.You can find out all about MIND and the fantastic work the do...

Click Here To Visit Website

How would you like your lifestyle to look?

Now could be your time to think about it.

During the days I was working every hour in the day all I could think about was what I could do if only I had more time. I would read novels, go out to dinner with my friends, go for a pint with a mate, start cycling etc etc etc.

Ring any bells?

So, now we are in strange times and you have been handed on a plate that time you craved, but… you have huge restrictions as to how you can use it?!

For example, looking back at my list, the novels are all I could really start doing. However, this time could be a wonderful time to reflect, an exciting time to get to grips with what is important to you.

I’ve already talked about work/life balance. It should be a given, but it is still something we must fight for. This time gives you the time to think about…

How would a social life look for you?

The things you dream of when you’re in the middle of service. Dinner with friends? Time and energy to ride a bike?

What makes you feel good?

What you want to fight for?

This reflection is important, I think. I burnt out from such a job that gave me no balance about 7 years ago. I didn’t think about what was happening and I suffered a lot of anxiety from having all this extra time and no idea what to do with it.

In essence, I craved going back to that life.

That’s not balance.

But it takes work to make such a huge lifestyle change. Those friends you used to hang out with on a Friday night have no doubt moved on. You wouldn’t fall straight back in.

But over time I have found what a life balance is for me. It's taken to this day. I enjoy slowing down. I enjoy running, I enjoy practicing and studying yoga. I enjoy cooking, eating, and drinking with loved ones.

Why you want to fight for it?

This is so important and for you needs to come before what. For me I knew that a life so far out of balance was simply unsustainable. I had myself in my 40’s or 50’s doing the same thing. I also knew there had to be more to life. I knew I needed change. For you it could be any number of reasons. Your family? Your mental and physical health?

How you are going to fight for it?

Here’ s the big one. It is going take some serious courage to see these changes. As I said above, I struggled, I really struggled.

Firstly.

The first step is to commit to the change. Mean it.

Secondly.

What do you need from your work life to make this happen? Can your current job accommodate your dreams? Can you speak with managers or whoever is going to make this happen?

Thirdly.

You’ve done it. You’ve made the change. Be ready to know that it's not going to be as easy as you thought. More space means more time to think. It's so important to take things slowly, be non-judgemental or yourself.

As ever, I don’t have the answers for you. I do however have a lot of experience of thinking about these questions. I still am. I have never found the balance of having a healthy social life. So, we are all in this together. Thinking and improving our lives together.

Namaste.

The topic of nutrition, the process of providing or obtaining the food necessary for growth, is a contentious one but the old mantra of 'you are what you eat' does still hold some wisdom.

Our food nourishes our body and brain, so the quality and quantity of what we eat matters. Needless to say, everyone's diet has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with food shortages and delivery delays, an over-reliance on take-aways, and boredom eating habits setting in. What we eat directly affects the bacteria in our gut, and our gut relays signals to our brain. This directly affects our hormones, energy levels, sleep cycle, and mood. In short, a poor diet can leave you feeling sluggish, suffering disjointed sleep, and low in mood. 

Food gives us our energy, in the form of calories, but not all calories are created equal. The source of the calories you eat arguably matters more than the number of calories you eat. Both these plates would give you 200 calories, but fibre, minerals, and vitamins are typically more plentiful in natural, unprocessed foods like vegetables and fruits. It's also important to eat a balanced selection of foods so that you ingest all the vitamins and minerals necessary for healthy development.

Figure 1: Doritos (41 grams) vs Apples (385 grams), source:

What calories look like in different foods

WWW.ZMESCIENCE.COM

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Food calories come in different shapes and sizes.

Sleep is essential for restoring and repairing the brain (among other things!) and what we eat directly affects the quality and amount of sleep we get. We all know that drinking substantial amounts of caffeine keeps us up late, but what a lot of people don't appreciate is the negative impact this has on our hormones and sleep cycle. Chefs and shift workers are particularly vulnerable here because, caffeine drinks aside, they grow accustomed to being awake when others are asleep because of their working patterns.

Studies show that night-workers do not sleep as deep, or as long, compared to their day-shift counterparts, and this can have a significant impact on health in the long term. Exposing yourself to natural light in the day helps restore your biological clock (and produce Vit D – essential for building healthy bones and muscles), as does shutting out as much light as possible at bedtime. Stay away from electrical devices, like your mobile phone, for at least half an hour before going to bed. This will encourage the production of the hormone which makes you want to go to sleep.

