Catch up with the latest
Have you noticed that sometimes you can be a different person in certain situations or with different people? Some friends you might laugh with continually, others you could have deep, meaningful conversations about the purpose of life. Other people can rub you up the wrong way for no apparent reason - they trigger you just by being in the same room as you!
Most therapists that I know - and I know a lot of therapists! - go through a phase of not wanting to charge for the work that they do, or not charging enough. We want to give the work away. Usually because it feels like a gift being able to help people.
I used to go through a six monthly cycle of thinking I should give it all up and go and work in a supermarket..
Most therapists have had a painful journey to get to where they are…
If 2020 has shown us anything, it is that life is unpredictable.
The pandemic has affected the whole planet in one way or another. On a personal level, it will probably have triggered your core beliefs. You may have found that some of these beliefs are uncomfortable, upsetting or even devastating. You might feel that you need to help with one or more aspects of your life.
As you may have seen in my last blog, I’ve been thinking and talking a lot about the Lockdown Legacy. So much has changed in the last few months. It’s almost felt like waking up in an alternate Universe at times!
Time itself seems to have warped.
I have had a lot of conversations about what we want to be different on the other side of all of this. The world will be a different place, there’s no doubt about that. We will be dealing with the fall out of this life-changing experience for a very long time…
What Is Your Lockdown Legacy Going To Be?
We all know that life is very different right now and have no idea what the future holds. As we ride this wave of uncertainty, you may be noticing changes.
There is the global story of the virus and it’s impact and every individual has their own reaction too. What’s been coming up for you?
Some people are getting restless and fed up, others more anxious and worried.
In this time of restriction and confinement, you will probably be feeling all of your deepest fears….
‘God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference’ - Reinhold Niebuhr
I love this quote. There is so much that feels impossible to change in the world, where do you even start to know the difference?
You don’t have to go far to find something that triggers your stress. Just the opening jingle of the evening news can be enough to set you off! We all know that we live in a stressful world and we need to be more relaxed and ‘mindful’. But how do we do that and does it really work?
When I’ve introduced people to EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), their first question is often: “Does it help with…..“ fill in the blank: phobias/pain/anxiety/my sister’s stress/my daughter’s anxiety/whatever it is that they are experiencing” The short is answer is: ‘Yes’. EFT can help with everything and anything because whatever you are going through, you will be having an emotional response to it, and that is where you start. EFT is based on the concept that the emotion is felt, acknowledged and released.
I was on my Counselling Skills Course when I first learned about mind traps. It was one of those amazing light bulb moments where everything changes. I wish I had been taught them at school!
What is a Mind Trap?
A mind trap is a way of thinking. The subconscious works in repeating patterns and learns ways of thinking and behaving from other people and past experiences. Some of these are well established and have names and processes that I am going to share with you in this blog.
“Am I stopping myself from getting what I want?”
I’ve had several conversations recently about negative thoughts and the impact they have on your life and experiences. One client was saying how much she was worrying about not thinking positively the whole time and that that would mean she was ruining all her plans.
There is so much on social media about thinking positively and getting out there. These perfect lives and achievements that seem to come so easily to everyone else..
If you’ve ever had a pet dog, you will know what it’s like. My Digger was an absolute gift to the world and to us. He was an angel in dog form, a gorgeous black Lab that we rescued when he was 9 months old. He was the equivalent of a boisterous teenager at the time. He chewed everything, he zoomed around the place; he was, frankly, exhausting!