Tonight, it hits me that in the last two months, several of my family members and friends have had parents die, and some of them are preparing for funerals this week.
And as I've heard the news, I've been aware of wanting to get the balance right in my response; have had the feeling that I'm sure we've all had at times, that words are just not enough. I know this topic is often talked about ... what do we say? How should we recognise someone else's grief? How do we get it out to them that we feel their pain if they are shattered, but that we are also not telling them what or how they should feel?
Read moreIf you've read my blog on sleep issues, you might have already guessed something about me, and that is — paper has been a great and trusted friend of mine for many years.
In fact, I often refer to it as "Paper the Ever-patient" because whether I am using the real McCoy in the shape of a notepad, or whether it's on a tablet or phone, it's usually something I can access easily. This friendship has been around since I was a teenager, and I have found that even in the most difficult times, if I can write, I can often get some clarity and restore some inner peace.
So, I thought I'd share with you a few of the ways in which I use paper, on the off chance that they could be worth investigating for yourself.
Read moreWhen people come to see me as a counsellor, they often talk about how they are having sleeping problems!
They are either like me, and can't get off to sleep at night, or they wake in the middle of the night, and can't go back to sleep. And of course, if it's no news to me in the counselling room, well also it's one of the most commonly talked about things on the major health websites. It's in bookshops, on YouTube, on the radio ... there's so much information out there about how to get good sleep, that you might be forgiven for wondering, what could I possibly have to add to the equation?
Read moreDo you ever get that feeling that … no one, but no one, gets you? Not your partner, not your best friend … maybe not even your Mum?
Well I’m here to tell you that this is not a rare phenomenon. Even though sometimes you have the feeling that everyone else belongs … that everyone else fits in and that the only things you say are wrong, most of us feel like that, from time to time.
And how do I know this?
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