So, in this never-ending cycle, our diet affects our energy levels, our energy levels affect our sleep, our sleep affects our mood, and our mood affects our diet choices, and so the cycle continues. We need to pay attention to every part of this cycle to maintain good physical and mental health, but diet is the best place to start. So, let's all make a conscious effort to be mindful of what we eat; to look after our body and brain as best we can, throughout this challenging time. 

How is your balance?

April 2020. What a time to write about Work/Life balance.

The kitchens are closed. We are at home. We are out of balance.

Balance to me is the most important concept to consider when trying to improve wellbeing. It's human nature to require balance.

Traditionally bad balance.

Before these unprecedented times we all at one time or another experienced a lifestyle out of balance the other way. Not all of us, I have read remarkable stories about kitchens that are finding ways to find better work/life balance, but it is still the case across the world that chefs are being asked to work long, inconsistent hours.

One aspect of the problem is the expectation of the hospitality industry. Traditionally work/life balanced hasn’t been managed well and at the heart of the aims of the chefs union are to tackle these issues varying from split shifts, long/anti-social hours, not having any fixed hours or being given no notice to make any plans. Stick with us to find out more.

This will change.

Perhaps as soon as when we go back to work. We will fight for these rights.

I want you to have a think about what your work/life balance would look like If you were in full control of it. Like you should be.

I am a big believer in taking control of our own wellbeing. During the time of my career when I had the worst work/life balance I made it worse by having a couple of pints at the end of each shift.

I started to run. A lot. For me I found it gave me something that was away from work and I could easily fit it around the anti-social hours I had. On a simple level I started taking time for myself and sat in cafe’s and drank coffee.

It was also a cue to me to move on. I did. I found a better work/life balance.

The Benefits to business’ that looks after this balance.

• high morale leading to increased productivity.
• less fatigue related mistakes.
• being a responsible employer will attract the best chefs.
• staff retention becomes easier.

How could work/life balance look like?

1. No Chef should have to miss weddings and family occasions simply because they are a chef.
2. Having the options to do things in your life that isn’t work.
3. Evening and weekend time off to spend with friends and family that aren’t in the hospitality industry.
4. Consistent and advanced notice for time off. To build a routine and make plans.

As ever, I simply hope this gives you something to think about. Talk to us if you are looking to improve your work/life balance. We are here for you.

Brian of The National Chefs Union asked me to talk about the ongoing risk of depression in the kitchen.

I drafted articles about the state of the industry and how it compares to what I wrote about mental health in the kitchen in 2017 but then realised that what was going on in my own head was very different. The uncertainty of the future. It made me wonder if this is what is going through anyone else’s mind?

There is a real uncertainly in our future and that’s what I want to talk about. How do we manage that in term of our mental health?

In the present we can only be our best selves, right? That’s forever the case. Once we learn our limitations then we take control of a situation. Do everything we can to take control of what is in our control. The rest will just happen. Be open with our employers. Do our best.

I understand that.

But the future is something none of us can foresee. The future has always been something that causes me huge amounts of anxiety. Not necessarily worrying about what is coming because I know I can’t control that but worrying about what I should be doing today to give myself the best chance in the future. Does anybody else suffer this anxiety? It can cause me to freeze. Panic. Have all these pages and pages of to-do lists all of which could be affecting the path I’m on and my chances of future happiness!

I feel like some days I am on top of this anxiety. I can do one thing on my to-do list that will take me towards my goals and is true to me. But it only works to an extent.

How does anybody else deal with this anxiety? Who doesn’t suffer this anxiety and how and why don’t you?

What the hell does that mean?

How do I write this inclusively of all? I’m not sure I can. I’m writing it as me. An approaching Middle-Aged man who has been a chef and now a yoga teacher. I’ve never been overly physically strong; I’ve suffered mental health issues and I’ve run a marathon and I love a nice hot bubble bath.

Am I manly? Am a masculine?

I’ve had days when be felt really unmanly, girly, feminine, to then voice that to someone and hear them respond with “but I see you as very manly”, not “it’s ok to not be manly you know” which was what I expected.

Why does it even matter?

