Harriet explores the profound impact of mood and motivation, particularly during challenging times, drawing parallels between her journey of walking 900 miles and the emotional highs and lows faced in life and caring for those with dementia. Harriet reflects on her personal experiences, including the anniversary of her mother's passing, and emphasises the importance of small, meaningful moments in fostering resilience and joy. We hear from clinical psychologist Dr Lizzy Goad about setting up personalised support systems using Positive Behavioural Support (PBS), and from Michael Timmins from the charity Playlist for Life, which uses songs to connect people to their families and friends.

If you like what we are doing and want to support the Dementia Adventure Support Fund please donate

Dementia Adventure has been at the forefront of providing fully supported, small group short breaks for people living with dementia and their carers for 15 years. Our supported breaks offer more than just respite; they provide meaningful, purpose-driven experiences that significantly enhance the quality of life for both people living with dementia and their caregivers. 

The D Tour podcast is proudly sponsored by Macs Adventure

Macs Adventure specialise in self guided walking and cycling holidays for independent, active people who don't want to be part of the crowd or restricted by set dates and schedules.

You can listen to Harriet's playlist on Spotify. Each week she's adding songs to match her mood on her epic walk!

Harriet Thomas: 00:00:06

Just found the most musical gate ever.

So it's day 65 and I'm walking through the forests that line Loch Lomond. This is a particularly lovely walk. Oh, gosh. The air is very, very damp and humid here. There's a delicious smell. I'm not sure what that is.

Got oak trees, pine and lots of bracken. And the bracken, now it's what I'm calling tricolour bracken rather than the deep green bracken that I was seeing from Cornwall and onwards.

Now the autumn has really got to the bracken and some of it is this sort of pale brown and then you've got a goldy colour and then you've got the green. So that's why I'm calling it tricolour. It's really pretty.

Welcome to the detour, a special podcast series where I share my incredible journey, walking 900 miles from Land's End to John O'Groats to raise funds for Dementia Adventure. I'm Harriet Thomas and you can follow my adventures by visiting detour.UK. That's D-T-O-U-R -dot-UK.

pounds by texting DA five to: 70711

Max Adventure specialize in self guided walking and cycling holidays for independent, active people who don't want to be part of the crowd or restricted by set dates and schedules. They encourage you to go at your own pace whilst they support you with all of the routes and logistics for a worry free adventure.

As I approach the final stretch of my journey, I've had to dig deep to stay motivated. It's moments like these, when the distance seems overwhelming and the challenges pile up, that really test my resolve.

Walking 900 miles is no small feat and it mirrors the emotional highs and lows many of us face in our daily lives, whether we're dealing with dementia, caring or just the everyday hurdles that come our way. But staying motivated, finding that inner drive to push forward, can make all the difference.

Today, we'll explore how mood and motivation play such a crucial role in both this journey and in life itself, especially when times get tough.

I was getting a bit anxious about today's walk and tomorrow's walk, especially tomorrow's walk, because I couldn't find accommodation in the town that I wanted to stop.

So I've had to find accommodation in the previous town, which means I've got a ridiculously long day the next day, which I don't think I'm going to be able to do it something like 40 km or something, which is, I think it's 25 miles. I mean it's on the flat, I'm gonna give it a go. But what was funny was I realized I was getting very anxious about it.

Like, oh my God, what if I can't do it? And da da da. And I was thinking, what, literally, why.

Am I so anxious? I'm not in the middle of nowhere. So it's not exactly difficult. And I was trying to work out why I was panicking.

And it's, I think it's some very sort of deep seated, almost primal thing of not being able to get home, you know, not being able to get to your place of safety.

The only thing I could really think about was that because it's not logical, because it's simply a problem that needs to be sorted out and it can be sorted out pretty easily. Sometimes a bit of purposeful and proactive goal setting helps me to feel as if I'm back in control and reduce the creeping anxiety.

Today I've got my longest walk. It's 22 miles, which is the longest I've ever done. And I try to avoid such long walks because the cumulative effect is not great.

And I've had some sciatica attacks. I'm just trying to really do stretching every morning, every night to keep that at bay. So 22 miles is not ideal, but I'm gonna try.

So I'm approaching this walk very differently from most of my walks. Most of my walks I approach as a meander. So I kind of mooch along and I take loads of photos, loads of video, I do quite a lot of audio recording.

You know, I kind of really immerse myself in the walk. This walk, I'm actually setting myself miles targets by time.

