Sunday, 13 December 2020 15:03

Creatures of Habit

2020, a year that will never be forgotten due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, has been a challenging year for everyone. It was certainly not the year that any of us expected and it is for this very reason – that it was so unexpected - that many of us have struggled.

When there are discrepancies between our expectations and reality, all sorts of distress signals go off in our brains. It doesn’t matter if it’s an annual holiday ritual or a more mundane daily habit like how you clean your teeth; if you can’t do it the way you normally do it, you’re biologically engineered to get upset. We really are creatures of habit.

Published in My Articles
Sunday, 19 April 2020 21:13

Circles of Control

"Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.
Some things are up to us and some things are not up to us.
Our opinions are up to us, and our impulses, desires, aversions—in short, whatever is our own doing. Our bodies are not up to us, nor are our possessions, our reputations, or our public offices, or, that is, whatever is not our own doing.”
~ Epictetus ~
(Greek Stoic philosopher - 55 – 135 AD)

Published in My Articles
Sunday, 26 January 2020 15:02

The Wellbeing Wheel

The Wellbeing Wheel is based on Systems Theory and is a useful tool to help us think about life in a circular way rather than a linear way.

The Wellbeing Wheel breaks our lives into eight different aspects, elements or categories and helps us to see that all the parts of our lives are linked to each other. When we plot our wellbeing on the wheel we can see at a glance which aspects we are paying attention to and which aspects we are not paying attention to, or neglecting in our lives.

Published in My Articles
Friday, 08 August 2014 00:00

Living in the Now

The concept of ‘living in the now’ or ‘being in the present’ has its roots in Eastern philosophies, but has gained popularity in mainstream western thinking in recent years because of the writings of people such as Eckhart Tolle, Jon Kabat-zinn and many others.

The increasing popularity of the concept – also referred to as ‘mindfulness’ – has quickly promoted its status from an esoteric concept to an abundantly used ‘power-phrase’ in the area of ‘self-help’. Many people are still confused by the concept and don’t fully understand it. So what does ‘living in the now’ actually mean and why and how should introduce it into our lives?

Published in My Articles
Monday, 02 June 2014 00:00

Resilience: The Bounce Back Factor!

The term ‘resilience’ was brought to our attention in the ‘70s and ‘80s when the first research findings on resilience were published in the health fields.

Recently, however, resilience has become a fashionable buzz word. It is often bandied about without any real thought to its impact or meaning. We are all supposed to be striving to be more resilient. But what exactly does this mean, what do we do with it and how do we get it?

Published in My Articles
Friday, 17 May 2013 00:00

Love to Laugh, Laugh to Live

It seems that there really is more than a little truth in the old adage 'laughter is the best medicine'. Scientific studies around the world are continuing to prove that, apart from making us feel good, laughing actually does us good as well – and can actually significantly increase our life span. Pre-school children laugh or smile between 300 and 400 times a day. By the age of 35, this drops to about 18 times. Why have we lost our sense of humour, and what can we do to put more laughter into our lives?

Published in My Articles
Saturday, 01 October 2011 00:00

Rebound From Rejection

Article as it appeared in Weigh-Less magazine. By Natasha Liviero

An unwelcomed fixture on the life circuit, rejection affects everyone in some way or form. From friends rebuffing issues close to our hearts, to lovers ending relationships and bosses declining deserved promotions ... life often draws more rejection than acceptance!

Published in Magazines
Sunday, 01 June 2003 14:42

Assert Yourself at Work

Article as it appeared in Woman's Value magazine. By Lee Curry

Confident people find the working situation easier, and experience greater success. If you want to enjoy the benefits of being confident at work, then this is a useful article to read.

Practical, do-able advice which anyone can apply to their own life – with positive, tangible results.

Published in Magazines