Well, it shouldn’t but it does seem to be a bother to me. If you tell yourself something doesn’t matter but clearly it is bothering you, it can only make things worse. 

So clearly it does matter to me.

Was I brought up in a time where being tough and being strong is very important? Sure. I’ve felt weak at various points of my life so it’s only natural that it would affect me.

Being aware of the thought process calms me down massively. At times that connection is what I need to take control of it and work my head around it.

Where does this fit into the well-being of chefs?

Well, it’s simple, there's a huge amount of pressure of chefs to be strong. Even today in a kitchen I would find it almost impossible to express any weakness.

The pressure that puts on you Isn’t healthy. It simply can’t be.

During our new COVID-19 normal I’m reading increased stories of chefs having to work harder, longer and under more pressure.

It’s a pressure cooker in the mind. 

Is standing up to not being ok manly or not?

Being manly is having the strength to talk about how things aren’t ok. That you don’t feel ok.

I’m sure of it. Just about. I still need to tell myself sometimes.

Stay safe everyone

Steve.

Living with those thoughts....

I, like many others, have truly little to be unhappy about. I am truly fortunate and lucky to have an amazing group of supportive family and friends, I know many don't, and this only adds to my feeling of helplessness and despair. My anger is sometimes uncontrollable, I lose control and so far fortunately for me, I have an amazing wife who keeps me in check. For how long I don't know, what I do know is it can't continue, I feel like a dog who should be put out of its misery, it would be the kindest thing to do. Being honest like this is somewhat of a relief but also compounds my depression even more. I have two beautiful, amazing, and wonderful children who I would lay down my life for, but again, some days that annoys me because, some days, my life has little value to me, and they deserve better.

Reading this you may have already judged me, and that's ok, I judge myself too, which is part of the problem. We live in a society that breeds competition, where there are winners and losers, achievers, and non-achievers, and those of us who hold ourselves to standards we will never achieve and therefore will never fit these labels. Chefs fit the latter, always striving for perfection, but honestly, do we ever really achieve it? If we reach perfection, is it then a job worth pursuing? Is it worthwhile? For the betterment of oneself, these questions are Rhetorical. I hope I never reach perfection because that's the day I stop discovering and learning. However, coming to terms with this, is another issue, it's another way of looking at yourself in a negative light.

Low self-esteem, plays the biggest part in depression for most, not knowing your true worth is difficult to comprehend, when especially sometimes feeling like just a number is a common occurrence, especially in this industry. I feel there is a lack of building people up, through fear of competition within the ranks, to admit sometimes someone is simply better and embracing them, without taking it to heart.

I live with multiple, long term conditions, which leave me crippled for weeks on end, and in pain that is so distracting, I just want it to end. My knowledge and collection of painkillers would rival most hospital doctors, and I now have severe secondary conditions, because of them. I have tried them all, and I can assure you the only way is up, and not just in the high sense. I started with over-the-counter painkillers self-prescribed, then the doctor moved me on to opiates, and now have the displeasure of oral morphine for an hour's relief. It is not constant, but I have monthly flare-ups, sometimes weekly so I'm constantly waiting for the next crippling attack, sometimes the knowledge of just knowing it's coming back, makes me ask if it's worth it.

Some may say that's weak-minded, and I would agree on first thoughts, I'm disappointed constantly in myself for asking the question in the first place, but I would ask what would you do in my situation? I'm open to ideas, as I'm at the point I want them amputated because I would be better off without them. How do you explain this to people who can't comprehend that level of pain? It's hard, but I'd rather live through one more epic pain event in my life, than a life of constant not knowing when the next attack will come. I am young enough I could adapt to my new legs and the lifestyle changes that come with it, but for many, this is too drastic and not an option in the UK.

Health and mental wellbeing go hand in hand. If I were healthy, not constantly drugged up and not worrying about the next potential flare-up, I wouldn't be depressed, therefore I wouldn't need medication either, so for me it's a downwards spiral all stemming from my physical health. I got lazy and I put on weight, my diet was terrible, and I was always far too tired for exercise. I didn't help myself at all.

I recently found my birth mother and now have knowledge of my family history. All those years I had beaten myself up about my health issues being of my own doing, I now know are genetic, predetermined, and not all down to me. Funny, for some reason I feel relief in knowing this.