So I want to do my first 5 miles by 9:30, my 2nd 5 miles by 12, my 3rd 5 miles by 2:30, my 4th 5 miles by 5. And then arrive at my venue between 5:30 and 6. That gives a bit of leeway.

So yeah, so I'm going to kind of slightly march on and I've got lots of audio books to the ready. And obviously I know that as the day wears on, I'm going to get tired, my legs get tired and I get slower.

So I'm going to try and use this beginning part of the walk to maybe beat my targets. We'll see how it goes.

But I just thought making a little game of it like that might sort of make it more possible, possibly make it easier and just focus on my mind, on the fact that I do need to cover these miles. And it's October now, so the, you know, the nights are drawing in a little bit, so I certainly don't want to be wandering around at 7:30 at night.

So that's my plan.

So now I've started breaking down my big goals into smaller, more manageable ones, something clinical psychologist Dr Lizzie Goad knows all about.

She specialises in positive behavioural support, or PBS, and explains how this approach can specifically help both people living with dementia and their carers. But honestly, the principle can be applied to any of us in various aspects of life.

It's especially useful for me right now as I seek proactive ways to support myself in the coming weeks, particularly with the sciatica setting in.

Dr. Lizzie Goad: 00:07:58

At the moment, I work with people with learning disabilities and neurodevelopmental conditions, many of whom have dementia. But recently I've also worked within psychiatric liaison in an acute general hospital.

So again, working with lots of older adults who have dementia who've come into the acute hospital settings, it is super important. So PBS stands for positive behavioural support and it's a framework that aims to provide holistic support for somebody with dementia.

Thinking about proactive support, but also when somebody's in a crisis and it's usually documented in an accessible plan, so it's easy to refer to for when the person who's caring for them is looking after them and trying to do that in the best possible way. So it's got four main components and we tend to break those down into four colours to make it easier.

So we have green, amber, red and blue, and you'll sometimes hear it referred to as a traffic light plan, just to make it a little bit more accessible. So just briefly to talk about each of those sections. So there's a green section, which is about proactive support.

So that's when somebody's at their baseline and we're putting the support in there for what do we need to do to help maintain their baseline? Help them have a really good quality of life. So lots of thinking about the person's values, how do we help them live by these day to day?

What are the things the person likes to do? What do they enjoy? So it's really about keeping the person well and thinking about them really holistically.

There's no right or wrong in terms of how you do it, but people tend to develop the plans in different ways, but I tend to develop that section into different sections.

So just making sure we're thinking about how we might communicate with that person well, what meaningful activities that they do, maintaining self esteem, all of those sorts of things. But it's also really good just if there are specific issues that person's struggling with, there's a section in there to think about how to manage those as well. So it might be that they struggle to stay asleep or that they have a tendency to wander around or forget the way home, whatever it happens to be.

So thinking about how do we prevent them from doing those things where we can.

So it's a super proactive section and it's a bigger section within the plan, because we're trying to keep people in this really calm, happy baseline prior to any escalation in distress they might experience. But obviously, sometimes people do escalate in terms of their level of distress.

So if that's the case, there's this amber section, and that's really about what happens when someone starts to get distressed, where we start to see some more challenging behaviours because of that. So we're breaking down here about what do we see when that person's starting to get distressed? What does it look like?

How do we know that person's getting away from their baseline and what do we need to do to bring them back down to that green section again?

And then, obviously, red is when a crisis has hit, so the person's likely to be very distressed and their behaviour might be escalating because of that. So we try to avoid people coming into the red by using this plan. That's the point of it. But sometimes, of course, it happens.

So this is just so that the person and carers know what to do in those circumstances. And then the last section is just the blue section, which is about when somebody's calmed, when they're calming down after being very distressed.

Often people have lots of difficult feelings at that time, so maybe feeling guilty or remorseful about whatever's happened or feeling quite sad.

So it's a really important strategy to have, if you've got dementia or if your caring for somebody with dementia, because it just helps hold in mind who that person really is, helps hold in mind their identity and their values, because otherwise, sometimes that can get a little bit lost in amongst the diagnosis. So it's really good at bringing that forward and making sure that that's the centre of caring to somebody in the right way.

And it helps people stay connected to people for longer. So we know that's very important for people with dementia.

So it really helps people stay connected with their community, with their families, with the people that are important to them for as long as we possibly can.

