How to Reclaim Your Life & Improve Your Health

From Burnout to Balance

If you feel permanently exhausted, wrung out, trapped, angry and dissociated you may be experiencing symptoms of burnout. Do you feel you are working harder and longer but achieving less?Do you constantly feel under the weather, or suffer persistent aches, pains, niggles and minor illnesses that won&rsquo;t go away? Living in a constant state of low-level stress, with an increasing reliance on our stress hormones to keep us going, can lead to adrenal exhaustion.One of the difficulties with burnout is that its build-up can be very gradual and it&rsquo;s all too easy to hit crisis point without realising that this is where we&rsquo;ve been headed for weeks, if not for months or years.&#160; In From Burnout to Balance, Harriet Griffey helps readers to reclaim their life by recognising their own signs of stress, managing these and avoiding their escalation through positive lifestyle changes, and ensuring basic self-care measures every day &ndash; adequate sleep, regular nutritious meals, exercise and relaxation &ndash; to keep body and mind resilient, all helps.Featuring a quiz on how to recognise burnout, information on how to understand what is the root cause of any issues, a 24-hour crisis plan and four-week programme to help you recover your life, this book is essential reading for anyone who is experiencing symptoms or burnout and wants to live a calm, happy, stress-free life.

Harriet Griffey is a London-based health writer and author of the bestselling I Want to&hellip; series of books.

Daily Practice to Kickstart Your Creative Writing

Write Every Day

&ldquo;And what is this writing, anyway, as a human activity or as a vocation, or as a profession, or as a hack job, or perhaps even as an art, and why do so many people feel compelled to do it?&rdquo; - from On Writers and Writing, by Margaret AtwoodWriting for yourself is a wonderful way to explore personal creativity and whatever you want to write, a daily practice will enhance your skill and confidence.Write Every Day is a brilliantly accessible book that demystifies the process and will help you see new ways to put pen to paper and discover your own unique writing style. Divided into 12 sections that range across voice, narrative, plot, structure, point of view, characterisation, dialogue, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, prose and memoir, Harriet Griffey shows you how to let go of any inhibitions, overcome writers block and expand your writing potential.Featuring creative writing tasks to develop ideas and skills, quick and simple word play tasks, as well as practical exercises, journal reminders and other writer&rsquo;s tips and inspiring quotes, Write Every Day is an exciting way to unleash your inner wordsmith, kick-start your imagination and get you writing.

Harriet Griffey is a tutor at the Creative Writing Consultancy, and was previously a commissioning editor at George Allen &amp; Unwin and editorial director at Macdonald Publishers. She also leads and facilitates writersretreat.org, is an ex-publisher, published author and journalist, and has an MA in Modern and Contemporary Literature. 
Author of over 20 books, she has been published by Penguin, Bloomsbury, Pan Macmillan and Hardie Grant publishers. She is also editorial consultant to the literary magazine One Hand Clapping, columnist at In The Moment magazine and cultural editor at The Ecologist. 
As a print journalist she was written for all the UK national newspapers, and was a past book reviewer at the FT. As a broadcast journalist she has worked for both the BBC and LBC radio.

Improve Focus and Achieve More

I Want to Concentrate

To be able to concentrate is the key to better focus and achieving more, but in our 24/7 constantly switched-on environment, it&rsquo;s not always easy. 
 
A relentless barrage of external interruptions, combined with internal preoccupations, can make it increasingly difficult to concentrate.&#160;In I Want to Concentrate, Harriet Griffey examines why it&rsquo;s important and what gets in the way of our concentration, while offering practical information, pointers and ideas on how to regain control over the chattering monkeys in our heads and our lives.&#160; 
 
If you want to concentrate better and benefit from its positive affect on your work and personal life, I Want to Concentrate will help you get back into the habit, improving relationships and reducing stress along the way. 
 
&#160;

Harriet Griffey is a journalist and writer who writes extensively across the globe. She has published eighteen books, her most recent being I Want to be Creative.

