For those of us who have suffered abuse or trauma, being in the present moment can be especially hard to achieve. This is because we have impaired concentration and can be easily distracted: we frequently find ourselves simply staring at the wall! The Chinese call this "kòng bái ding zhe", or "white space staring”. But [...]

Animals rule, OKAY! They are the best anti-depressant, and stress relief. Whether you have a cat, dog, rabbit or guinea pig, have you ever enjoyed dancing with them? And you can select the mood simply by picking the right tune for the sort of atmosphere you want to set. Remember, animals may be non-verbal but [...]

Method: 1: Gather up your beloved companion with the assistance of a yummy treat (tip: chicken works brilliantly with my puppy, and those vegan readers will be thrilled to know that plant-based “pigs ears” are widely available). If you don’t have a pet of your own, visit a friend or family member who does. 2: [...]

Are you like me, have you got too much on your plate? Do you suffer with what I call 'constipation of the mind'? It is tough going when we’re trying to deal with grieving, keeping the wolves from the door, coping with family rifts and other emotional or physical pain. In my case, I am [...]

This month marks the heart wrenching anniversary of losing my brother and a daughter, both of whom passed on the same date. If I wasn’t feeling bad enough, I’ve now just lost my rock! I am telling you this because I’m an ordinary person like you. However much I cry, however devastated and empty I [...]

I don’t like tomatoes… or I never used to like them as a child. Yet actually, when I first gave this thought, and it was probably in the eighties when pizzerias became popular in the UK, I realised that I like tomatoes in some forms. When I gave this further consideration, I recalled that as [...]

We all have aspects of our personalities that frustrate us. They could be considered as faults or idiosyncrasies, or simply habits we wish to change. But habits are extremely hard to combat, especially as many of them are hard-wired into us, often because we’ve spent considerable years practising them. Perhaps we’ve not given conscious thought [...]

None of us are immune to suicide. Suicidal thoughts can sadly affect any age, gender, class, sexuality, occupation, race, monetary standing. The excellent courses run by Grassroots charity https://www.prevent-suicide.org.uk teach techniques to prevent suicide. They advocate speaking out and listening: to ask directly, anyone you may be worried about, whether they are experiencing suicidal thoughts. [...]

Now that you have reflected on your needs, hopefully you’ll feel more refreshed. Here are ten tips on how to get organised: 1: Continue de-cluttering your home until you know where everything is and you've managed to clear out some unwanted items. 2: Allocate a place for everything, from your keys to your passport, to [...]

Hopefully, my last few blogs have helped you to start to get to know yourselves better, to consider your aspirations, and to remind you of all the wonderful things which make you a unique human being... But of course, and especially at this time of year, some of you could be distracted by money worries, [...]