I think it's really important for the carers because it means that they have got a document there that when times are stressful, which sometimes they can be, of course, the thinking is already done, that plan is there. They can just refer to that. They know what's on it already.

They normally would have had input into it as well because they know that person really well. That helps them feel more confident in supporting that person in the right way and gives them sort of clear goals about how we support.

What are we aiming for here? I think we talked a little bit earlier about goals and having those goals there.

And we know that when we have goals, they in themselves are motivating factors. So I think a PBS plan is really helpful in that it helps remind people of what their aim or their goal is.

And particularly if you're caring for somebody, then knowing that you're working towards something that's important to them is motivating in itself. And it's obviously focused on supporting that person to live the best life that they possibly can in line with their values.

I think the values part is important in terms of motivation. So I'll try and explain why. When we think about motivation, sometimes we're motivated by something extrinsic.

So there might be a benefit to what we're doing, whether it's, you know, it could be financial, it could be food, and I'm very motivated by chocolate cake. So it might be something like that. And that's good.

You know, we know that extrinsic factors can be, can be helpful in motivating us, but they're not always available and often they're not enough for sustaining motivation over time.

So we also need that intrinsic motivation too, often when we're motivated intrinsically, we're wanting the things, we're motivated to be in line with our own internal values. What we know is that when somebody is following their own values, their motivation tends to last for a lot longer.

If they're not, if it's external, then generally, yeah, it's great for a little while, but it does tend to drop off again. So I think that's a good thing about a PBS plan, is that it is obviously values based.

It's got those clear, identifiable goals, but they should be based on somebody's values and they should also be step by step guides to get them to that goal. So rather than just having one great big goal at the end, as Harriet's got, hasn't she going on a very long journey?

If you were just to think about that in its kind of entirety, then that would probably not be too motivating because it's such a long way. Whilst kind of breaking down that goal into lots of tiny, tiny steps, whether it's mile by mile, is really important in helping to motivate people.

And it's actually really important to remember what our strengths are and to think back to what you have achieved.

And sometimes it's more helpful to think back to what you have achieved than to be thinking forward about all the things that you haven't yet achieved. But the key thing about that is thinking about what values and what characteristics that you have that have led you to the place you're at already.

So what have you used that's part of you to help you get through the challenges of life so far? Whether that is dementia or whether it's going on a really long journey.

Because if we can identify and focus in on what those are, and everybody has got these, they're all different, of course, but it might be that somebody is extremely determined or whatever it happens to be, everybody's got something that has been a really great characteristic in helping them to achieve. I do think it's also really important not to buy in too much with this idea of sort of toxic positivity.

So just knowing that it's okay to feel anxious and angry or a bit down sometimes as well, and just allowing yourself a little bit of time with those feelings, taking care of yourself whilst you have those feelings can be what's needed to actually allow yourself then to either pick yourself up and carry on, or just to be able to use those feelings intuitively to recognize what they're telling you. So they might be telling you that perhaps you need to do something a little bit differently in order to keep coping, keep going.

So emotions are actually really incredible in terms of communication tools. So it's really wise to listen to them sometimes. And it's all right not to feel positive all of the time.

Harriet Thomas: 00:16:40

It's so good to hear Lizzie's professional framework for overcoming challenges. I like the idea of having a structured approach to find ways to support ourselves, breaking down big challenges into smaller, achievable goals.

It helps to have something to turn to, like a traffic light system, especially when life feels too overwhelming to think straight. Right now, I'm literally taking it one step at a time, focusing on the small wins and using them to keep going.

But even then, especially when the effects of physical tiredness, loneliness or even boredom start to creep in, it can be tough. That's why it's so important to stop every now and then, not just to think about what lies ahead, but to reflect on how far you've already come.

And when I think back on the past year, well, a lot has happened.

Harriet Thomas: 00:17:44

So today, October 6, is the anniversary, the first anniversary of my mum's death. So I remember so vividly sitting around her bed with my two sisters, where we had been keeping a vigil over the past seven days and nights.

The moment itself was very remarkable, I think, because it was exactly midday.

And at the moment when my sister, my eldest sister turned to me and said, she's gone, my phone sprang into life with a song which was lean on me by Bill Withers. You know the one? Sometimes in our lives we are happy, we are happy, so. But if we are wise, we know that there's always tomorrow. Lean on me.

So where did that song come from? We don't know to this day. So, yeah, that's today. So at midday. Well, I think of mum a lot anyway, especially when I'm walking.

