Healthy Living

The Best Medicine Lifestyle

Life balance choices signpost, with sunrise

The Best Medicine Lifestyle   What is the best medicine?   Many believe it is a good simple healthy balanced lifestyle!   If you get this right, then many physical and emotional difficulties are minimised! In fact, with most of my clients, before we even begin focusing on the specific problem they have, we make sure to do as much as possible to make sure their life is as balanced as possible (not perfect, but just in better balance).   The British Society of Lifestyle Medicine is a group of professionals that believe that Lifestyle medicine can improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and Read More

Counselling, Couple Therapy

Are you a Tiger or a Tortoise!

Couple Arguing

Are you a Tiger or a Tortoise!   In most couple relationships, there is often a tiger and a tortoise! Very rarely do I come across two tortoises but on occasion, there may be two tigers.   The partner who is ‘tiger-like’ tends to be the louder, noisier one who will get angry, shout, scream, nag, cling and blame when feeling hurt or upset. The partner who is more ‘tortoise-like’ tends to withdraw, go quiet, avoid talking and generally retreat when feeling hurt, upset or angry.   Sound familiar!?   When I explain about the tiger and tortoise this is normally received with smiles and knowing Read More

Healthy Living

Diet Mentality Doesn’t Work…But This Does!

focus

Diet Mentality Doesn’t Work…But This Does!   Where is your focus?   Diet Mentality vs Health Mentality   Unfortunately for many people who struggle with maintaining a healthy balanced weight, the focus is on dieting, losing weight & looking better. This can cause a lifetime of underlying dissatisfaction, anxiety, low mood and low self-esteem.   Many people with this ‘Diet Mentality’, focus most of their attention on what they do not like about themselves, how much they weigh and view foods as either good or bad. They may also try and focus their goal on losing weight by dieting and trying Read More

Mindfulness Meditation, Stress Management, Therapy

Don’t Give Up

Don't Give Up - like a shattered light bulb

  Much can be learnt from Thomas Edison, whose birthday it is today… We learn about never giving up and that ‘failure’ is part of the normal journey towards success. Thomas Edison’s teachers said he was “too stupid to learn anything.” He was fired from his first two jobs for being “non-productive.” As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison replied, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps!” Other famous people have also had difficult starts, overcome Read More

Counselling, Couple Therapy

Valentine’s Day: A Happy or Sad Day? (Free Give-Away)

valentine's day

  I hope Valentine’s Day is a happy day for you (& your partner or spouse if you are in a relationship)…but for many individuals and couples, it may not be. This is because…not everyone has a partner and even if you are in a relationship, it may not be as you wish it to be.   A few thoughts: It is normal for relationships to go through stages. The ‘Honeymoon Phase’ rarely lasts more than six months to 3 years. After this most couples encounter the very painful ‘Power Struggle’ Phase where there may be more arguments, withdrawal, less fun and feeling less Read More

Mindfulness Meditation, Stress Management

Do The Next Right Thing

Do the next right thing - signposts

  We all go off track…   I heard the following this week…” I worked so hard and was perfect on my eating plan and the scale is still up! This just isn’t worth it.”   This is normal and part of every journey.   A more helpful response is: “Even if I’ve adhered to my eating and exercise program, the scale won’t go down every week, let alone every day. Just keep doing what I’m doing- moving in the right direction towards good healthy choices as much as possible”.   Especially regarding health, well-being and maintaining a healthy weight…it is Read More

Mindfulness Meditation

Your Mind is Not Always Your Friend

Your Mind is Not Always Your Friend - says a blackboard

We all struggle to some extent with our thinking minds. As a fellow human being, I also struggle with managing my thoughts. Perhaps you have noticed that your mind… thinks a lot about the future, with many ‘what if’s’ or worst-case scenario thoughts can be quite self-critical, noticing and commenting on any mistakes or errors may have many ‘shoulds’ and ‘musts’, putting pressure on oneself to do more and more dwells & ruminates on upsetting things from the past …and the list goes on and on…   Ever noticed that your mind is not always your friend!   The good news is that this is normal (surprisingly) and that Read More

Healthy Living, Mindfulness Meditation

You Need To Do This Daily

You Need To Do This Daily - a heart-shaped earth

So, what is this one thing you need to do daily to be able to stay on track and continuously move in the direction of health and well-being? It’s not what you think…   It is BEING KIND TO YOURSELF! Not what you expected, right?   Most of us are very hard on ourselves and tend to notice more about what we get wrong rather than what we get right. This brings us down and when feeling down, we will find it harder to do what is good, right & healthy.   Give yourself a break! Regularly… How often? ALWAYS   Give yourself credit Read More

Counselling, Mindfulness Meditation

This is Real Listening!

listening

It is real work to be a good listener. Most of us don’t know what true deep listening is about. It’s called Generative Listening. Just knowing what Generative Listening can give you a new perspective about what is possible in your life and relationships. There are Four Levels of Listening:   Level 1: Habitual Listening where we are unable to hear anything that doesn’t agree with what we already think. We are trapped inside the world of our preconceived notions. Sometimes even on an unconscious level, we project the filter of our existing judgments.   Level 2: Factual listening is based on observing the world around us. It is receiving information Read More

Mindfulness Meditation, Stress Management

Make It Easy On Yourself And Defeat The Blues

defeat the blues

It’s now the last week of February and I am hoping you don’t look and feel like the image above! Some people find this time of the year difficult in that some of the good New Years’ intentions are perhaps proving difficult to keep up.   The following are a few tips to get back on track (or stay on track):   1. Go easy on yourself as it is normal to have ups and down’s on the journey forward. Being kind to oneself has been found to have tremendous benefits.   2. Give yourself credit for absolutely any achievements both big and small.   3. Beware of All-or-Nothing & Read More