In Search of Silver Linings…
In this article we’re looking at ways of finding the silver lining during difficult situations. This isn’t about excessive optimism, it’s about widening your lens, seeing the multiple and contradictory truths of a situation and stepping into other people’s shoes.
In Praise of Ordinary
Instead of trying to be special in relation to everyone else, why not join us in embracing and celebrating ordinariness. Instead of trying to be what you think other people want you to be, why not see what your unique ordinary might bring to the party. You might just discover a much more extra-ordinary way of living. One that celebrates average and everyday events and feels hugely grateful for the ordinary relationships and experiences which make up a life.
Whole Body Health
In this article we’re looking at health through a holistic lens, in order to shift the focus from body weight to a positive state. The aesthetic focus that dominates our understanding of health is undermining many other important factors, like our mental wellbeing. By stepping back and looking through a system lens, we’re transforming a 1-dimensional definition of health into a 4-dimensional, all-inclusive celebration of healthy living.
An Easter Ego…
Learning to live, lead and love with a healthy ego. Ego gets a bad rap. We are told to transcend the ego, release from ego, fight the ego. Yet, the majority of us don’t live on a mountain in the middle of the Himalayas where it might seem feasible to ‘starve the ego and feed the soul.’ We live in a world that incessantly provokes the ego. An ego that can protect and motivate us. As well as enrage and hijack us.
The Surprising benefits of being Surprised!
Is your life made up of lots of little surprises? If not why not!? Shake up expectation, spark up relationships and stay present and proactive by peppering your life with small and simple surprises. This isn’t about great big gestures, or lavish set-ups. In fact, the smaller and more regular the better, because when it comes to surprise, size doesn’t matter.
Baggage Reclaim
In this article we’re reclaiming our emotional baggage and learning how to handle it better. This isn’t about putting down all of our emotional baggage and throwing all of our issues over the floor: it’s about becoming aware of our emotional baggage, accepting that some of it will always be there and helping other people to reclaim and reconnect with their excess baggage too. Because our ‘baggage’ is what makes us human.
Naughty but Nice…
As adults, our understanding of what it means to ‘be good’ is likely to depend on the messages from childhood that we have internalised. And this definition of ‘good’ influences much more than our moral compass: it affects our day-to-day interactions with our co-workers, family and friends and also, with ourselves. So, what does ‘good’ mean? Compliant? Well-behaved? Talented? Successful? Top of class? Kind? Avoiding eating the doughnuts?! The list goes on….
Let’s get dreaming of Christmas connection. Not Christmas perfection.
Is striving for the ‘perfect’ Christmas leaving you feeling stressed?
If you answered ‘yes’ then you’re not alone. Research from the charity Mind revealed that one in ten people feel unable to cope at this time of year, a figure that increases to a third when we focus on people with ongoing mental health problems. Surprising given that this is supposed to be ‘the season to be jolly.’ But perhaps that’s exactly the problem. Are the social and cultural pressures to create a ‘Happy Christmas’ having the opposite effect?
Thanksgiving and Receiving
Many of us grew up being told that it’s nobler to give than it is to receive. But if everyone is busy giving, then who is going to be available to receive all of that good stuff? We need a receiver in order to give. And in order to properly ‘give thanks’- as the holiday’s namesake suggests- we must first open ourselves up to the vulnerable art of receiving.
Make friends with fear
Have you ever watched a horror movie or ridden a rollercoaster in order to recreate the experience of fear?
Well believe it or not, but we are doing this all the time. On a daily basis we are often unknowingly creating and living with the experience of fear, particularly in our professional lives. The great news is that fear isn’t fixed: we can change our response to fear by becoming conscious of the mechanisms behind the fear response.