I’ve long been a fan of Maya Angelou, the great American poet, memoir writer and civil rights activist. Her book, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, is very special. Today we’re going to spend some time with the incomparable Maya Angelou. Alongside her many gifts, she also left us some thought-provoking and inspiring quotes. I’d like…
How do you view the past, the present and the future? There is so much to be said about all three of these things. For today, here are my brief thoughts in a fridge magnet.
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.”Dieter F. Uchtdorf I had to write this post today to share a brilliant Ted Talk with you on resilience. Resilience – the capacity to recover from, or cope with, difficult life events – is vital for us to get…
This is just a quick post to mention the latest research on the value of nature for our physical and mental health. The research shows that getting out into nature can positively affect our immune system – among others things – and protect us from a number of different diseases, such as: depression, cardiovascular disease,…
Today we’re looking at the topic of happiness and some of the excellent books which are available which can help us find happiness in our own lives. A friend of mine, Paul, who is the creator of the excellent blog Learning From Dogs, is currently writing a book. He’s about to research and write on the…
Introduction We live in times where many people want their emotional pain and sadness taken away from them. They either want someone else to do this for them or they want to do it for themselves. Self-help books are full of quick-fixes to be happy, to cast aside negativity and to live positively. We all…
If you’ve ever wondered what codependency is, whether or not you could be involved in a codependent relationship and what to do about this, then you may find my recent article of interest. Please click on the link below to understand a little more about codependency: We often hear the word ‘codependency’ in relation to…
I wonder if you struggle to part with things or if you have a problem with hoarding? The article highlighted today offers help for anyone who is a hoarder and also offers support for their loved ones. It looks at why people hoard and what treatments are available to help those suffering from this anxiety…
How important is a child’s voice? Today, from my window, I saw a child walking to school with his mother. I’ve seen them before. He is straining to look all around him, wearing his little backpack, tugging at her to gain attention, and she is wrapped up looking at her mobile phone as she hurries…
Well, it’s good to be back here posting again and thanks so much for all your great support while I was away. I thought with my first piece back I’d talk a little about feeling overwhelmed. I know it’s something that I experience and I’m sure that many of you do too. We all have…
We all know that being a good listener is vital if we want to have valuable friendships and successful personal relationships. With this in mind, I thought you might enjoy my latest article which looks at some important listening skills which we can all benefit from adopting: When we have problems or difficulties which we…
Living with high levels of stress is becoming, more often than not, our default position. With such busy lives and increasing responsibilities it can often seem impossible to effectively manage our stress levels. Knowing that many people cannot simply offload tasks from their day and engage in excellent stress management options, I wrote the following…
We all know the famous proverb ‘Actions speak louder than words,’ but it’s surprising how often we all disregard it. Throughout our day and our lives we are constantly trying to make sense of the world, make sense of people and understand what is going on around us. Our main line of attack and defence…
Perfectionists have created many of our great works of art. Perfectionists are also at the heart of many of our scientific and technological discoveries. Perfectionists also show continued and extraordinary dedication to their tasks. But many pay a high price for their perfectionism. Does this have to be the case? We know that perfectionism can be…
Every day, most of us are doing things for ourselves and for others. Often unrecognised things. Things which keep our lives running smoothly. The childrens’ washing, a morning cup of tea for a loved one, a smile, opening a door, working and paying bills, shopping, loading the dishwasher, and so on. All of these things,…