How many times a week to we hear ourselves uttering this phrase? It is both an acceptance that on paper, other people have worse problems than you, that you are grateful for all that you have, but also a statement that you are faced with an issue or dilemma that needs resolving; your emotional barometer is flashing and something needs to be done. Emotions are like that; they are urgent, they are real and they are now. It can be hard to make them take a back seat.

When we are struggling with a feeling or a situation, it can feel like it is going to last forever, and that there is no way that you are ever going to find a solution or feel differently again. We know on one level that time passes, things move on, that we are capable of other feelings, however, particularly when we are in a difficult place, the feelings and situation can feel all consuming and pervasive. There is a conflict between your thoughts and emotions, and when we are feeling vulnerable, stressed, exhausted, emotions readily take over. Carl Jung had a novel and simple solution to this issue.

Perfectionism is a badge worn with both pride and embarrassment. It is (undoubtedly for me) the reason that I have a successful career in law, as the need for external validation and my own unforgiving personal standards spurred me on. It is also the reason that every time the newsletter from the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority comes into my inbox that my heart skips a beat, and why, when I do something as tiny as miss a full stop in an email, I have been known to ruminate on it for hours

We hear the words ‘burn out’ a lot. It is a bit of a buzz phrase at the moment. However, it is also a stealthy beast, and can disguise itself as many other things. It has overlaps with stress, anxiety and trauma, but you don’t need to feel stressed, anxious or traumatised to  be burnt out. It often comes on slowly, often over years, and often over a time where on paper you have everything you have ever dreamed of.

The act of writing down your negative thoughts can serve to specifically identify and order the thoughts, rather than carrying around an unspecified sense of anxiety and fear.

Music has such a strong emotional impact because it activates large parts of the neural pathways of the brain, including the parts of the brain responsible for autobiographical memories, creativity and emotions.

Its all about tigers…..

The simple act of looking up at the sky, or out of a window at the view, can help reduce stress and anxiety.

We can all be guilty of ‘living in our heads’, and treating our bodies simply as the support act in our lives.

The rise of 24/7 news at our fingertips and the omnipresence of the perceived lives of others via social media means that our homes, minds and workplaces are bombarded with things that we cannot control.