But at midday today, I will particularly remember the moment of her death and I'll remember my siblings, too, and remember how it was for us in that room and how it is for us now and how I want it to be for us going forward. So really, this is a great day, an opportunity to reflect, and I've got 19 miles to think about it.

Harriet Thomas: 00:20:14

If you've been listening regularly to this podcast, you'll know that a lot of my motivation for taking on this challenge comes from my mum, who lived with dementia for the last nine years of her life. Even when she couldn't talk, we could still share connection and joy by being outside, smelling the rosemary or listening to birdsong.

Those moments were such a gift for both of us.

That's why I wanted to work with Dementia Adventure and help them fundraise so that more families can have the chance to get outside, experience nature and feel the joy it can bring. I know this might sound like I'm simplifying things.

Not every day is easy when dementia is part of your life, whether you're the one with the condition or caring for somebody who is. But we have to find the tools in the toolbox that help us recharge our batteries and keep enjoyment, meaning and motivation in our lives.

Sue Hines and Ruth Thompson from Dementia Adventure have been regulars on the D Tour, and here they are again, offering their insights on how to manage mood and motivation.

Sue Hines: 00:21:34

And I think it's really key to understand that because we know that none of us go through life expecting to go on this journey of supporting somebody living with dementia or in fact, receiving that diagnosis ourselves. It's one of those things we see for somebody else, that's somebody else's life.

So actually, the impact when we suddenly find ourselves in a relationship and we're supporting somebody, whether that be a parent or a partner or a friend, is absolutely huge. And, you know, at that point of diagnosis, there's often those feelings of shock. We didn't expect that.

That feeling of, you know, not knowing where to get help, not knowing what helps out there, it's completely the unknown.

And as much as we have tons of, you know, advice and information which is there to help us, actually, when you're starting at the bottom of this, it can be a bit like being at the bottom of a really large mountain and not knowing which way to climb up. So, you know, I think for carers, we always acknowledge that for their mood and motivation levels, it's a really tough journey.

But I think what we also forget is that when we are trying to impact somebody else's mood and motivation levels, if we're doing that when ours are particularly low, it's almost virtually impossible, you know, how do you lift somebody else's mood when ours is exceedingly low? So I think what I've learned over the years is that, you know, thinking about our carers, what can they do?

Well, the NHS recommended socialising, eating well, making sure we've got enough rest. I think what's also key is the other thing they acknowledge is actually doing something for ourselves. As a carer, we often feel guilt.

We feel we shouldn't be doing that. We feel that, you know, we've got to always put this other person before our own needs.

But I would really encourage people to reach out and, you know, socialize, see your friends, do something for yourself, have a little bit of meaning and purpose for yourself, because without that, your emotional well being and your mood will absolutely start to dip.

People living with dementia, what can often happen is that recognition, the things they used to find easy, are now really quite challenging, that, you know, people often will point out what somebody can't do or make assumptions that they can't do things anymore.

And actually, with all of that and with the symptoms that dementia can display, all of that can be really hard to keep that mood and motivation lifted.

So providing meaning and purpose to somebody's day, even if it's something really small, can really, really help lift that mood and those motivation levels.

Ruth Thompson: 00:24:13

And I think also, so for a person with dementia, those brain changes can also mean that there's motivation difficulties, because that part of the brain isn't getting someone to start and get off the ground with something. I just want to go back. It's quite interesting.

You talked about just after that diagnosis and some of the emotions that can take place, both for the family member or the friend and also the person with dementia. And you mentioned words like shock, lots of information available, knowing where to go. And for some people, that can really galvanize, can't it?

And it can cause someone to have lots of motivation in the beginning, and then that motivation wane. For other people, it can freeze. People go into a freeze mode and can't get galvanized because it's just too much to cope with and too much to take on.

And I think one of the things listening to you taught there, Ruth, because it was really useful, was that our motivation isn't linear, is it? It will fluctuate over time depending on how much we can cope.

Whether you're a family carer, whether you're a friend, or whether you're a person with dementia, there will be moments when you feel, right, I can do this. I'm going to sort of be able to put on the fight and I'm going to be able to cope. And other times when that's not quite so positive.

So there's moments.

Ruth Thompson: 00:25:39

Absolutely.

And I think it's key to remember we all have good days, we all have bad days, and there's many chemical changes in the brain that make that happen for all of us, but particularly for people living with dementia.

