So picture this … Yesterday morning, I was sitting with a client, talking about some of the things, both big and small, which get her down. She talked about how, working from home nowadays, she feels like she should be doing more on her breaks … she should be cleaning the bathroom, preparing for dinner, putting a load of washing on, or moving it to the washing line.
Read moreSome Points about Anxiety
One of the things that I often explore with people in my private practice, is the whole topic of anxiety; the different ways in which it shows up for people, and also, how it might be managed more effectively. Of course it's not surprising that it appears regularly in my counselling room, when just a quick glance at Beyond Blue tells us that every year two million Australians suffer from anxiety.
Read moreWhat is Disenfranchised Grief
One of the things that I often see in my practice as a counsellor, is that there is a lot of grief out there, which goes unacknowledged. Of course I'm going to say that — to acknowledge grief is one of my life's passions. Fortunately however, I'm not the first, and I'm certainly not alone in noticing it.
Read moreThe Challenge of Anxiety
As this weekend draws to a close, I find myself noticing that there seems to be a lot of anxiety around at the minute, related to upcoming events.
Read moreExperimenting with Gratitude Journaling
A few weeks ago, I was at the end of a long training course in Sydney, when the topic of Gratitude Journaling came up. Now everyone will probably have heard of this concept; it comes in many forms, but the idea is generally that you take notice of things that have made you grateful, each and every day.
Read moreLife is Difficult
I often talk about how sometimes the steps that we think will be big, can sometimes not be as hard to take as we first thought, and how then the challenge becomes "How do I take the next step?”
Read moreSmall Steps
Sometimes it’s the small steps that we need to take, which are just as important in moving us closer to our dreams, as are those big leaps which are often a part of them too.
Read more6 Funny Things about Life with an Assistance Animal
Many of you will know through meeting me, either professionally or personally, that I negotiate most places with an assistance animal, or specifically a Guide Dog.
Well some of my blog topics are on the serious side I know; so this time I wanted to share with you another aspect of my life, and at the same time maybe make you laugh with me, at some of the funny things that happen as I navigate the world with one of my dogs.
Read more6 Things to Do When a Friend Is Diagnosed
When we hear the words breast cancer or MS, brain tumour or melanoma, I think it's true they can strike fear into our hearts. When it's one of our nearest and dearest, the news can be crippling.
We are suddenly searching for the right words to say, wondering what it is going to mean for them and their once so easily imagined future, but also wondering what it's going to mean for us.
So, I wanted to share with you some tips for how to deal with a friend being diagnosed, that I have gleaned over my years of working in the chronic illness and disability arena.
Read moreResponding to Others Grief
Tonight, it hits me that in the last two months, several of my family members and friends have had parents die, and some of them are preparing for funerals this week.
And as I've heard the news, I've been aware of wanting to get the balance right in my response; have had the feeling that I'm sure we've all had at times, that words are just not enough. I know this topic is often talked about ... what do we say? How should we recognise someone else's grief? How do we get it out to them that we feel their pain if they are shattered, but that we are also not telling them what or how they should feel?
Read more6 Tips for Getting Your Feelings Out On Paper
If you've read my blog on sleep issues, you might have already guessed something about me, and that is — paper has been a great and trusted friend of mine for many years.
In fact, I often refer to it as "Paper the Ever-patient" because whether I am using the real McCoy in the shape of a notepad, or whether it's on a tablet or phone, it's usually something I can access easily. This friendship has been around since I was a teenager, and I have found that even in the most difficult times, if I can write, I can often get some clarity and restore some inner peace.
So, I thought I'd share with you a few of the ways in which I use paper, on the off chance that they could be worth investigating for yourself.
Read moreDealing with Flash Forwards
When you have been diagnosed with a chronic illness like MS, or a disability where your physical or cognitive abilities are challenged, I find that one of the things appearing in my counselling room, is the fear of how life as you know it now, is going to change in the future.
Read moreSleep Issues
When people come to see me as a counsellor, they often talk about how they are having sleeping problems!
They are either like me, and can't get off to sleep at night, or they wake in the middle of the night, and can't go back to sleep. And of course, if it's no news to me in the counselling room, well also it's one of the most commonly talked about things on the major health websites. It's in bookshops, on YouTube, on the radio ... there's so much information out there about how to get good sleep, that you might be forgiven for wondering, what could I possibly have to add to the equation?
Read moreFun or Focus
Yesterday, I was sitting with a young client who finds it hard to get out of bed in the morning. She said to me "any excuse — it might be just that it's cold — and I'm back to bed… Life should be more than this!"
Now I know that for some people it's more of a problem than for others, and that there can be many reasons for feeling like this, but I'm sure it's a feeling that we can all relate to.
Read moreFind Yourself In Music
Do you ever get that feeling that … no one, but no one, gets you? Not your partner, not your best friend … maybe not even your Mum?
Well I’m here to tell you that this is not a rare phenomenon. Even though sometimes you have the feeling that everyone else belongs … that everyone else fits in and that the only things you say are wrong, most of us feel like that, from time to time.
And how do I know this?
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