helping
Best 5 Resilience Resources in Times of Uncertainty
Resilience Resources A wealth of resilience resources were created in the first few weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown. I thought you might appreciate having some of the best in one place. Although they were created for lockdown and Covid-19 times, almost all of them are useful in any difficult times. 1. Use your natural strengths–VIA…
Read MoreCaring for Elderly Parents: A Source of Conflict?
Caring for elderly parents may bring a family together or tear them apart. As life expectancy grows, people in their 60s and 70s are still caring for parents, despite their own declining health. People work for much longer now, often providing childcare for their grandchildren. Tiredness, ill health and family arguments add to the stress.…
Read MoreMagic Potion to Banish the Blues
It was a dreary day and had started badly. One of my colleagues at work seemed to find fault with everything I did. Then we ran out of milk. I wished I had a reset button for the day or a magic potion to banish the blues. But there was a lot to do and…
Read MoreHow to get back up when you’ve been knocked down
However well we plan, life has a habit of throwing unexpected curve balls. We can’t stop getting knocked down, but we can get back up. We can’t make a brand new start, but we can start now and make a brand new ending. What we do that doesn’t help What do we do when we’re…
Read MoreHow random acts of kindness light up everyone’s life
Random acts of kindness may seem an eccentric and inefficient way of making the world a better place. Yet research shows that as well as cheering up the recipients, the givers benefit even more. The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer someone else up. – Mark Twain What are “random…
Read MoreImperfection: Beauty in the process
Imperfection everywhere The more you look, the more imperfection you see. The sun shining through the window can lift your spirits or make you see they need to be cleaned. Our urge to make things better is good, isn’t it? We all want a perfect world, and if it wasn’t for all those other people…
Read MoreOver-committed and struggling with self-compassion? 3 different solutions
I thought this would be a quiet week. I would get caught up with reading and have time to spend sorting out my new website. Then, a flurry of requests from friends, relatives, colleagues, and students. I felt unappreciated and overcommitted,unable to have self-compassion. This is a common issue, particularly for people with elderly relatives,…
Read MoreWhen Friends Argue Should You Get Involved?
When colleagues or friends argue, what do you do? Suddenly you have to watch your step–walking on eggshells, or in the worst case scenarios, it feels like negotiating a minefield. So what do you do? Are you a dashing deer, a terrified tortoise, a tolerant teddy or fix it fox? There is a better way! First,…
Read MoreSticking your neck out
Thinking about sticking your neck out and changing things? Feeling reluctant and a bit ashamed of being scared? Don’t be. Humans naturally resist change. Evolution hardwired us to be wary when our surroundings are different. This instinct has meant humanity has survived. Yet sometimes, sticking your neck out is the only way to move forward. We…
Read MoreMoving Out and Moving On: Tips for Parents
The temperature’s rising, the pollen count is high and exams are stressing parents and students. Lurking under the surface is the knowledge that life is going to change dramatically after exams. People expect everyone to welcome moving out and moving on. So no one wants to mention fears or problems. Everyone puts on a relentlessly positive…
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