Many of you by now have formed an image of who I am, some would say, the typical chef, anger issues, mental health issues, physical health issues, poor diet, drugs, and generally pissed off. I wouldn't blame you. However, i am more than this, I am Son, a husband to an incredible wife, a father to two amazing children, a friend to those in need. What we portray daily in life to those around us, might not be who we are in the depths of the night! We may seem strong but can cry ourselves to sleep, we may seem like a leader, but really all we want to do is run and hide, we may seem angry but all we want is to be understood. These pressures are what breaks us. These unobtainable macho bullshit ideals of perfection, which are impossible to reach, as the bar is always moving.

How can we switch off to this mentality when it is us who put these pressures on ourselves? Inevitably we set ourselves up to fail, and many fall into the depths of addiction, to escape the ever-growing picture before them. Given the current situation, time off, and fear and worry of financial issues, I can imagine it's a hundred times worse right now. The constant numbing effects of my prescribed medication is what keeps me away from the illegal ones, so I can be thankful for that.

Talking to people helps, but much easier said than done. How do you explain to someone who has never felt or experienced the lowest points in life, that sometimes giving up seems the easiest choice? Well, the answer is you don't. There are people like me who understand, that are willing to hold out a hand to help, even if it is just to chat. There are like-minded people, who feel just the same in one way or another, and collectively we should be helping each other. Put the competition aside and ask your fellow chefs how they are, how they really are? Let them know they can lean on you if they need to, let them know you hope today is a good day. Acknowledge them and let them feel more than just a number, you never know when you will need the same in return. If someone is hurting, pick up the slack for them, help them, you never know when you will experience what they are experiencing. You may never know how brave they were being, just to be there to support you, you may never know the pain barriers they have been through just so you can have your garnish for a Friday night, you may never know how much they hate themselves for overcooking that one steak. Let them know at the end of the day, they are more important than the diner sitting in front of them. Small kindnesses go a long way, and for some they mean everything.

In these uncertain times, I find myself worrying more about what the future holds for my children more than I do myself, I have simply resigned myself to a life of pain management, but I'll be dammed if I'm going to lead a life of misery, I owe my family and perhaps, more importantly, myself a fair shot at being happy. This means wholesale change, dropping the opiates and the antidepressants, fixing my physical state, therefore improving my mental state of mind, and hopefully turning a leaf. I'm hoping to be drug-free by 2022 and on the road to self-improvement. My diet will change to a more plant-based diet based on an anti-inflammatory diet, as a chef, veganism has been a challenge so I wonder if as a consumer it will be equally challenging?

Spending more time away from the kitchen with people who have a place in my life will be the next major step in moving forward. Filling my immediate surrounding area with positive people creates a positive environment that can only lead to positive outcomes for me. Perhaps this is selfish, but believe me, I think I have earned this one.

The road to perfection is one that you need to be wary of, it's a fantastic ride, but the fall is a large one, and one they don't tell you about, the one you need to learn to deal with yourself and one many will run away from.

The outside world after life in kitchens is a scary place, routine disappears, the adrenaline surges have long gone, and new highs don't seem to quite cut it. Can we adapt to the new life and new ways? As you all know as well as I do, we are a very resilient type of human, we conquer new problems every day with creative fixes, we put our souls into our final plates and we love what we do, the only difference I'm seeing for myself now, is that my life deserves the same opportunities. In the same way, I will always wear my heart on my sleeve.

Emotional and physical wellbeing? What is it?

Ok, so what is this golden question, which has so many answers? A quick search online will undoubtedly, give you many results, teetering on a million, but not all those answers are easy to find, amongst the conflicting advice, there is a lack of compassion and everything can seem so sterile, impersonal, and redundant when it doesn't fit "YOU"!

That's right, I said "YOU"! Everyone has their own issues, and for whatever reason, we don't always fit one particular mold, and for one, I think that's fantastic as it shows us that we are all individuals, and we all walk our own path, amongst the billions of others doing the same. It's in these small details, we can find ourselves and our own individuality, which makes us, for better or worse, who we are. In the same fashion, it should also alert us to the fact that there will be others feeling, the same way. So that "YOU", now becomes "US", we are all part of the same family, "WE", are not alone, and in knowing this small fact, silver linings can be found. I'll admit, sometimes it's not easy to find them, but they are there, and they can make all the difference in having an enjoyable day or a terrible one.

