How good are you at taking your own medicine? One of the curious quirks of being a life coach is how often I reflect back on client sessions and see lessons for myself that I need to pay attention to. Similarly, my blog musings generally are inspired by my current thinking or reading on some…
Do you suffer from ‘hardening of the oughteries’?
Now there is a phrase that made me stop and do a mental double-take: ‘hardening of the oughteries‘. I first heard the term when it was used by a client in relation to herself. We are familiar with what happens in our blood vessels when they fur up from a poor diet, and we end…
Gratitude practices…it does take practice.
How is your attitude of gratitude coming along? What gratitude practices are you cultivating? This is what I was musing on last time, along with not falling into the trap of Pollyanna-style toxic positivity. No one needs that. But like all practices, gratitude practices take…well, practice. I used to work as a physiotherapist (physical therapist).…
An attitude of gratitude
Have you read or seen Pollyanna? Or heard of the Pollyanna Principle? And what has this to do with cultivating an attitude of gratitude? Gratitude is a Good Thing. We know this, and there is masses of evidence to show the psychological and physiological benefits of gratitude. For instance, gratitude reduces stress and anxiety, improves…
Making room for better not busy
What are you noticing about how busy you are this week? And what that feels like? What might making room for better rather than busy mean for you? Last time I was musing about what it looks like to let go of busy. This is not necessarily about making huge changes to our lives to…
Letting go of busy
Chances are, if I ask you how you are this week, you might well answer with Busy. Busyness can be useful and is an important part of normal, 21st Century life. And letting go of busy is a hot topic these days. Sometimes we are able to accomplish more when we are busier. And life…
What is the true cost of holding a grudge?
Your stomach is all chewed up. Tension across your shoulders. Headaches. Disturbed sleep, disjointed and disturbed dreams. Chronic irritability and an inability to concentrate. Not a pretty list is it? For me, these are just some of the physical symptoms that come with holding a grudge. Someone wounds you, there is an injustice. It hurts. You…
It’s a brand new year….
It’s a brand new year, and a brand new you (as trumpeted to me by a big-brand advertiser)….. …new year’s resolutions…..changing/stopping/giving-things-up/starting-things…. Does this fill you with enthusiasm or horror? Sometimes the beginning of a brand new year can be overwhelming, with an assault on every aspect of our lives to reform – change – start…
How do we regulate our emotions (and not suppress them)
When we bury emotions, they do not go away. This is what I was musing on last time, inspired by the fabulous Disney Pixar Film Inside Out 2. Acknowledging, sitting with and accepting our emotions is really important. But – and this is the kicker – it can be uncomfortable at best and beyond deeply…
“We are suppressed emotions”
Emotions. There are a lot of them around at the moment, be they suppressed emotions or very out in the open. Last week, in Scotland, the school exam results came out. Emotions ranging from joy and excitement through relief and ambivalence to disappointment and anxiety are swirling around the country. This week sees the return…