Latest articles on Life Coaching

At this time of year, there is huge pressure on our teenagers taking GCSEs and A Levels. I have one taking A Levels myself so I feel your pain! Mention it even once and you're nagging - "shut up Mum", "stop going on about it", "it won't make any difference you going on about it". I've tried obscure references such as "would you like me to bring you a cup of tea and a sandwich while you're studying?" - that does seem to be acceptable, except that when I bring them in, he's watching a...

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...

The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) have launched ‘Scroll Free September’, a month-long campaign to help us negotiate a happier relationship with our phone and social media.

While the initiative is aimed at everyone, it’s especially looking to target young people after their 2017 #StatusOfMind report revealed some worrying statistics. Some key findings from the report include:

91% of those aged 16-24 use the Internet for social networking. Rates of anxiety and depression...

When asked the question: “What is it that you most want for your child?”, most parents I have spoken to have said something along the lines of “I just want them to feel happy within themselves.” Naturally, parents want their child to feel good about who they are, but for adolescents this can seem like an extremely hard task. The internet and social media age hasn’t made this any easier. Snapshots of “the perfect life” are on show everywhere, and this...

As mums and dads, we worry about our children and teenagers, don’t we? In fact, I should own up and admit that like many of my friends the same age as me, I still worry about my children even though they are now in their 20s. Talking to children and encouraging them to open up can be difficult: so the question is, how do we broach the subject of feelings without them closing down? The standard response from most children when asked about how they feel is to say they don’t know....

So how do you know what you are good at and which course or job is right for you? It begins with understanding who you are. A hospital wouldn’t function well in a toilet block and a café wouldn’t have many customers if it was in a pigsty. As Rick Warren said, “Before architects design any new building they first ask, "What will be its purpose? How will it be used?" The intended function always determines the form of the building.” In the same way, some animals...

The first few weeks of university are often emotional. You’re excited to be in new place, the next chapter of your life - for some, the first time living alone. But this change can also bring feelings of anxiety, nervousness and you may feel homesick.

Before we hit our twenties, we’re making choices that can affect the rest of our lives. Most of us will feel happy with our choice, after riding out the often-turbulent first term, we settle into our courses, our new routines and our new...

Often, the most talked about aspect of body image and confidence is how adult women are affected. But, a recent survey conducted by Girlguiding suggests that this is perhaps not the most pressing body image issue.

The survey, which questioned over 1,500 young people, revealed that 36% of girls between the ages of seven and 10 say they are made to feel that the way they look is the most important thing about them. Not only this, but 47% of girls aged between 11 and 21 said that the way they...