My stuff

The first time we do things can be terrifying. New is hard. It feels really uncomfortable.   Being new at something makes you feel vulnerable. It is scary. You fear that other people might be judging you. You are going to look foolish, clumsy, like you are trying too hard, possibly incompetent. out of your …

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I often ask my clients “what do you do for fun?”. The response is sometimes a blank stare, a mumble about watching their kids play sport, or sometimes even tears. Mothers don’t make fun a priority in their lives. Many mothers put their leisure last, and reach for their to-do lists instead. And their lives …

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When you go to work and go home, go to work and go home, whole years (even decades) feel like they disappear into memory sinkholes. Time feels like it is speeding by. Family routines, work routines, even social routines can make life feel flat and blurred. Nothing stands out. When someone you haven’t seen for …

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How does it feel you when you are dealing with somebody who is busy and stressed and rushing? We have all been there. You finally get to catch up with a much-loved friend. How are you? And she replies with ‘Oh I’m so busy! How does it feel? What is it like to be on …

Continue reading "Not so busy"

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I grew up in a super-organised home. My brilliant mother brought up 4 kids, in a time when Dad went to work all day, and she managed the home front. She did a pretty good job. My siblings are all lovely grownups. So hats off to Mum and Dad! She described herself as a stay-at-home-mum. …

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A mother’s brain is constantly juggling multiple things.   Mothers are consummate multitaskers. We cook dinner while listening to homework. We plan dinner while we are driving. We fold the washing while we run the bath. We attend meetings with one eye on the clock, and always know exactly how long it is until school …

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Standing at the kitchen bench cooking the family dinner, when a piercing shriek came from the next room. A shriek of pure terror. Dropping everything, I ran, my heart pounding. To find my child pointing terrified at the ant that had wandered into the play space. My relief was immediate and palpable. I laughed “it’s …

Continue reading "Do you talk yourself out of how you are feeling?"

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‘Space is the breath of art.’ ~Frank Lloyd Wright   Designers use the term ‘white space’ to describe the area on a page, in a book, on an advertisement, or a website design, that is empty. It doesn’t have to be white, but it is blank and unmarked. You probably don’t notice white space. But …

Continue reading "Finding time for nothing – creating space in your life"

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Sometimes you need to talk. You need to slow down, and stop. Stop rushing around and distracting yourself. Think more, feel more. Stay in what’s happening right now. Contemplate, cry, accept, share. Other times you need to just get on with it. You just need to speed up. Stop overthinking, and start moving faster. Stop …

Continue reading "Sometimes you need to talk. Other times you need to get on with it."

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Being shy is an ongoing feeling of being nervous or timid in the presence of other people, especially strangers. it is an uncomfortable feeling. It doesn’t mean you don’t like people, it doesn’t mean you are not friendly. If you see someone laughing and happy in their usual group of friends, and then going quiet …

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