The Oxford English definition of the word "Wellbeing is, 

The State of feeling healthy and happy.

I believe this can be expanded upon to create three subheadings, which allow us to break the complexity of the word wellbeing down to more manageable sections. These are the following.

Emotional Wellbeing
Physical Wellbeing
Financial Wellbeing

They are without a doubt all linked, and if we are to feel the true meaning of the word, we will need to succeed in all three of these particular issues, however, it will not be a sprint, this a marathon and short-term realistic goals, need to be set individually for long term gains. It doesn't matter how small a change you make; the most important notion is that you realise you need some change.

Wellbeing is the experience of health, happiness, and prosperity. It includes having good mental health, high life satisfaction, a sense of meaning or belonging, and the ability to manage our stress levels, something we all know about in kitchens.

Most of the time the state of wellbeing is achieved through, thoughts, actions, and experiences, most of which we have full control over, remember this advert, Positive Mental Attitude. It sets an example of how mental positivity impresses on our daily lives. Although corny, the simplicity of the statement is profound, and the idea, beneficial. 
 
Emotional Wellbeing

To develop emotional well-being, we need to build emotional such as positive thinking, emotion regulation, and mindfulness. Often, we need to build a variety of these skills to cope with the wide variety of situations we encounter in our lives. As chefs this is nothing new, and something we are particularly good at. When we have built these emotional wellbeing skills, we can deal better with stress, handle our emotions in the face of challenges, and quickly recover from disappointments. As a result, we can enjoy our lives a little bit more and pursue our goals a bit more effectively.

Physical Wellbeing

To improve our physical wellbeing, we need to know what a healthy diet and exercise routine looks like. If you are like me that ship sailed a long time ago, but recently, starting yoga has made an enormous difference to me.  When we improve our physical wellbeing, not only do we feel better, but our newfound health can also help prevent many diseases, boost our emotional wellbeing, and limit the number of health challenges we must deal with in our lives. My personal physical wellbeing was to blame for my spiral in Emotional wellbeing, they are all linked.

Financial Wellbeing

To improve financial wellbeing is tough, it often means more sacrifices than the others, however, it is about a sense of security and feeling as though you have enough money to meet your needs. It's about being in control of your day-to-day finances and having the financial freedom to make choices that allow you to enjoy life. You work exceedingly hard, so why shouldn't you reap the benefits? Changes in the industry will allow for better wages going forward, however, financial wellbeing is still on us, and how we look after our finances to sustain the life we want.

The one aspect we must all remember is that everyone has their own share of problems, it doesn't matter which category you fall into, you may even fall into all three, what you need to take away from that, is that others are going through the same. "YOU" are not alone. Reach out from time to time, as the chef standing next to you, may just need an ear, and you never know when you might need theirs. Looking out for others is one of the first steps in looking out for yourself.

Wellbeing could mean safety. It could mean calm. It could mean community.

It could be internal to you. It could be in the environment.

In my first post I wanted to put that thought out there and to talk about what it means to me and what its meant to me in the past.

When do you feel well?

For me, in the kitchen, a feeling of wellbeing is there when I feel like I am being my best self. When I feel safe in myself and safe in the environment that I am in.

For some I know it is in the midst of service. When adrenaline is flowing and they feel part of the team. The brigade. With a feeling of being in that moment.

It used to be the case for me. Not anymore. For me I enjoy a calmer, more balanced environment.

Which are you?

It can be a rhetorical question or one we talk about, but its invaluable to know. To know yourself. To know what wellbeing feels like. To know what you need in your life to feel it.

The Chefs Wellbeing program and the Chefs Union as a whole are here to say that this DOES matter.

The days of the hospitality industry being stoic and tough and putting up with a life without wellbeing are OVER.

Your wellbeing MATTERS. And the wellbeing of your friends and colleagues matters.

Its in our hands. Have a think.

I just want to leave this here.

Namaste

Steve.

When I say your voice, I mean a lot more than the words you say.

Your voice is your connection to your true self. A term I really like. That state where you are being true to yourself at its core and you are not being directed by external stresses.

Yoga philosophy sees our voice being affected by the fifth chakra. The throat chakra, the Vishuddha. A blue energy. We are looking to have each chakra in balance.

In particular to us chefs I am interested in how this means we communicate.

