Tag Archives: self-help

Store it up for a rainy day: The power of encouragement

Find yourself feeling discouraged more often lately? Maybe you’re a teacher receiving complaints, a leader experiencing criticism, a volunteer feeling overlooked, or a parent feeling taken-for-granted.

In times like this, it can really help to store up the golden moments, thank yous and affirming words in a place where they can’t be washed away by rainy weather.

The power of the One

The impact of your life is a bit like walking along the seashore across the sand, picking up shells as you go. Those shells you lift along the way represent the lives you have touched. Before you know it, you’ve walked the length of the beach. A little love each day can go a very long way.

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…

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”

‘Good things come to those who…’ : 5 ways to live life to the full

life has lots of good things stored up for us. How do we make sure they come our way?

The emotional rollercoaster of COVID-19: 5 ways to cope with the flatness, the curve balls and everything in between

1. Be thankful for the good days
2. Acknowledge the bad days
3. Take note of the ‘blah’ days
4. Grow in the scary days
5. Learn from each and every day

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.

Waiting well: an ‘operation’ in emotional resilience

Reality is, I feel anything but resilient right now. But resilience isn’t really about how you feel, is it? Resilience is about how you respond.