And I think one of the things we are so passionate about at dementia adventure is that connection with getting in the outdoors and accessing what's out in our local communities. Because when we start to get out, we can really see those chemical changes in the brain.

And evidence and research suggest that, you know, the minute we start to step outside, there's hormone releases from our dopamine levels and our serotonin levels. They start to increase. Our cortisol levels will start to decrease. So that quite naturally helps to regulate our mood and motivation.

It quite naturally helps our brains, you know, lift our motivation and our mood levels when we start to do that. So, you know, there's lots and lots of things we can do that make us feel better. A lot of people connect with music.

You know, you'll hear people talk about a piece of music that makes them feel better or makes and feel like they can cope with a day, and that's brilliant. We absolutely advocate for that. As well, but equally something as simple as just, you know, feeling the sunshine on your face on a really, you know, things are really tricky. That can really make a difference.

That first spring day after a long winter, you know, those little things have real impact on the chemical change in the brain.

Ruth Thompson: 00:26:59

And sometimes it isn't all joyous, as we mentioned before, and so forth. Feeling that sun on your face or listening to the trees and the, and the leaves underfoot.

It's difficult to take the joy from it, but it's important to accept that as well. Be it part of our resilience, part of our well being, and part of our motivation is to recognise that life does get tough. There are times.

Ruth Thompson: 00:27:26

Absolutely. And you know what? It is okay to not be okay. A lot of work I do with carers is that acknowledgement it's okay not to be okay.

It is absolutely okay to ask for help, you know, and I'd always encourage people when, you know, we've got friends and family say, how can I help? And initially you get that influx of people, oh my God, that must be awful for you. What can I do? And that does start to wane off a little bit.

But actually, don't be afraid to go back to those people in your life. Because I know from personal experience, when you say, sure, I really need help with this, people are willing and wanting to do that.

People want to support and help. I think often we feel it's a failure to ask for help on this journey that we're all going through.

It absolutely isn't a failure because it is impossible to do that on our own.

Sue Hines: 00:28:15

I think that's so important, Ruth, to say, to go back to ask for help, because actually maybe the help isn't forthcoming because the person doesn't know how to. We're really good at. If I think of those expressions, oh, grin and bear it, you can do this stiff upper lip. We all fall into that trap.

That's how motivation should be, that it's about just get on and do it. And that's not motivation at all, is it? Motivation?

Ruth Thompson: 00:28:41

No, not at all. And I think it's really key to recognize, actually, sometimes we need to go down before we can go up.

Harriet Thomas: 00:28:48

Following on from what Ruth was saying there, I wanted to share some beautiful words from Lorraine, who's living with Alzheimer's. She speaks about recognising when she can't do something anymore and how she allows herself the time to mourn the loss of that ability.

But then she reminds herself that it's time to pick up and move forward. I think it's such a powerful approach. If we don't take a moment to acknowledge those low moods, they can become too overwhelming to manage.

But at the same time, we have to set a limit to that grief, to find a way to pick ourselves up and keep going. Sometimes that means asking for help. Or maybe it's something as simple as stepping outside to feel the sun on your face.

It's often the little things, not the grand gestures, that make the biggest difference.

Lorraine: 00:30:01

For me, as I said, because my, my dementia, my Alzheimer's is on a gradual decline, these things just come very, very natural.

Lorraine: 00:30:04

And I don't get upset about it.

Lorraine: 00:30:07

When something else changes.

Lorraine: 00:30:09

I realize and I think, hmm, that.

Lorraine: 00:30:13

Don't work anymore, does it? No, it doesn't work anymore.

Lorraine: 00:30:16

And I do have a few tears. Yes, I do have a few tears. And I think, right, you can have.

Lorraine: 00:30:23

Half hour booing and crying and all.

Lorraine: 00:30:25

This, and then that's it.

Lorraine: 00:30:27

You've got to get on with something because we can't. We can't afford to go down. And I do, and I allow myself to grieve for me and then that's it.

Lorraine: 00:30:41

And then it drains you.

Lorraine: 00:30:43

Yes, of course it drains you. But then it's.

Lorraine: 00:30:47

I potter, and get myself out of this.

Lorraine: 00:30:50

Or phone.

Lorraine: 00:30:51

Phone my daughter or a friend just to have a chat. And then the mood lifts.

Harriet Thomas: 00:30:59

And now seems like the perfect time to share my two song choices for this week.