Balancing your voice

Deficient- timid, not sticking up for yourself, leads to be being walked all over in the kitchen. Being blamed for things you haven’t done, working too many hours as you don’t say no!

In excess- self-important, arrogant, not prepared to listen to the ideas and feelings of others in the kitchen.

A great chef is a chef that has managed to balance this energy.

Which one are you? Can you see a lack of balance in yourself?

Your personality and body composition will of course emphasize this. Too much fire in your system will likely put you into excess whilst too much water will likely make your voice deficient.

This is yoga philosophy at its best. Helping you to understand what you could be doing to feel more in balance and therefore calmer.

How what we eat could help?

In excess, try cooling foods such as coconut or deficient then try a bit of chilli or garlic to stoke your inner fire.

In general, ripe fruits are known to help balance the energy in your throat chakra. They symbolize authenticity as they only fall from the tree at the right time. Also, anything blue to nourish the energy. Purple Sprouting broccoli or blueberries perhaps.

The movement or Yoga Asana and how this can help.

Balance is the key here.

Deficiency of your voice can be helped along by opening the chest, shoulders, and throat.

Asana’s such as fish, ideally supported fish, or melting heart.

In excess means you need to try to close down that area. Forward folds of almost any kind will be beneficial. You should understand as well, this asana has the added benefit of the calming and cooling effect of the inversion.

Balance as ever is the key, doing a combination of both is often the key. It’s not easy to start getting the benefits this way from yoga asana, it takes time and practice, but it really is worth sticking with.

If you have any questions or would like some guidance, I would love to hear from you,

There are always other activities you can do to help balance your voice. Activities that stoke your inner fire will also help. Sport for example? To calm your voice, you Could do something as simple as take 5 deep breaths when you feel yourself at melting point.

If you’re interested, get in touch 🙂

You know yourself, trust it. That’s so important to remember.

Namaste

For #mentalhealthawarenessweek this year I’m thinking about Yoga and how my yoga practice has helped me bring awareness to my own mental health.

So, a bit of a spin but stay with me.

I believe that I can use my yoga practice to bring awareness to my own mental health. 

For example, I may feel anxious as I practice certain poses or get angry and frustrated during poses I struggle with on certain days but on others could feel calm with the difficulty.

Some more examples:

• If you can’t sit quietly in meditation, then perhaps your mind is racing during day-to-day life at the moment.
• If you judge yourself for how you are practicing your yoga, are you judging yourself in other areas of your life?
• If you are frustrated or angered by the teacher or yourself, do you do this with others in your life?

I see the process of a yoga practice in a similar way to life itself. 

Yoga can bring joy but can also make you feel terrible. It's not usually on the teacher's websites mind. There are certain poses that you will find suit you and certain poses you will find easier than the others around you. I’ve always found this hard, but in learning to deal with it in a yoga class you can learn to do it in the workplace and in life generally.

Does this help me?

Well, sometimes it doesn’t help at all. Sometimes my practice will simply tell me what I already knew.

But it can bring me aware or how I am feeling.

Other times my practice can slow me down. My brain may be in overdrive with positivity and ideas but just waiting to crash. 

The awareness then brings me back into control. I can make my next move.

I believe in practicing yoga calmly, without judgement, knowing how far and when to push my body, by practicing with balance.

Perhaps the way to practice life…

If you are interested in seeing how Yoga could help you. Keep an eye out for one of my online practices or drop me a message for a chat.

How can yoga help wellbeing?

Yoga is a science which came from India and is a union of the body, mind, and true self.

A Holistic approach to wellbeing from how we behave, breathe, move and be still.

“Yoga is a search of the self, based on an inner practice and detachment”- Himalaya Yoga Valley Centre

Physically

• stretching the body. Asana practice can help balance posture issues that cause neck and back pain as well as ease the pain of repetitive actions and helps the effects of being on your feet for long hours.
• Simply great physical exercise for strength, mobility, and cardio.
• Helps blood circulation, digestion and moves energy around the body.

Mentally

• Stress and anxiety management
• With better, more controlled breathing happier chemicals can be released and we can spend less time living in fight or flight mode.
• Allows you to find space to be yourself, with yourself.

On a Community level.

• Encourages you to feel more at one with others
• encourages compassion and non-judgement
• the potential of a yoga ripple effect is massive for the wellbeing of whole communities.

Why be interested?

I am passionate about the words above because it worked for me. I have lived it.