Thinking, Living and Working More Creatively

I Want to be Creative

Whether you&#39;re a creative professional or an aspiring amateur, everyone can benefit from being more inventive in their daily lives. In I Want to be Creative, Harriet Griffey collates core ideas and exercises expressly devised to get your creative juices flowing. Creativity is an expression of yourself and the way in which you choose to live your life. You can express your creativity in all sorts of ways, from the way you dress to what you cook, to the books you read and the music you listen to. Being creative&#160;lets you explore what can be difficult to express, our emotions for example, perhaps through art, music or creative writing. Nourishing your creativity can also help you to think outside of the box when handling problems and finding solutions, allowing you see the world in more than one way. I Want to be Creative includes a range of simple and adventurous solutions, exercises for creating daily doodles, advice on how to break through the dreaded artist&#39;s block, free association exercises and tips and tricks to finding inspiration on your daily commute. Harriet Griffey provides a practical guide to promoting and maintaining a creative mind that will help you discover the power of imagination at work, home and play.

Harriet Griffey is a journalist and writer who writes extensively across the globe. She has published eighteen books, her most recent being: I Want to be Confident and I Want to be Happy. 
 &#160;

Everyday Exercises to Stretch and Strengthen Your Posture

Sit Strong

Our bodies are built for movement, but&#160;our modern lives mean that we spend much of our time in sedentary occupations, whether that&rsquo;s at our desks, commuting long distances by car or even just at home watching the television. Back aches, migraines, RSI and even digestion problems can all be caused or aggravated by long hours spent sitting. In&#160;Sit Strong, Harriet Griffey shows you what you can do to strengthen your body and improve flexibility to help counter the very real health risks caused by excessive sitting. Divided into five main&#160;areas &#160;&ndash; head and neck; shoulders and upper back; arms; lower back and bottom; and legs &ndash;&#160;each section provides a series of gentle, movement-based exercises, designed to target areas that can be badly affected. Illustrated throughout,&#160;these exercises can be easily combined and&#160;incorporated into a personalised routine and fitness plan. With advice on specialist help and alternative ways to stretch and strengthen,&#160;Sit Strong&#160;gives you everything you need to improve your overall health,&#160;posture and core strength. Start today and feel better immediately.

Former nurse, Harriet Griffey is a journalist and writer who writes extensively across the globe. She has published 18 books, her most recent being two in this series: I Want to be Happy&#160;and I&#160;Want to be Confident.&#160; 
 &#160;

How to Live a Happy Life

I Want to be Happy

In I Want to Be Happy, Harriet Griffey shows how everyone can achieve happiness, whatever their age, and whether or not they have been born with &lsquo;the cheerful gene&rsquo;. With chapters on wellness, mindfulness, health and fitness, Harriet covers the positive steps we can take to be happier in an accessible way.The book includes practical advice on breathing techniques, meditation and staying strong in difficult times. Harriet shows us that happiness is not just about relieving misery, counteracting stress or reducing anxiety: it&rsquo;s also about protecting emotional and physical health by interacting more positively with the lives we lead.&lsquo;Do anything, but let it produce joy...&rsquo; Walt Whitman

Harriet Griffey is a journalist and health editor living in London.

Living, Working and Communicating with Confidence

I Want to be Confident

&lsquo;Confidence is like a muscle: the more you use it, the stronger it gets.&rsquo; &ndash; Anon Confidence is a key asset in life - from presentations at work to first dates, there are so many situations where a little confidence goes a&#160;long way. With tips on job interviews, body language and making a great first impression, I Want to Be Confident contains straightforward, well-researched advice to improve anyone&rsquo;s confidence and self-esteem. Harriet Griffey identifies what it takes to improve confidence and offers practical tips on embracing our social and working lives and approaching our personal and professional relationships more positively, and in a way that authentically reflects who we are and what we want to achieve. In today&rsquo;s virtual, social networking world, there is a downside: online rather than personal interaction is creating a climate of social awkwardness and a lack of social confidence, particularly among young people. If we don&rsquo;t demonstrate our abilities or show our unique qualities, it&rsquo;s difficult to be confident about them. We need to practise to improve our confidence.

