Is anyone old enough to remember the TV series The Good Life? It portrayed an ideal of what constituted a good life, circa the 1970s, of escaping the rat race and becoming self-sufficient. Which, as I write, is perhaps still what people, perhaps you, would say makes a good life. But it does, however, ask…
Have you ever found yourself silently screaming, “I am just too overwhelmed?” If so, you are not alone. Often, we think of overwhelm as someone with too much on their plate, no time to do it all, and a sense that no matter how fast you move, you are somehow always slightly behind. It is…
Love is in the air, or so I am told by the abundance of red hearts as I go about my shopping. And I have been pondering the power that love has on us as humans to do extraordinary things for the benefit of those we love. Yet when it comes to making changes in…
A student recently shared her word of the year with me: becoming. I’ve been thinking about this word ever since. Not only is it beautiful, but it also captures something essential about the coaching journey that’s often hard to articulate. When someone comes to a health and wellbeing coach, they’re not a problem to be…
Perhaps you have come across the concept of Word of the Year, heard it via social media, articles, networking, friends, etc. Maybe it is a practice you engage in, or it might be something new to you. It is something I have played around with for many years. I personally love the concept, which I…
Have you ever caught yourself saying, “I shouldn’t complain. I have so much to be grateful for.” Or perhaps you’ve heard someone else say it, their voice trailing off as they dismiss their own struggles? I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, particularly after creating an Instagram reel about the limitations of gratitude. Whilst…
Have you ever noticed how gratitude can feel like another wellness rule we’re supposed to follow? Another item on the already endless list of things we should be doing for our wellbeing? I was wandering around a festival by the seaside recently when I stumbled across a talk by a professional surfer. I wasn’t planning…
A client once described her experience of life as feeling like she was constantly being knocked off balance. “Just when I think I’m managing,” she said, “something else comes along and tips everything over again.” I could hear the exhaustion in her voice. The sense that wellbeing was something elusive she was supposed to achieve…
After years of working in wellbeing, I’ve noticed something that keeps coming up in conversations with clients: the confusion between self-care and self-soothing. Someone will tell me about their self-care routine – the nightly glass of wine, the weekend shopping trips, the endless scrolling through social media when stressed. And while these things aren’t inherently…
I was having coffee with a friend recently who looked exhausted despite getting plenty of sleep. “I just feel flat,” she said. “Like I’m going through the motions but nothing really matters.” It struck me how often I hear variations of this sentiment. People who have good lives on paper – decent jobs, loving families,…