From one summer of practicing yoga whilst running one of Ireland’s top kitchens I found…

• I suffered almost no back or neck pain compared to before.
• yoga gave me the physical release I needed that I usually got from running but without causing further burnout.
• by simply practicing breathing exercises daily I found myself reacting calmer to instances of extreme stress.
• helped me be less judgemental of the others around me.
• helped me step back from being so hard on myself.
• gave me a break from that 24/7 feeling I get from running a kitchen.

With both Cooking in Mind and the Chefs Union I am hoping to achieve the following over the coming months.

• Have the conversation about yoga. What do we need from yoga?
• Finding ways to give us all the opportunity to practice yoga.
• Connect Yoga teachers with those that need it.
• Talk about how yoga philosophy and practice has helped me and could help you.

Namaste to all

Why it matters?

When Unichef started in 2015, the “awareness” of Mental Health Issues in catering were extremely limited, few employers and even fewer chefs realised the enormity of the situation.

We count ourselves into that equation, as we too were oblivious to the daily struggles of many of our colleagues.

When our Facebook Page started chefs began writing to us, wanting to tell their story, those stories shook us to the core. For the first time many of us began to realise mental illness effected chefs, and not just the odd one or two, but indeed many thousands.

And then we realised that we also knew many of these chefs, and we had been working alongside of them for many years without realising the often huge sacrifices they have to make just to earn a living in the job they love.

From that day on we knew that if Unichef was to help chefs then we needed to embrace MHI and work to learn more about those issues and those that have them. We started from scratch, we listened, and we learned, we talked, and we communicated with new friends and associates. We joined the Time to Change project in early years and more recently became very close to MIND in working together to end Mental Health discrimination in our industry.

Today Unichef stands proud in the fact that we have done more to raise awareness of MHI in catering than any other Union, and when we became a CIC we took the inspirational step of enshrining MHI into our constitution, the first Union ever to do so.

We constantly work to make all chefs and employers “aware” that the chefs your working with may have an illness that they often don’t want to talk about, but that they have every day of their lives, they don’t want pity or your money, they just need you to understand.

Taking time to understand that having MHI is a daily strain in what is a hugely difficult job, taking time to check on your colleague, taking time to realise that their life might not be the same as yours, taking time to care, and taking time to support.

So, awareness matters,  not just this week, but as a constant theme in our everyday lives. Being aware that we have a 1 in 4 chance of working with someone that needs our understanding and a 1 in 4 chance that their bad days are 10 times worse than ours.

Be aware of Mental Health Issues, not just today, but forever.

Since we began in 2015,Unichef has done more to raise the awareness of Mental Health Issues in Catering than any other Union.

At first even we were not truly aware of how deep and widespread the issues were. We learned “on the hoof” ignorant of much of the pain and suffering our friends and colleagues were going through.

Then things changed dramatically when we began our Facebook Page and then chefs from all over the country began to tell us their stories.

They opened up in a way we never expected and I, like many others, sat crying at the anguish and pain endured by chefs who simply wanted ( needed ) to go to work but had the daily battle with an illness no one could see and few appreciated.

These chefs wanted nothing from me, just the opportunity to share their struggle and have someone listen and understand.

Similar other “listening posts “ sprung up, many only to fall by the waste bin through lack of commitment or support, and we knew that to help and succeed in bringing about awareness we had to be there 24/7 for those who needed us.
 

A while ago I was contacted by such a listening post, and a chef dedicated to helping similar chefs who had issues like his own and shared our values and vision of a better way. Steven Mercer had went further than most, he had dedicated time and money into his site and he wanted to Unichef to advise him further.

Amazingly Steven took our advice and now has the proud honour of having his Blog site fully endorsed by the National Chefs Union.
 

Steven has worked tremendously hard, dedicating his own story to help and inspire others. His story will echo that of many and now he brings his life experiences and unique way of dealing with those issues into a fascinating forum for all to share and be inspired from.

Cooking in Mind is very different. Real chefs with real issues and someone who listens, understands and can help with support in new ways and with new ideas.

For those who believe the only way to cope is to turn to Alcohol or Drugs should visit Cooking in Mind and see that there is a better future for them.

Unichef is proud to endorse Cooking in Mind, please visit and support Steve whenever you can at www.cookinginmind.com

Brian Mcelderry