coping strategies – Looking for Eden

When you’re lying in a sea of odd socks

I was literally lying in a sea of my own odd socks.

But this I call to mind…

There is always hope. And it starts again with with each new morning.

Feeling all wrung out? Self care for emotional sponges

‘Mummy, it really hurts me in my tummy when other people are sad’

Zoë’s wee eyes filled up out of the blue earlier…

Today my wee Zoë is having follow-up surgery on her arm. She smashed the bone just under her elbow in June and had plates and screws installed. I wrote a post during her first operation – I’ll admit, it was partly to distract myself from pacing the corridors and going out of my mind. ThisContinue reading “An operation in resilience #2”

Fact or opinion? A question for handling criticism

‘Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.’ I don’t know who first said this, but I can’t understand why it became so popular. Because it’s quite simply wrong. I would re-render it as: ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but there’s nothing like words to bring you down.’Continue reading “Fact or opinion? A question for handling criticism”

Back to school 2020/2021: burst bubbles and brave steps.

When all this is over, you will tell your children how brave you have been…

When weariness weighs you down, who holds you up?

Once upon a time there was a battle. A fight which felt impossible to win. The leader of one side was known for his great exploits. His courage. His bravery. His boldness. His unwavering confidence in his God. But in this particular story, he is vulnerable, he is weary, and he is tired. A groupContinue reading “When weariness weighs you down, who holds you up?”

Facing your demons: fighting fear with courage

Africa by night can be chillingly haunting. The shriek of a witch doctor performing a curse. The moans of a child hallucinating with malaria. The bloodcurdling screeching and droning chants of cultish groups performing exorcisms.

Can we stop pretending, please? Where denial helps us and when it starts to hurt us

I don’t know if any of you have read the news reports about the Coronavirus parties that people have been holding to challenge the reality that COVID-19 is, in fact, ‘real.’ Some of the stories of the consequences of reckless and irresponsible actions have been totally heartbreaking.

The anxious parent: How to stop catastrophizing under stress

Eden is such a random wee article. She’s always been one to keep us guessing. Yesterday, I caught her red-handed with a spoon and a jar of chocolate spread. Let’s just say that wasn’t much left to go round. I wasn’t really bothered- that’s normal kid behaviour right? I told her off, then smiled toContinue reading “The anxious parent: How to stop catastrophizing under stress”