The midlife crisis
You know it… The cliché vision of the man in mid life with his brand new sports car- but why? What is this mid-life crisis?
Mid life is a threshold. We move through many thresholds in our lives, some bigger then others. Some so huge, our life is so altered by the end of it we are barely recognisable. There is a transition from one phase to another, hopefully an awakening to the deeper meaning of life, a few layers of defence shed, some of our armour relinquished, an ego re-visioned. A time that we can ask…
Holding opposites
I was sitting in my kitchen on a beautiful summers evening and I got a text through from a friend. She shared that, despite previous results indicating otherwise, her cancer has spread. I had made myself believe that it was gone, that she would be okay. I had pictures of her beautiful children in my mind as I felt into the pain of what this meant and all of the broken hearts and the pain ahead. I wept, my heart aching
I then just happened to glance at my phone and a very dear friend messaged to say…
Britain is famous for its stiff upper lip, its culture of “must not grumble”, it is often stated proudly but I see a much darker side to this trait. I see the long term impact of that repression. I see a place where people do not know the names of feelings and their worlds often come crashing down as the walls they built around themselves start crashing down. We see this in the form of anxiety, depression, breakdowns, burnouts, chronic fatigue etc. These are some of the effects of children being forced to repress their feelings. …
This is what I mean by #authenticself
For a while now, I have been posting lots of articles related to the “authentic self” but what do I mean by this? I want to share openly my experience of the ‘authentic self’. Here are six ways that, for me, are key to living authentically…
1. Being real, open and true to myself in relationships. I want people to like me- for me, not for an adapted version of myself. This greatly helps self esteem and love for myself can continue to grow. If I am genuine, then I know my relationship’s…
Dont get stressed! 7 Tips on staying stress free througout your day
DEBORAH MALONEY-MARSDEN·THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 201712 Reads
We hear the word stress loads, don’t we? As though it is a normal and acceptable state for us to be in. Its not! Feeling stress is a sign that we are doing too much. when we are stressed our body goes into an highly stimulated state, in overdrive, adrenaline pumps, heart rate is faster, blood pressure goes up and our bodies are tense. …
‘Breathe’
The breath is considered central in many methods of mediation, yoga and mindfullness so why and how can breathing be so useful in de-stressing, calming and centering us? It is not strictly the breath that destresses and calms it is actually the attention that we give the breath. So here is a way to get a little zen from your breath… and a little tip, try not to change the natural rhythm of breath, your role is simply to observe and watch:
- Bring your attention to the tip of your nose… you may feel a little cold tickle as…
Why I work with the body…
Body Psychotherapy
‘know our bodies know our ourselves, find freedom’
In psychotherapy the body can be a tool for healing. Being aware of the body brings us into a deeper relationship with our feelings, it creates a release and increases self awareness and self mastery. Body intelligence is so important in building a strong sense of self, resilience and a sense of peace within.
We feel certain feelings in certain areas of the body and each area can suffer trauma or become overworked. Anxiety is a good example of an excess in the solar plexus. It is a sign of imbalance and an excess…
Men feel too
I cannot express how passionate I am about creating a culture where #itsokaytosay how men are feeling. A culture where naming feelings and emotions is as important as passing exams and winning at football. A culture where #malesuicide is spoken about and where men are allowed to be vulnerable. #menfeel #bigboyscry #warriorscry and it’s acceptable-no more the that- it’s welcome. Being authentic and whole is a gift of being human-but it has to include feelings… and it needs to include men.
#authenticself
Some simple effective steps to being more grounded….
What does it mean to be grounded? Let’s start by thinking of what it means to be ungrounded. Often it means that you are in your head, thoughts constantly whirring, no real awareness of feelings in your body. No real awareness of the present moment. For some of us being in our heads can be so bad it can cause anxiety, panic attacks, vertigo, dizziness and lots of other quite unpleasant feelings.
Being grounded is feeling solid, feeling as though you are centered, you can think before you speak and there is…