Each week I pick music that connects me to this journey. And this week I've chosen a beautiful Bill Withers song, Lean On Me. The second song I'm going to choose also relates to my mum.

It's a Joan Byers song called There but for Fortune. So my mum was a politician and she was passionate about creating equality. Equality of opportunity, equality of housing, equality of medical care.

Equality was her big commitment. And this song there but for Fortune was one of her favourites. And it's one of my favourites too.

And it reminds me when I listen to it, not only of my mum, but of her belief that everybody deserves a chance and that you should never judge people. Because who knows what is their history? Who knows what is their story? Who knows what their start in life was? You don't know, so don't judge.

Give everyone a chance and work hard to create opportunity for everybody. So those are my two choices for this week and they're very much honouring my lovely mum, Susan Thomas.

You can find my playlist on a detour website at D Tour dot UK. That's D-T-O-U-R dot UK. And also on music for dementia radio at www dot M four D radio.com.

I'm actually getting some help with my playlist from the team at Dementia Adventure who are supporting me on this journey.

I can't wait to listen to it after I reach John O'Groats and reminisce about everything I've seen and done, the people I've met, the hills I've climbed, and even the bracken that I fought. Now I want to introduce you to Michael Timmons, the CEO of a national charity called Playlist for Life, based up here in Scotland.

They've been voted Scottish charity of the year and the idea behind their work is so simple, yet so incredibly effective, and here's why.

Michael Timmons: 00:33:25

The impact of personally meaningful music for people living with dementia is evidenced by well over two decades of scientific research. So it's more than just a nice thing to do. The research backs up.

So, yeah, it can improve moods, well being, it can help improve communication and connection, and it can reduce some of the most distressing symptoms of dementia that people might find challenging. So, anxiety and distress, and it can even reduce the need for medication, which is incredible.

And for other people, it can just give them a sense of comfort and bring a smile and bring a sense of joy to someone. So, yeah, we've seen all of these benefits and people in our own work over the last eleven years.

For people who maybe haven't spoken for six months, suddenly finding words again to communicate with their husband or their wife, I think that's because music is so special. It's the way it's, you know, wired and written in the brain.

It's like when you listen to a song that's personally meaningful, it's like a firework display of activity going off inside the brain, of connections been made and reaching parts of the brain and firing off memories and, yeah, and the emotions connected to those memories. So, in terms of when people can use it, it's really individual and it's up to each person.

I think that's the key thing about playlists, is they can be used at any time they're available. Once it's created, it can be used 24/7 or at the moments where a person needs it in particular.

So that could be if someone's finding particular activities more challenging than they used to, or parts of the day a bit more difficult, then they can use their playlist to make that easier. And that's what we're finding as people use it to manage their day to day life, essentially.

So if that's getting up in the morning or heading outside to go somewhere, listening to your music before that thing that you've got to do can help relax you, can help reduce anxiety, help you feel more connected with the world around you.

So we have over 240 publicly available playlists, and they cover genre identities, to places, to countries, to regions, to different languages and religions, and everything from a playlist associated with the Greek Orthodox Church, which was created by a priest, to the songs associated with Manchester United Football Club. And as part of those playlists, we also have the top hundred songs from the last hundred years.

So there's something that we promote called the memory bump. And this is.

Psychologists have found that the most potent period for memories is between the ages of ten and 30, particularly those kind of later teens to early twenties. When you're falling in and out of love and all sorts of, you know, chaos, you have these really strong memories.

in: 1970

So, yeah, it's a great resource and it's just an enjoyable thing to browse. A number of the playlists have been curated by people from those different identity groups or backgrounds. So that's particularly useful.

Yeah, you can feel as if it's a resource where people are helping other people. So it's lovely.

A great place to start when you're thinking about creating a playlist for yourself or a loved one is thinking about the songs that are important to them. You know, a good starting point is always, do they have a favourite musician or a favourite artist? And then starting there, but recognizing that it goes beyond that as well. So, you know, for instance, I love Bob Dylan, but I wouldn't want every single Bob Dylan song on my playlist.

There might only be one or two that remind me of, you know, my dad or learning the guitar when I was younger. So. But that's a good starting point.

But then beyond that, we have some resources that you can use to get started and one of the best ones as a conversation starter. And this just asks you or your loved ten questions. And as a result, you'll end up with ten songs.

