Latest articles on Life Coaching

When I started on my own coaching and therapy journey I was very confused about everything. It was a scary time and not knowing what to expect or what I might find out about myself along the way caused a lot of distress. When my doctors first diagnosed me with having stress, anxiety and depression, I was sent off for CBT: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. I did not take to it immediately so was sent to counselling, my counsellor introduced me to hypnotherapy and then to life coaching.I was very...

I’ve recently come back from a holiday in Bali, and I absolutely loved it. For those that don’t know me, I’m the kind of person that plans everything to the T and I always have a plan B, C and D to back me up in case things go wrong. This holiday has been different though... For the first time in a long time I decided not to get too involved in the planning and allow someone else to take the reins. It was pretty difficult and anxiety-inducing to say the least. The reason I...

We all want to be a good friend. When a friend of ours is in need of help, or just a sympathetic ear, we can’t be there for them quick enough. But have you ever thought about doing that for yourself? For most of us, this idea doesn’t cross our path. We tend to look after everyone else first. So how about this: have you ever let a friendship go? While most friendships are special connections to be nurtured, there are some that only work in one direction. It is so easy to get into...

What are the qualities that make a good life coach, and how do you know whether you have found the right person? First of all, you need to like them. The rapport, or ‘chemistry’, is key to creating a successful coaching relationship. But when a coach doesn’t reveal much about who they are, how are you supposed to know whether you like them? 1. Openness Perhaps by asking them a few questions and testing their openness. For example, if they don’t state it on their...

Whether it’s a new term or you simply want to introduce healthier patterns/habits, modelling a healthier work-home balance for kids and teens can help them learn the best ways to reduce stress and handle pressure from deadlines. By showing a more healthy, sustainable balance between our work and home lives, we can also show our kids how to work through any emotional upset from their day, while practising what we preach about relaxation and self-care.

According to research revealed by...

There is so much talk around goals - about whether we should have them or not, whether they work or not and so on. The conversation, in my view, is huge, and here are some of my thoughts for you. A common expectation in the 21st century, with developments such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, increasing fast food deliveries and almost everything "on demand", is that results or material things ought to come to us fast. Children today grow up with this normality whilst those of us who are slightly...

Mindfulness continues to grow in popularity and is undoubtedly a hot topic where wellbeing is concerned. It’s endorsed by successful people from all walks of life from athletes to celebrities and has also been adopted by schools, colleges, big businesses like Google, Nike and Apple and even the military. They have all discovered that mindfulness delivers a sense of calm, connection with ourselves and others, resilience, gratitude, alertness, awareness and much more.  In the West, we...

We all have our coping mechanisms for dealing with uncomfortable negative emotions. Whether it's food, wine, exercise, anger or sex... that isn't important. It's that thing you turn to when you feel stressed, sad, frightened, anxious, confused or simply bored. In my case, I would usually reach out to food or wine for imagined support. It used to provide me with a temporary sense of calm. Even if it lasted just for a few short minutes, it was soothing. I’d hazard a guess that many...

When things are tough, try one or more of the following: 1) Role modelling How would someone I admire be handling things? This is someone you look up to, either famous or non-famous (friends, relatives etc.). Think about what they would be doing and how they would be acting, and try and do the same. 2) Best friend advice What advice would I give to my best friend in the same (difficult) situation? This can be useful as it enables us to take a ‘3rd party’/detached view...