How to De-clutter, Manage Your Time & Get Things Done

I Want to Be Organised

A charming and practical guide on how to live a more organised life.How much time would you save if you didn&#39;t have to spend it looking for mislaid car keys or that school permission slip you should have signed? How much simpler and less stressful could life be, if only you were a little more organised?In I Want to Be Organised, Harriet Griffey shows how a few simple steps can help turn the most chaotic and dysfunctional amongst us into the serenely organised someone who never misses their grandmother&#39;s birthday, loses the dry-cleaning slip, or fails to plan a successful dinner party.This book is full of practical solutions, tips, and inspiration to help eliminate clutter, chaos, and stress and save both time and money in the process.

Harriet Griffey is a journalist and writer who writes extensively for publications across the globe. She has published sixteen books, her most recent being two in this series: I Want to Sleep and I Want to Be Calm.

How to Get a Good Night's Sleep

I Want to Sleep

With busy jobs, financial worries and more, it&rsquo;s no wonder many of us experience problems with sleep at some stage in our lives.In I Want to Sleep, Harriet Griffey helps you to understand, address and overcome sleep issues as she explores the roots of sleep problems and offers practical advice on dealing with them.Harriet starts with the basics and looks at what sleep is and why we need it, as well as circadian rhythms and cycles. She explores patterns of sleep for babies, teenagers and adults, and goes on to cover common sleep issues like shift work, jet lag and worry, as well as more intense problems like insomnia. She also offers tips on relaxation, naps and sleep hygiene.Offering guidance and solutions, from the mainstream to alternative, Harriet&rsquo;s helpful advice is presented in a beautifully illustrated book that you will find you love to dip in and out of as you discover how to get the perfect night&rsquo;s sleep.

Harriet Griffey is a London-based journalist and writer, and author of numerous books. She originally trained as a nurse, before moving into book publishing, and then becoming a freelance print and broadcast journalist. Today Harriet works as a writer and journalist, writing for many UK national newspapers, and she has published 14 books.

How to de-Stress

I Want to be Calm

With the stress and strains of modern life, it is increasingly difficult to be the peaceful and serene spirit that we all wish to be. In I Want to Be Calm, Harriet Griffey explores the issues we may face in our day-to-day lives that make us feel stressed, anxious, depressed or overwhelmed, and shares practical advice on how to overcome them. 
 
 Covering topics such as the worry cycle, managing emotions and mindful meditation, Harriet shows how to implement easy but effective approaches to find calm. She looks at how we can practice mindfulness at home and work, how to pursue better relationships and making mindful decisions like choosing peace and living in the moment, plus more. Beautifully illustrated throughout, I Want to Be Calm will still the mind and relax the body, bringing you peace and happiness.

In today&#39;s fast-paced life, there is a need more than ever to find ways to unwind and de-stress. I Want to Be Calm is a charming and practical guide to living a calmer, more peaceful and mindful life, offering easy and unintimidating ways to practice mindfulness.

Harriet Griffey

100 Writing Prompts to Kick-Start Your Creativity

Writing for yourself is a wonderful way to explore personal creativity &ndash;&#160;each of these 100 prompts&#160;will enhance your skill and confidence and get you closer to being the writer you want to become.Write Now&#160;is a brilliantly accessible book that demystifies the process and will help you see new ways to put pen to paper and discover your own unique writing style. Divided into 12 sections that range across voice, narrative, plot, structure, point of view, characterisation, dialogue, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, prose and memoir, Harriet Griffey shows you how to let go of any inhibitions, overcome writer&#39;s block and expand your writing potential. Featuring creative writing tasks to develop ideas and skills, quick and simple word play tasks, as well as practical exercises,&#160;Write Now is an exciting way to unleash your inner wordsmith, kick-start your imagination and get you writing.

Harriet Griffey

Books by Harriet Griffey

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