Change can be hard because of the uncertainty and fear that it can bring up. Starting with small changes and focusing on one change at a time can work well. Preparing for not always succeeding and starting again can be a good approach to change. B…

Burnout can happen when an individual is unable to keep up with life's demands. It is a state of emotional and physical exhaustion. Below are tips that might help you avoid burnout: 1. Sleep. Getting enough sleep can prevent burnout. 2. SeIf…

Procrastination is the action of postponing or delaying something. Below are tips that might help you avoid procrastination: 1. Try something new. Trying something new can help motivate you. 2. Be realistic. Being realistic can set yourself up…

Self-awareness is how an individual consciously knows one’s own feelings and character. Self-awareness can help us: Regulate our emotions Be better decision-makers Build better relationships Become more confident Below are self-awareness exercises…

Personal development focuses on ways to better yourself. It can increase your self-esteem, self-awareness and fulfil your aspirations. Personal development activities can enhance your quality of life. Below are personal development activities that…

Self-confidence is your belief in yourself, your abilities and your skills. You have a positive view of yourself and you know your strengths and weaknesses. You accept and trust yourself. Some benefits of self-confidence: better performance, healthy…

Positive relationships can boost your wellbeing and help you deal with life’s challenges. A strong social network can give you a sense of belonging. Below are some suggestions that might help you build stronger relationships: Be there for those that…

Compassion is when people care for others. Being compassionate towards self and towards others can be an essential part of well-being. Below are suggestions that might help build your compassion towards yourself and towards others. 1. The…

Resilience is the ability to cope with a difficult or stressful time. Resilience can be developed throughout life and it can also involve personal growth. Below are suggestions that might help build your resilience. 1. Build your connections. Connect…

Self-esteem describes an individual’s overall sense of self-worth. Signs of healthy self-esteem can include: the ability to express your needs, the ability to say no, having a positive outlook, the ability not to allow negative experiences to impact…

Many of us live busy lives and we can lose sight of where we are going. When we are busy it can be good to stop and check that we are on the right path and reconnect with our preferred direction in life. This chosen direction can be based on our…

Often, we spend a lot of our time thinking about what we need to do and what we have done. By being more mindful during the day, you can bring more focus to whatever you are doing and you can also feel calmer. Informal mindfulness can be used in any…

Knowing your optimal times of day, can in turn help you manage your time. These optimal times are when your concentration and physical energy are at their best. Some tasks, for example studying, need all your energy and it is not best to do these…

Mindfulness is about being in the moment and being aware of not getting stuck in thoughts from past and the future. It is easy in our busy worlds, to stop noticing what is going on within us and around us. Mindfulness helps us be aware of our lives…

Finding meaning in our lives is a challenge for us all and we all approach this differently. Below are some tips that might help you find meaning in your life. Don’t worry if none of the below tips are helpful because by taking part in the search you…

Our environment can reduce or increase our stress and this in turn affects our bodies. An unpleasant environment can cause you to feel helpless, anxious, sad or stressed. This in turn can raise your heart rate, blood pressure and muscle tension and…

Maintaining life balance is essential for our well-being. A well-balanced person is able to is able to focus their energy on achieving their goals, they’re productive and they move forward in a meaningful way. Usually a well-balanced person feels…

Loss is the feeling of grief after losing someone or something of value. Loss is an inevitable part of life. Grief is natural response to loss. The more significant the loss, the more intense the grief will be. Even subtle losses can lead to grief…

During our lives we build friendships. Care and maintenance of friendships is important. Below are some ideas that you might consider for the care and maintenance of friendships: 1. Keep it balanced: True friends feel equal in the friendship. Neither…

Self-care includes any intentional actions you take to care for your physical, mental and emotional health. Self-care is unique for everyone. It is probably best to start with a few ideas and to slowly build on this. Below are some ideas that might…

Experiencing anxiety is a normal part of life. Anxiety is the body’s natural reaction to threat or danger, commonly known as the “fight or flight” response. Anxiety is something we all experience from time to time. Steps that you can take that might…

Exercise can be one of the most affective ways to improve your mental health. No matter what age you are or your fitness level you can use exercise help you feel better. People who exercise regularly find that it gives them a great sense of well…

Wellbeing is something that we can only give to ourselves. Good wellbeing helps us to be able to cope when things are tough, enjoy life, experience balance with the different aspects of our lives, helps us to be able to develop our strengths and it…

Conflict management is when we identify and deal with disputes sensibly, fairly and in a balanced and effective way. Conflict management is when groups/individuals show some incompatibility between themselves and interact with each other in some way…

Sleep is very important and it affects our health and wellbeing. It is as important as eating, drinking and breathing. When we sleep our brains process information and our bodies repair themselves. When somebody isn’t sleeping well it can affect…

Sometimes we do things without deliberate effort or self awareness and this is automatic pilot eg. being in your thoughts and not being aware of this. Mindfulness is any new thing that can help you to pay attention to things. Below I have listed some…

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Hungarian researcher) has worked on our understanding of happiness, creativity, human fulfilment and the concept of “flow”. “Flow” happens when heightened focus happens when a person is totally immersed in activities such as…

What is Positive Psychology? Traditionally, psychology has focused on people’s problems and how to solve them. Positive psychology is one of the latest movements within psychology and instead it studies happiness and offers proactive steps to…

What is Mindfulness? If you’re not focusing on your current experience and you’re not really in touch with the “here and now, this way of operating if often referred to as automatic pilot mode. Mindfulness is the opposite to the automatic pilot mode…

New Year’s Eve has always been a time for looking back to the past, more importantly forward to the coming year. It’s time to reflect on the changes we want (or need) to make and resolve to follow through on those changes. A New Year’s Resolution is…

Christmas can be a very stressful time of year. For a lot of people the Christmas holiday period is a mass of complex social interactions with family or relatives, some of whom you may rather not see. There might be expectations or at least perceived…

1. Stress Stress is a natural part of life but unhealthy forms of stress might be a threat to our physical and mental well-being. Three different situations could trigger the stress response in our ancestors. The first one was needed to fight to…

I find grounding exercises to be invaluable in my personal life and professional life (as a counsellor/psychotherapist with my clients). It is useful to have a selection of grounding exercises that you can draw upon to keep your mind and body…

What is Counselling/Psychotherapy? Counselling/psychotherapy aims to help you to find ways of coping with problems you may be experiencing. Counselling/psychotherapy provides an opportunity for you to work towards living in a more satisfying and…

I followed Maureen Gaffney’s series “How to be Happy” on RTE Television. It was interesting to learn that our genes influence our happiness but we can control 40% of our happiness. Maureen explored different things that could help us all to feel…

Welcome to my Blog. My goal with my website is to write interesting articles that will hopefully help you to live a more balanced life. I also want to share some interesting nuggets of information that I come across. Stay tuned because over the…