Latest articles on Life Coaching

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion as a result of excessive and prolonged stress. “Burnout is what happens when you try to avoid being human for too long” - Michael Gungor. What happens to you? Too much stress can cause your body to display a range of physical and psychological symptoms. It could be irritability, lack of energy, tummy upsets, headaches, sleep problems, lack of motivation or focus. To manage stress, you may reach for unhelpful...

For young people, life can feel like a never-ending roller coaster of expectations, emotions and pressure coming at you from every direction. Barnardo’s reported almost half of children and teens aged 12-16 admitted to feeling sad or anxious at least once a week, with nearly one in four feeling negative at least once a day. For 16 year olds, an overwhelming 70% felt sad or anxious each week.

The main causes? Teens cited school (65%), worrying about their future (42%) and problems at home...

Does your child sometimes think “poor me” and feel that the whole world is against them? Maybe they think they're unlucky and nothing ever works out right for them? Do they often feel guilty even though they know it wasn’t their fault? This is the ‘victim’ in Stephen Karpman’s 'drama triangle' and it is the opposite of self-esteem. A drama triangle occurs with three people: the role of victim, persecutor and rescuer. As the drama unfolds, the roles change as...

I was at a recent networking event. As I introduced myself to everyone in the room I used an example of a vision which one of my mum clients created. Two of the mums said ‘that sounded just like my vision!’. It wasn’t theirs, but this got me thinking about the similarity between the visions which my mum clients tend to set when they work with me. A vision might be the most powerful way to keep you focused on what you want in life whilst keeping you motivated in achieving it....

When I was growing up my Dad did his best, he was always saying "parenting doesn’t come with a manual". He tried his best, but he didn’t have a clue. He genuinely believed that enforcing his beliefs and values on us was a necessity, an obligation of parenting. If he was around today, he would have crumpled under the strain. Now when children grow up they don't always leave home, some go off to University then come back as matured independent adults, some stay at home, living in...

As a mum, I find routines bring order to the chaotic world of bringing up children. Routines give me structure and confidence that what needs to happen will get done. I also find that a good morning routine sets the tone for the day. For children, established routines can give a sense of organisation and stability and they find the consistency reassuring. A good routine can reduce anxiety and apprehension. It helps them to plan and be prepared for what is coming up. One key routine is a...

Children love stories, don't they? They like to make them up, illustrate them and bring them to life, often acting them out for you. They love to listen to your stories, about your own childhood and stories you make up and those you read at bed time. A story is a metaphor for our own life. It's easier for children to tell you a story about someone else than about themselves. They can make changes along the way and see how you react and see how it changes the outcome.  It's the summer...

Before we talk about change we should look at what where our ideas and expectations have come from. They have come from our environment. Our ideas on parenting come from many sources; our own parents and carers, books and magazines, TV programmes and of course our friends and loved ones. Let’s use this space here to jot down the 10 things that come to mind without too much thought, 'What do you consider to be ‘a good parent’ ?' A ‘good parent’ is someone...