S1 Episode #14 💛 Keep Calm and...Embrace this Epic Pause, says PR boss and Mr Showbiz Dean Piper [15-min listen]
“So many aspects of our lives in 2020 needed adjusting. This experience has invited all of us to scale back the bullshit and realise that we actually work really well without all that ‘stuff’ and those meetings and hangovers.”
-Dean Piper
Pic: Hannah Young
Today’s guest is Dean Piper who, as a former showbiz editor and now the owner of PR and talent agency Beak Communications, usually has a packed diary spending time travelling and entertaining as well as running and attending events, launches and shoots with celebrity clients.
I invited Dean onto the podcast because I was really intrigued as to how another super sociable being was handling lockdown life. He and I both also made some major mindset shifts and ultimately lifestyle changes after separate visits to the holistic fitness retreat The Body Camp and I loved a post that he shared in lockdown week three about the glass being half-full for him, and some of the surprising Body Camp-esque benefits he was enjoying as a result of this enforced simplification of life, including; being able to cook from scratch (without rushing) for every meal and only eating a tiny amount of processed foods, not getting to the end of the week and wanting to drink a vat of vodka and go out until 5am, being able to engage with full eye contact in conversations, a new respect for our freedom, and having the time to spend reading books, being creative and feeling calm.
In today’s conversation Dean recommends:
spreading positive energy
looking at which parts of our 2020 lives may have needed some adjustments
channelling The Good Life and embracing the mindfulness and thoughtfulness that comes with this kind of simple life
seizing and cherishing this moment of togetherness and quietude because it won’t happen again
cultivating some kind of meditation practice (he rates the Calm app)
keeping up routine and regular exercise (outside where possible)
listen to inspiring and positive podcasts (he recommends Russell Brand on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place // Mo Gawdat on Elizabeth Day’s How to Fail // Alain de Botton on Elizabeth Day’s How to Fail)
finding the sun, and getting outside for sunrise/sunset wherever possible
avoiding the social media vortex and the toxic comparison game that inevitably comes with it
DEAN’S GLASS HALF-FULL FACEBOOK POST
“Today’s post is about finding the ‘glass half full’ within lockdown.
At first, I couldn’t get my head around losing control of life. My career, my plans, my travel etc.
Reflecting after close to three weeks of all this I’m in a strange position. I’m really rather happy with life in lockdown.
Obviously, there is a huge amount of suffering in the world right now. People are dying, people are struggling financially and generally this is going to hit us hard on every level of life. Probably later down the line as far as the economy is concerned. People are being tested to the limits and together we will get through it. But I’m thinking there’s so much to be gained from what’s happening too.
Our pre-lockdown lives were whizzing by at a gazillion miles an hour. Our diaries were rammed, we were continually pulled from pillar to post and we could barely cope with the pressure from every aspect of life. Social media and continual lifestyle comparison is one of the main issues for that.
But with this post I wanted to write about a few things that are bringing me joy right now. Our lives have slowed down and simplified beyond our wildest dreams.
Lockdown can be used as a time to find the positives in life. So here are some of mine…
I’m able to cook from scratch (without rushing) for every meal.
I’m only eating a tiny amount of processed foods.
I’m not getting to the end of the week and wanting to drink a vat of vodka and get in at 5am.
I’m able to engage with full eye contact in conversations.
I’m talking to people I’ve drifted from over the past couple of years.
I’m respecting my freedom.
I’m reading books.
I’m being creative.
I’m really appreciating an hour of exercise a day.
I’m not being overwhelmed by the sense of urgency to all aspects of life.
I’m doing jobs at home I said I’d do years ago.
I’ve found a calm sense of clarity.
Feel positive if you can in these trying times. We will get through this and meet again. Just enjoy this epic pause on the silliness of life in 2020 and don’t waste an opportunity that might never come around again.
Laters, I’m off to chant to a Buddha.”
DETAILS
Check out Dean interviewing some of his celebrity friends on The Body Camp’s Instagram account throughout the week
ABOUT THE KEEP CALM SERIES - March/April 2020
The Keep Calm, Stay Well series is a collection of bite-sized podcasts from Shelf Help featuring our favourite authors and experts sharing their wellbeing strategies, and designed to help us all find some calm amongst the Coronoavirus chaos.
We want Shelf Help to be a resource to help you guys stay calm, positive and present in these challenging times and so are asking the experts how they are staying well mentally, physically and spiritually.
We’re turning around these interviews pretty quickly from our lo-fi barn in Norfolk BUT these conversations are pure HIGH vibes and packed with useful and inspiring information (and the tech is improving daily so we really appreciate your patience so far).
💛