Always Feeling Bad about Not Getting Things Done?
If there is one thing that can really damage a person’s sense of self, cause unnecessary stress, and lead to constant feelings of misery and guilt, it is the habit of procrastination. Self-sabotage comes in many shapes and sizes but procrastination is by far the most common. Are you a procrastinator? Are you always putting things off until tomorrow? How does that make you feel? Good about yourself …
Can You Seriously Afford to Not Speak Your Truth?
‘Ek chup, sau sukh’ is a saying from my culture, which if you share my Indian heritage you will definitely have heard many times. Loosely translated it means ‘staying quiet (and, I’ll add, compliant) leads to greater ease in life’. I grew up with this message. I consider it to be one of the gems of wisdom my mother passed onto me; one that has stood me in good stead over the years. There is definitely …
Feel-Good Factor Tip: Laugh!
Research shows that the simple act of laughing offers an amazing array of mental, physical, emotional and social benefits. Laughter lowers stress hormones, boosts immunity, decreases pain, relaxes muscles and lowers blood pressure. It eases anxiety and fear, improves mood, and adds joy and zest to life. It also strengthens relationships, defuses conflict and promotes …
What Does Speaking Your Truth Actually Mean?
The inability to speak one’s truth is a common cause of deep unhappiness. Not being able to communicate our wishes and needs to those around us in a firm, clear, polite way means that at best, our needs are not met and at worst, we are misunderstood, ignored, side-lined or simply walked all over. I often ask people if they speak their truth, and point out that it is important to do so if they are to …
Conquer Stress and Anxiety with this Deceptively Simple Breathing Exercise
Let me start by asking you a question. What is your breathing like right now? Are you breathing slowly and deeply, all the way down into your abdomen? Or, is your breath short and shallow? Now shift your awareness to how you are feeling. Are you happy, calm and relaxed? Or, are you feeling stressed, agitated and anxious? I’m sure you already know that there is a real and direct link between …
Feel-Good Factor Tip: Breathe!
Decide which energy you would like to experience in this moment. Joy? Vitality? Peace? Love? Wellbeing? Give this energy a colour; any colour that feels right to you. Put your hand on your abdomen and close your eyes. Take a long, deep, slow in-breath so that your hand rises. Continue to breathe in and out slowly and deliberately, allowing your hand to rise and fall with each breath …
Feel-Good Factor Tip: Have a Clear-Out!
Pick one cupboard or area of your house that is full of clutter. Get four boxes and label them: ‘rubbish’, ‘recycle’, ‘sell/donate’, and ‘deal with’. Take everything out of the cupboard. Clean the space. Take each item and decide whether it needs to go into one of the four boxes or be put back into the cupboard. Ensure that the things going back into the cupboard are neatly arranged …
Where Is Your Sanctuary?
We all need a calm, safe and quiet place where we can go to relax, unwind and recharge our batteries. A place where we can retreat from the world and just ‘be’. Our very own sanctuary that provides inspiration, renewal and refreshment. My home is very much my sanctuary, particularly my meditation and therapy rooms. Whenever I am away, even for a day, I look forward to coming home and spending time there. It’s the place where I feel completely at ease ...
Declutter 6 Areas of Your Life and Regain Your Power
Do you find it difficult to operate in a chaotic or cluttered environment? I certainly do. My stress levels rise and I find it hard to focus. My productivity, creativity and sense of wellbeing are all adversely affected. Earlier in life, I used to perceive clutter simply in terms of the things in my physical space. Nowadays my interpretation has widened considerably and extends to different parts of both my inner and outer world …
Feel-Good Factor Tip: Daydream!
Forget everything you were told as a child; daydreaming is actually good for you. Research has shown that it: improves working memory; aids relaxation; helps the creation and achievement of goals; and allows complex thought to take place thus facilitating creative problem solving …
How to Release Suppressed Anger
“Get mad, then get over it.” Colin Powell
If you suspect you may be holding onto anger from the past, try the following exercise. Step 1: Find 30 – 60 minutes of alone time when you will not be disturbed. Step 2: Get yourself some paper, a pen, and a pillow, cushion or, if you have one, a punch bag …
Are You Ready to Explode with Anger?
Were you brought up like me; with the warped belief that anger is somehow inherently ‘bad’? That if you want to be loved and accepted then there could be no place in your life for anger? I picked up this message loud and clear whilst I was growing up. Not only was I totally oblivious to the fact that: a) anger is a natural, healthy, intrinsically positive emotion, and b) that I could learn to process, manage …
How Your Diet Can Help You Manage Anxiety and Depression
Whilst it would be wrong to say that your diet alone can cause anxiety or depression, it can certainly make your situation better or worse. In the last few decades the relationship between diet, stress and anxiety has been well documented. Research shows that the following foods and substances are likely to contribute to your symptoms. Therefore avoiding them all together or consuming them …
Feel-Good Factor Tip: Listen to Music!
Whether you prefer Beyonce or Beethoven, listening to your favourite tunes is a proven spirit lifter. Recent research has found that levels of the feel-good brain chemical dopamine increased by 9% when participants listened to music they enjoyed. Listening to music from a happy time in your life will further enhance your experience by inducing the good feelings you enjoyed at the time …
7 Spiritual Laws for Getting What You Want Out of Life
I vividly remember the feeling of overwhelming confusion when, many years ago, I was asked what appeared to be a seemingly straightforward question: “What do YOU want?" I was stunned into silence. I had never thought about this before. The person I was talking to was highly amused: _“Is it any wonder you feel stuck? You don’t get anywhere in life if you don’t know where you are going …
Living in the Land of Should
Do you live in the ‘land of should’? Do you find yourself doing what you should be doing and not what you want to be doing all the time? Are you the one always doing the ‘right thing’ by everyone else? So much so that you have lost touch with your innate sense of fun, creativity and spontaneity? Or, maybe on the odd occasion you have tried to do what you like, only to find yourself riddled with feelings of guilt …
Feel-Good Factor Tip: Smile!
We are all drawn to people who smile. Studies show that not only does smiling make you more attractive to others, it also tricks your body and mind into changing your mood for the better. It relieves stress, boosts your immune system, lowers your blood pressure, releases ‘feel-good’ hormones and lifts your face to make you look younger and more successful. It also helps you stay more positive …
The Different Parts of Us
I am sure you will agree that we humans are very complex beings indeed. I come face-to-face with these complexities on a daily basis both in my personal and my professional life. One thing I’ve noticed is that most of us are conditioned to pay a lot of attention to certain aspects of our being, to the detriment of other parts of ourselves. And, that this single tendency can lead to a lot of personal distress …
Feel-Good Factor Tip: Hug Someone!
Research has shown that just ten seconds of hugging can lower your blood pressure. Hugging triggers the production of the feel-good hormone oxytocin and lowers the production of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenalin. Oxytocin is a pleasure hormone. It creates feelings of calmness, contentment, and security, while reducing fear and anxiety. Done regularly, hugging lowers the risk of heart disease …
Benefits of Meditation Practice
The wide and varied benefits to be enjoyed from the regular practice of meditation are awesome. I am always amazed at how something so simple can have such a profound and powerful balancing effective on a person’s mind, body and spirit. Here is a summary of the key benefits that regular daily practice can give us. Reduced stress. Meditation literally reduces stress by reversing the effects of …