So it can be questions like, think of a song that reminds you of your youth, or think of a song that reminds you of a special holiday, or the first dance at your wedding if you're married, or a special occasion, or a tv theme that you enjoyed when you were younger. So by the end of that process, you'll have a great starting point of songs to get started with. And then also the memory bump, which I've mentioned.

in: 1970

And then the other angle is inheritance tunes and tracks, the songs you inherit from your loved ones. If you're making a playlist for your loved one, is there a song that you share together? Is there a song that reminds you of them?

And therefore will that remind them of you? There's lots of ways to get started.

The other thing to mention is we have a playlist making tool on our website, which you answer a few questions and it generates the playlist for you. And it can, it sends a link over to you to listen to. It might not be perfect again. It's getting that starting point.

As soon as you start to listen and see the reactions and feel, see how the songs make you feel, you can fine tune your playlist over time. Yeah, tv themes, radio themes, even birdsong for some people that spend a lot of time outdoors, and that's an important part of their life.

So, yes, it's thinking about it differently as well.

Harriet Thomas: 00:39:44

I've just entered a plantation of pine trees. I don't know if they're scots pines, pine trees anyway, and they must be at least 100 foot tall. They're these great tall, tall, slender trees.

And all the greenery is right at the top.

So as I'm walking along the path, if I just look left and right, I just see these dark brown trunks with kind of dead branches sticking out all the way up. And then the greenery just right at the top, you can probably hear the wind just blowing the tops of the trees there.

The ground is a thick layer of pine needles that I'm sure has just grown year over year over year. And it's probably the most amazing mulch or compost now. But to walk on, it's just lovely and soft and it's very quiet.

It's just that whoosh right up high of the wind touching the top of these great trees. And they're very, very thin. And so when I look up, I can see just the tops really swaying in the wind.

And it's not that windy out there and making this noise, a bit like the sea. When you hear the sea from a distance, a lovely sort of whoosh, like a great big wave sort of moving through the tops of the trees.

And the ground is also covered where the trees are with a very, very bright green moss and a few bright green bracken fronds. And it is a little bit like walking to a cathedral. It has that kind of hush about it. Like, you should be silent.

So I feel like I almost shouldn't be recording this now, but I just felt I really wanted to because it's so special. There is again, another wave of wind passing through the tops of the trees.

Harriet Thomas: 00:43:00

I wish everyone could, okay, maybe everyone hasn't got the time to walk or the inclination to walk from Land's End to John O'Groats. But I know, I absolutely know that walking every day does boost your mood. Gets you healthy.

Harriet Thomas: 00:43:04

Reverses the bad effects of our sedentary lifestyle. And it's so easy. And I would love everybody to take that on, just to go for a daily walk.

And I know what it's like when you're busy, but even if it's ten minutes, it's better than nothing.

Harriet Thomas: 00:43:24

And if you can do it every single day, honestly, you build up your fitness and you see the wonders of the natural world, even if it's simply in your local park. These very simple sources of health and joy are literally right outside our door. And, I don't know.

Harriet Thomas: 00:43:55

You know, I do watch tv sometimes, but I basically think that there's no Netflix series in the world that could be standing here right now. Literally nothing could beat this. It's so amazing. And there's no fancy meal or winning the jackpot. I have won the jackpot. I'm standing here.

That is the jackpot.

Harriet Thomas: 00:44:22

So that's it from me for this week.

As I walk across the country reflecting on my own journey and my mum, I'm constantly reminded of how small, meaningful moments, a song, a view or a memory can change everything. In the next episode, I'm so excited to get going on the West Highland way.

It's Scotland's most famous long distance trail, stretching 96 miles from Milngavie near Glasgow to Fort William. I'll be trekking through some of the highlands most stunning landscapes, tranquil lochs, lush glens, towering mountains and rushing rivers.

Macs adventure, our main sponsor, knows this route inside out and I'm thrilled to be walking with their support. Whether you're up for a challenge or seeking a more relaxed journey, this trail has something for everyone.

From the bonny banks of Loch Lomond to the shadow of Ben Nevis. It's truly a bucket list experience. I warn you in advance, there might be a lot of awe and wonder in my descriptions next week.

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to: 70711

Macs Adventure specialize in self guided walking and cycling holidays for independent, active people who don't want to be part of the crowd or restricted by set dates and schedules. They encourage you to go at your own pace whilst they support you with all of the routes and logistics for a worry free adventure.