How To Be A Perfect Parent In Challenging Times
So many words have been written about the EU referendum that I really don't want to add to the noise. However I can't ignore how it has affected me and my family, as we've been navigating the range of emotions that have been thrown up since Friday. Beyond my own deep...
Human Being, or Human Doing?
Our little Belarusian visitor arrived at the weekend (through Friends of Chernobyl's Children - check out these posts for the story of last year's visit). Last year I found the visit exhausting, challenging...and hugely rewarding; it pulled on every resource I had as...
Confessions of a Social Introvert
I'm not shy. I don't lack confidence. I like people. I have great friends. I like to go out. I run workshops and feel comfortable speaking to big groups. And I'm an introvert. When life flows for me it's more pull than push. My energy comes from my inner world and can...
What Happens When We Are At Our Best…
If you're a regular visitor to my blog, you'll know that I use an Oak tree as my metaphor for personal and professional growth, as well as an acronym for key principles (Ownership, Acceptance, Kindness for example). A couple of weeks ago I wrote about what we can draw...
What Are Your Minimum Requirements?
So, you may have picked up from my recent blog posts (and newsletter if you subscribe to it) that I've been feeling pretty tired and run down - not because of anything particularly bad or especially stressful; just because the whole family have had a lot on and...
6 Principles You Can Draw On When You're Under Pressure
I'm exhausted right now. I've had a really intensive week both professionally and personally. None of it has been 'bad', just full on and challenging, requiring a lot of emotional, physical and cognitive energy. And being an introvert, I've not yet had the...
Dealing With Fears: Befriend, Not Fight
I'm feeling quite proud of myself just now. Last week there were a number of events and tasks I'd been absolutely dreading. They made me feel a bit sick in my stomach. To make it worse I was feeling ashamed that I was so 'pathetic' in feeling that way, because they...
What Do You Think Of This Story?
I woke the other morning with a story in my head. I scribbled it down quickly in the notebook I keep by my bed. It was fun to write and I thought I’d share it here (pretty much in the raw form that I scribbled it in) as a change from my normal ramblings - I don’t...
Why It’s Hard To Ask For Help
I like to think of myself as independent and resourceful, and as someone who helps and supports others. As a values and beliefs set, these go deep with me. From an early age (and with the best of intentions from my parents), I got a lot of positive re-enforcement when...
What We Can Learn From The OAK!
I love trees; it’s why, when I was only 13, I decided the career for me was to become a forester. And indeed for 18 years after graduating with a degree in Forestry I had a very rich and interesting career with the Forestry Commission, but by that time I had burned...
What To Do When You’re All Over The Place
I’ve just come through one of the most emotionally challenging periods I’ve experienced in a long time. Quite frankly I felt like I was coming apart at the seams and all my usual resilience strategies seemed powerless in the face of this overwhelming tidal wave of...
The Windmills of Your Mind: Feeling Like You've Achieved Nothing?
I’d worked hard for my ski holiday this year; after breaking my leg in 2013, I was determined that this was to be the year I would finally overcome my physical, mental and emotional limitations to skiing and return to something approaching the level I was at before my...